Bucky McMillan and Texas A&M Basketball head to Athens tomorrow as they take on the Georgia Bulldogs. The Aggies come into the contest with a 16-4 overall record, 6-1 in the SEC, and 39th in the NET rankings. The Bulldogs come in with a 16-5 record, 4-4 in the SEC, and 33rd in the NET rankings.
This will be a big opportunity for both teams, but more so for the Aggies. This will be a quad 1 game for the Aggies, but only a quad 2 game for the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs are coming off a 1-point loss to Tennessee at home Wednesday night, so they are looking to grab some momentum back for themselves. For the Aggies, they are riding high currently, but when you are staring down the barrel at games against Alabama and Florida, a win tomorrow could potentially save them from an 0-3 stretch.
Texas A&M faces key Quad 1 opportunity Saturday vs Georgia
Both teams are currently in great position for the postseason as they are both top 45 in the NET rankings, have at least 2 quad 1 wins, and don't have any quad 4 losses. The Aggies are currently projected as a 8 seed by both ESPN and CBS while the Bulldogs are projected as a 9 seed by both sites as well.
On paper, these teams are pretty evenly matched. Both teams average around the same points per game while giving up nearly identical amounts as well. They both have similar field goal percentages, turnovers per game, and they both distribute the ball very well. The primary advantage for Georgia will come on the glass as they average about 3 more rebounds per game, while the Aggies hold the advantage in both assists per game and 3-point shooting percentage.
The Aggies have a formula to win games, and they will need to do it once again tomorrow. They are coming off arguably their best rebounding performance all year against South Carolina and will need to keep it close tomorrow in order to win. The Aggies will also need to distribute the ball and force turnovers— just like how they've been doing all season. Currently led by Rashaun Agee, the Aggies still have 5 active players averaging 10 or more points per game, with guys like Jacari Lane, Zach Clemence, Josh Holloway, and Ali Dibba right behind them that can make their presence known if need be.
Tomorrow is expected to be a very high scoring game. Both teams like to play with a lot of pace and have benches that go about 10-11 deep to get the job done. The Aggies will need to focus their defensive efforts on Jeremiah Wilkinson and Blue Cain who average 17.1 and 13.3 points respectively. Limiting those two guards will be the key to the Aggies success tomorrow.
No matter what happens tomorrow, I would expect a very entertaining game. The Bulldogs are currently 3.5-point favorites at home and are a very dangerous team offensively, but the Aggies have been in plenty of tight games down the stretch this season. Check back tomorrow evening for my full reaction and analysis of tomorrow's game.