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In a battle of two unranked SEC teams, the Texas A&M Aggies will host the Arkansas Razorbacks on Tuesday.
Arkansas Failing to Meet Expectations
The Razorbacks were expected to be one of the nation’s top teams, being ranked at No. 9 in the preseason. Arkansas reached the Sweet 16 last season, and that was without Trevon Brazile, who was injured 9 games into the year. Instead, the Razorbacks have been a disappointment, holding a 12-13 record and an even worse 3-8 record against SEC opponents.
Florida easily handled Arkansas on January 13, 90-68. Arkansas has lost its last two games entering Tuesday night.
Texas A&M’s Disappointing Season
The Aggies themselves came into the season ranked at No. 16, but after a less-than-stellar start, they have dropped out of the poll. While they hold a 15-10 record, the Aggies are only 6-6 in the SEC. They reached the NCAA tournament but lost in the first round a season ago, but have ground to make up if they hope to get back into the tournament.
Texas A&M narrowly defeated Florida 67-66 on February 3 after a go-ahead field goal from Tyrese Radford. The Aggies have also lost their last two games heading into Tuesday.
Previous Matchup
The two teams already met on January 16, with the Razorbacks winning in a 78-77 nail-biter. Arkansas’s Tramon Mark scored a career-high 35 points including a game-winner with 1.1 seconds left. Mark’s effort overshadowed a career-high 41-point outing from the Aggies’ Wade Taylor IV. While Taylor did score 53% of his team’s points, he also shot 13-32 from the field and 5-14 from beyond the arc.
The Razorbacks held a 20-point lead before a comeback effort by the Aggies fell just short. Both teams struggled from the field, with neither side shooting above 40%. It was a free throw shootout as the two sides combined to attempt 73 attempts from the charity stripe.
A career-high 35 points. Played the full 40 minutes. Game winning bucket.
That's @RealBuckets11. pic.twitter.com/WB9OOyumEb
— Arkansas Razorbacks Men’s Basketball 🐗 (@RazorbackMBB) January 18, 2024
Texas A&M and Arkansas Meet Again
The two teams come in both expecting a win. Both are hovering around .500 and hope to turn their season around. Tramon Mark and Wade Taylor IV are both top 6 in PPG in the SEC. If their clash on January 16th serve as any indicator, expect another intense match.
