Texas A&M (18-7, 10-2 SEC) is in the final stretch of the regular season with just six games remaining in SEC play, and with some of their toughest matchups left on the docket, a visit from the Arkansas Razorbacks (17-8, 6-6 SEC) is just the first obstacle in their way to not only earning an NCAA Tournament bid but becoming one the more feared opponents heading into March.
On Wednesday night, Arkansas is coming into Reed Arena after a disappointing home loss to the surging Mississippi State Bulldogs while sitting in the middle of the SEC at 6-6, most likely needing to finish at .500 or better in order to safely secure a spot in the Tournament, but as we’ve seen in the past couple weeks in conference play, no one is safe.
Despite their underwhelming performance against the Bulldogs, the Razorbacks have won three out of their last five, including an 88-73 win against Kentucky at Rupp Arena on Feb. 7th. the scoring trio consisting of junior guard Ricky Council (16.9 ppg), freshman guard Anthony Black (13.2 ppg) and junior guard Devonte Davis (11.0 ppg) is still as intimidating as ever to game plan for, as Head coach Buzz Williams knows all too well after all three recorded double digits scoring efforts in their first meeting.
As a team, Arkansas is averaging 74.5 ppg, 35.6 rebounds, 70.3% from the free throw line, and an impressive 47.8% from the field, but only 30% from 3-point range, worst than the Aggies’ 32.5 % from deep. In comparison, Texas A&M is averaging 75 ppg, 37 rebounds, 75% from the free throw line, and shooting 45% from the field, and a slightly better 32.5% from deep.
Defending the perimeter is a must for the Aggies if they want to avoid a repeat of last month’s loss, one of the few areas the team has struggled with in SEC play, even within their 10 wins. Offensively, Wade Taylor IV has been the predominant playmaker as of late, but I believe that this will be another inside game with an emphasis on rebounding and scoring at the rim, whether it’s a healthy mixture of Julius Marble and Henry Coleman in the low post, or Tyrece Radford slashing to the basket to set up outside shooting looks.
The Aggies are in the midst of a three-game winning streak after handily defeating LSU 74-62 on Saturday night, and do possess home-court advantage this time around while looking for revenge against the team that embarrassed them defensively for much of their Jan 31st meeting. However, knowing that the Razorbacks will be in full desperation mode to earn what would amount to a Quad 1 victory for their tournament resume gives this the feeling of a neutral court showdown against two hungry programs.
The game with the is set for Wednesday, Feb. 14th at 8:00 PM CT. and will air on ESPN2.
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