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Kentucky vs. Texas A&M: TV/Streaming Info, Preview, and Betting Odds/Predictions

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Kentucky big man Amari Williams claps with energy on defense.
Chet White | UK Athletics

The Kentucky Wildcats got a big-time road win against Mississippi State on Saturday. Their reward? Two top-15 opponents this week, the first of which will be the Texas A&M Aggies on Tuesday night.

Coached by two-time SEC Coach of the Year Buzz Williams, the Aggies are currently ranked 11th nationally, their highest ranking since the 2017-18 season. Falling just one spot after a loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday.

Texas A&M has not won in Lexington since their inaugural season in the SEC in 2013, but have won two in a row.

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The big storyline for this game is around A&M guard and two-time All-SEC selection Wade Taylor IV, who has missed two games in a row with an undisclosed injury, rumored to be his knee. Williams says he does not have any recovery timetable.

Losing Taylor, their best playmaker, is a big loss for A&M. However, beating a top-20 Oklahoma team and only losing to Alabama by six points will still be a hard-fought contest for Kentucky.

Let’s take a look at the matchup.

Limit A&M on the Offensive Boards

Texas A&M is the best offensive-rebounding team in the country in nearly every category. The Aggies rebound 44% of their shots, collecting nearly 15 offensive rebounds per game. That said, they shoot just over 43% from the field, so their quality of shots are not great.

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Kentucky’s struggles on the offensive glass have been apparent and is an area where Mark Pope and the staff are trying to improve quickly. However, they have given up double-figure offensive rebounds in three straight games.

With four players with more than 30 offensive rebounds on the season, A&M crashes the offensive glass as a team. To counter that, Kentucky will need to box out as a team.

Speed Up the Game

By adjusted tempo, Texas A&M plays at the fourth-slowest pace in the SEC. That is a pace that Kentucky has struggled to play at often this season, and they would like to speed up the game.

A&M guard Zhuric Phelps is someone that the Wildcats can exploit on defense, as he commits more than three turnovers per game. If Kentucky can secure the boards, they can push the ball at their own pace.

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Interior Defense, Maintain Foul Trouble

Running a dribble-drive offense, Texas A&M is not a team that looks to shoot threes first. This means that Kentucky will likely prioritize defending the drive rather than the shot. Communication will be key in ball-screen situations, an area where the Wildcats have improved a lot in recent weeks.

That said, the Aggies are very good at drawing fouls. Drawing more than 20 fouls on their opponent per game, they rank in the top 25 in the country. With a lineup that is 7-8 players deep, defending without fouling will be critical for Kentucky.

Opposing Players to Watch*

*Note: If Taylor does not play.

G Zhuric Phelps 6-4, 190 lbs

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  • 15.4 PPG
  • 4.9 RPG
  • 2.7 APG
  • 3.2 TOPG

F Henry Coleman III 6-8, 250 lbs

  • 8.6 PPG
  • 5.3 RPG
  • 58.4 FG%

F Pharrel Payne 6-9, 250 lbs

  • 8.9 PPG
  • 4.8 RPG
  • 67.1% FG

Kentucky Basketball vs. Texas A&M Aggies

Time: 7:00 PM ET on January 14th
Location: Central Bank Center at Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY
TV Channel: ESPN2
Announcers: Karl Ravech and Jimmy Dykes
Online Stream: ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens will have the call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
Replay: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings).
Rosters: UK | A&M
Stats to Know: UK | A&M
KenPom: UK | A&M
Team Sheet: UK | A&M

Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has Kentucky favored by 6.5 points with an over/under 157.5. That line is likely smaller if Wade Taylor IV plays, so it could indicate he’s trending toward being out Tuesday. Bart Torvik is the most confident in Kentucky’s chances to win at 67%. EvanMiya, again, is the most pessimistic, giving the Cats just a 58.3% chance of victory. ESPN (60.6%) and KenPom (60%) fall in between.

Predictions: The analytics predict a narrow Wildcat victory. Bart Torvik (81-76) is the sole projection going with a two-possession victory. KenPom (80-77), EvanMiya (79-76), and Haslametrics (79-78) going with a one-score victory. A&M may be without Taylor, their best player. While they still won’t be an easy out, I’m going with an 84-77 victory, Kentucky!

How do you see this one going? Send us your Kentucky vs. Texas A&M score predictions in the comments section!

Go Cats!!

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Also posted on A Sea of Blue.

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Men's Basketball

Opposing SEC Coaches Take Shots at John Calipari, “There’s just no fear now when I see him… He is becoming archaic”

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With an 0-5 record in SEC play, John Calipari draws criticisms from opposing coaches.
Stephen Lew | Imagn

As the days from John Calipari’s last taste of success at Kentucky continued to grow further away, and the relationship between program and coach became toxic, it was clear that a separation was needed for both parties.

Last spring, Calipari elected to resign at Kentucky to take over the Arkansas basketball program, opening the door for Mark Pope to take the Kentucky job.

Thanks to Tyson Foods tycoon John Tyson and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Calipari had one of the highest NIL budgets in the country and brought in the third-best overall (including HS recruits and transfers) class, according to 247Sports.

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Arkansas fans and personalities were quick to stick their chests out and display pompous attitudes. ESPN’s Seth Greenberg even called Calipari to make a Final Four in the next three seasons.

Now halfway through the season, that excitement and positivity is a far cry away.

0-5. That is the Razorbacks record in SEC play, the worst since they joined the conference in 1990. They are just one of four high-major programs still searching for their first conference win.

Hoops HQ’s Jeff Goodman has asked some of Calipari’s SEC peers to give their opinion on what has happened.

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“They have a ton of individual talent,” one SEC coach told Goodman. “But none of their pieces fit. None of them.”

One of the biggest victims of this is Johnell Davis, who was considered to be a consensus top-five transfer. An AAC Player of the Year, looks like a shell of his former self, averaging just over eight points on the lowest shooting mark of his career (40.9%).

“He doesn’t play freely at all under Calipari,” said an opposing coach. “He doesn’t know where his shots are, so he looks skittish and lost.”

If the roster doesn’t fit, that falls on the staff and their evaluations. A staff that is largely made up of who Calipari had at Kentucky in recent years, directly bringing over Chin Coleman and Chuck Martin, and welcoming back Kenny Payne and his son, Calipari.

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In one SEC coach’s words, “they all do the same thing.”

“They don’t have anyone innovative, they are outdated in how they do things,” said another.

Once one of the most feared coaches in the sport, especially on the recruiting trail, no longer strikes the same response in his opponents.

In what be the most daming quote from an anonymous SEC coach: “There’s just no fear now when I see him on the other sideline. The game has changed and he is becoming archaic.”

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Goodman’s full article can be read here on Hoops HQ.

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Men's Basketball

“Real” Kentucky Fans Called Out By ESPN Analyst

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ESPN

“You should get lost in your team and the journey.”

That is the message that Seth Greenberg had to Kentucky fans on Saturday, suggesting that they are more worried about John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks than they are about their own team.

This isn’t the first time that Greenberg, a close friend of Calipari, has criticized Kentucky fans since Calipari’s departure. When the move was first announced last spring, he called the support system “suffocating.” To be fair, that was probably true due to the lack of postseason success.

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“It is suffocating when you have your support system isn’t on the same page,” Greenberg said. “Coaching’s hard enough, but when your support system is pulling in another direction that becomes a problem.”

Kentucky fans are more than focused on their team, which in Mark Pope’s first season is ranked in the top 10 with five top 15 wins. That said, to ask them to completely ignore the Coach who had led them for the previous fifteen seasons, both good and bad, is not realistic.

Comparing what you have, to what you had is a natural human trait. With time, that desire to compare will dissipate and Calipari will be welcomed back into the good graces of Kentucky fans.

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky Drops Close Game to Alabama, Lacks Execution Down the Stretch

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Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope reacts to the action during the second half against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Rupp Arena.
Jordan Prather | IMAGN

Kentucky came into this game looking to pick up another Top 25 win, however, Alabama had a different idea.

The Alabama duo of Mark Sears and Grant Nelson just proved to be too much for the Wildcats to handle. Alabama’s duo led them to a 102-97 victory and handed Kentucky the first loss in Rupp Arena of the Mark Pope era.

Mark Sears finished the game with 24 points and 9 assists while Grant Nelson finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds of his own.

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Grant Nelson came out scorching hot having 12 points in the first 10 minutes and it just didn’t seem like Kentucky had much of an answer early. Nelson managed to put up 19 points in the first half alone.

The second half was all Mark Sears. Sears started the game slow, but exploded in the 2nd half. He kept knocking down big shot after big shot right when it seemed like Kentucky was going to take over the lead.

Otega Oweh Monster Game

On the Kentucky side, they were led in scoring by Junior Otega Oweh. Oweh finished with 21 points all while shooting an impressive 8-14 from the field.

Lamont Butler also finished with a huge game all while playing through a left shoulder injury. Butler ended the game with 17 points 8 assists and 4 rebounds while also coming up with some huge defensive plays to keep Kentucky in the game.

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Even with these respective performances from Otega Oweh and Lamont Butler, Kentucky just couldn’t take the lead and hold onto it. Alabama seemed to hit clutch shot after clutch shot and done just enough to stay ahead of the Cats and pick up a huge road win.

Kentucky ‘Bye Week’

Kentucky will not return to action until next Saturday, January, 25th when they look to rebound on the road vs Vanderbilt. This bye week is coming at the perfect time for Kentucky. They have had some tough injury luck this season as we have seen Lamont Butler, Andrew Carr, and Brandon Garrison all either play through injuries or miss games so far this season.

Pope said this bye week will be a huge one as the team looks to get healthy and stay healthy, for the remainder of their SEC schedule.

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