The No. 14-ranked Kentucky Wildcats (20-6) travel to Texas A&M to play the Aggies (19-7) in a matchup that pits the Southeastern’s top-ranked offense against the top-ranked defense. The game gets underway at 6:30 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 20 and will air on ESP and ES3.
The Aggies were victorious over Ole Miss 71-56 on Tuesday. Anthony Collins had 10 points, eight assists, and six rebounds for Texas A&M. The Wildcats, meanwhile, are coming off an 80-70 win over Tennessee on Thursday. Jamal Murray led the game in scoring with 28 points on 8-for-12 shooting.
Over the last five games, Murray has been on fire for the Wildcats. During that stretch, he has averaged 26.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 4.8 three-pointers.
It will be a matchup of strength versus strength, as the high-octane offense of the Wildcats (24th in the nation with an offensive efficiency of 115.1) takes the court against the stingy defense of the Aggies (20th in the nation with a defensive efficiency of 95.2).
The Aggies are attempting to build on their records of 19-7 Straight Up (SU) and 10-10-2 Against The Spread (ATS). The Aggies, sporting the 34th-best assist-to-turnover ratio in Division I (1.39), have proven themselves to be an extremely efficient offensive team.
On the other side, the Wildcats head into the game with records of 12-14 ATS and 20-6 SU. The Wildcats will be looking to pick it up in this one after recent offensive struggles. In their most recent 10 games, their scoring has dropped to 70.1 PPG, compared to 75.9 for the duration of the season. The Wildcats are a force on the offensive glass, grabbing an average of 13.5 offensive rebounds per game.
Texas A&M and Kentucky will be facing off in their first head-to-head contest of the season. When they last met the Wildcats were winners, moving their SU record against Texas A&M to 3-1. However, Texas A&M leads the matchup ATS with a record of 3-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – Kty, ATS Winner – Kty
Notes
The Texas A&M Aggies average 75.9 points per game, ranking 100th in the nation. The Kentucky Wildcats rank 61st in points allowed with 67.0.
Texas A&M scores 79.8 points per home game (ranked 87th). Kentucky ranks a poor 122nd in points allowed on the road, allowing 73.6 points.
The Texas A&M Aggies rank 70th for their offensive rating of 111.2. The Kentucky Wildcats have a defensive rating of 97.7 (ranked 57th).
Kentucky beats Texas A&M in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Wildcats average 68.5 possessions and 1.151 points per possession, while the Aggies average 68.2 possessions with 1.112 points per possession.
The Texas A&M Aggies average an effective field goal percentage of 52.6% this season. The Kentucky Wildcats have a losing record of 1-3 when opponents have an eFG% of 52.6% or greater.
On average, Texas A&M attempts 21.0 three pointers and Kentucky attempts 18.0. Both teams have winning records when they have 20 or more three point attempts. The Texas A&M Aggies sit at 14-5 and the Kentucky Wildcats are 10-4.
Texas A&M ranks 34th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.39. Kentucky is ranked lower at 101st with an A/TO of 1.18.
Texas A&M ranks 88th in rebounds per game with 38.2 and Kentucky ranks 54th with 39.1 rebounds per game.
When it comes to offensive rebounds, Kentucky ranks 24th. Texas A&M ranks 120th in defensive rebounds.
Though Texas A&M is one of the best in the country in forcing turnovers with opponents averaging a TO% of 22.0% (ranked 23rd), Kentucky is undefeated (4-0) when its TO% is 22.0% or greater.
