Florida at Texas A&M: Chance for SEC Supremacy
Florida basketball is in College Station at Texas A&M for a crucial SEC matchup Saturday night. The Gators are looking for their third-straight win, but the Aggies will not hand them anything on a silver platter.
Both Florida (16-6) and Texas A&M (17-5) are 7-2 in the SEC, with the top spot in the conference on the line with just a month left in the regular season. The Aggies are 12-1 at home, while Florida leads the series against them 11-9, including winning the last two. Coverage begins at 8 p.m. on 103.7-FM/98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF at sold-out Reed Arena and opening tip is a 8:30 p.m. on the SEC Network.
Texas A&M is coming off a loss at Alabama on Wednesday night, 100-97. Florida’s last game before the midweek bye was also against Alabama last Sunday, but unlike the Aggies, the Gators conquered the Crimson Tide, 100-77.
Forward Alex Condon, who finally found his breakthrough with a season-best 25 points scored against Alabama, should factor heavily into Florida’s offense. The Gators will lean heavily on their frontcourt against the Aggies, who only have one frontcourt player averaging double digits. Thomas Haugh was right there with Condon against Alabama, putting up 22 points. Haugh leads the Gators in points per game at 17.6, while Condon averages the second-most with 13.8. Florida center Rueben Chinyelu will work to keep his own streak alive, as he leads the SEC with 13 consecutive double-doubles.
On the other side, Texas A&M’s top scorers are forward Rashaun Agee (14.2 points per game) and guard Rubén Dominguez (12.4 points per game). Three other Aggies average double digits, and three of the five shoot 39% from 3 or better, so Florida’s perimeter defense will be tested.
Otherwise, both teams are stylistically very similar with tempos currently ranked within the top 60 in the country. The pair are tactically aggressive defensively, especially Texas A&M, which uses a press defense and packing the paint to push a fast-paced game with constant movement up and down the court. This approach has drained opponents throughout its SEC schedule, and it could do the same against Florida’s starting lineup. So the Gators will count on their bench to maintain speed, consistent scoring and forcing turnovers during game play. As it currently stands, the Florida bench is not very deep and the team has been heavily reliant on its starters — the Gators three consistent bench contributors average a combined, stick with us, 19 points per game.
The Gators only play one more ranked foe during the regular season, so a win against the Aggies will be one of their last opportunities to strengthen their resume for the NCAA Tournament before the SEC Tournament.
Category: Basketball, Feature Sports News, Gators Men's Basketball
