The No. 5-ranked Texas A&M Aggies (17-2) will attempt to keep their 10-game winning streak alive when they meet the Arkansas Razorbacks (9-10) at Bud Walton Arena. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Jan. 27 and can be seen on ESU and ES3.
The Razorbacks are hoping to rebound after their 76-73 loss to Georgia on Saturday. Anton Beard had a solid performance, putting up 18 points, three assists, and two steals for Arkansas. The Aggies, meanwhile, are coming off a 66-53 win against Missouri on Saturday. Jalen Jones led the game in scoring by registering 20 points on 5-for-14 shooting.
Jones has been hot over the last five games for the Aggies, averaging 21.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 1.0 steal, 0.8 blocks, and 1.2 three-pointers.
Based on historical performance heading into this one, ball security could play a key role in the matchup. Arkansas commits the 20th-fewest miscues in the nation (TO% of 15.4%), while the disruptive defense of Texas A&M causes the 13th-most (opponents’ TO% of 23.4%).
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Aggies winning the first matchup 92-69. Jones had a standout performance in the victory, putting up 28 points, seven rebounds, two steals, and four three-pointers.
Texas A&M takes on Arkansas as a three-point favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at 148 points. The Razorbacks have gone 9-10 Straight Up (SU) and 8-7 Against The Spread (ATS). Arkansas is one of the best passing teams in the nation with an average of 17.7 assists per game.
Over on the other bench, the Aggies have 17-2 SU and 7-5-2 ATS records. The Aggies are an unselfish team with an average of 19.0 assists per game, ranking sixth in Division I. One advantage for the Aggies could be Arkansas’s high fouls per game average of 21.7.
In their previous meeting this season, Texas A&M beat Arkansas, bumping its SU record over their most recent meetings to 4-2. With a 5-1 record, the Aggies also have the advantage ATS. Texas A&M held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers two times in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, Arkansas never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – TexA&M, ATS Winner – TexA&M, O/U – Over
Notes
Arkansas is 17-4 SU in its last 21 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Arkansas’s last 6 games when playing Texas A&M.
Arkansas is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Texas A&M.
Texas A&M is a perfect 7-0 SU against its conference, while Arkansas sits at 3-4 SU.
Texas A&M averages 78.3 points per game (ranked 73rd). Arkansas, on the other hand, allows 76.1 points per game (ranked 277th).
Ranked 10th, the Texas A&M Aggies have one of the top defenses in the country, giving up just 92.2 points per 100 possessions. The Arkansas Razorbacks rank 66th in offense, scoring 111.8 points in the same number of possessions.
Arkansas averages 73.6 possessions per game, scoring 1.118 points on each possession. While Texas A&M averages fewer possessions per game with 68.7, they score more points per possession with 1.140.
Arkansas has an average effective field goal percentage of 51.8%. Texas A&M is a winning 4-1 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
The Arkansas Razorbacks average 15.0 three point attempts per game, and the Texas A&M Aggies attempt 22.0 per game. When going for at least 20 three pointers in a game this season, Arkansas is an even 1-1, while Texas A&M has a superb record of 13-2.
Arkansas ranks 16th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.56, while Texas A&M ranks 12th with an A/TO of 1.57.
Texas A&M, the 70th-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 38.9 rebounds per game. Arkansas does worse, ranked 118th with 37.7.
On average, Arkansas makes 7.6 steals per game. Texas A&M has a winning 3-1 record when it gives up at least 7 steals.
