In one of the marquee matchups of the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Saturday, the Texas A&M Aggies travel to the Phog Allen Fieldhouse to take on the Kansas Jayhawks.
The Aggies are struggling thus far in conference play, but have been better as of late, winning two of their last three to get back to a 2-6 conference record to this point. Billy Kennedy’s squad has been hampered with injuries and suspensions, which has caused them to disappoint to a degree when it comes to their preseason prediction of third in the conference.
Nevertheless, the Aggies have enough talent to win any game on their schedule on any given day, including this one at Kansas.
The Jayhawks are the model of consistency in the Big 12, having won at least a share of the conference regular season every year since 2005, and this season is no different.
Kansas is currently 6-2 in conference, which sits the Jayhawks atop the conference by one game, and all signs point to Bill Self and company continuing that trend this season.
Let’s take a look at the players to watch, the keys to victory, and a score prediction for Saturday’s contest.
Players to Watch
DJ Hogg (Texas A&M)
The 6-8 Hogg has been one of the key cogs in the A&M machine, and as the best wing scorer for the Aggies, he will need to play a big role in this game against the likes of Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, Lagerald Vick, and Malik Newman.
Hogg has more size than any of Kansas’ forwards, so he poses a matchup nightmare on multiple levels, and that size, in combination with career high shooting efficiency numbers, could give Texas A&M a big boost.
If the Aggies can properly expose the matchup of Hogg on Mykhailiuk, they have a great chance to win this road game.
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk (Kansas)
The best shooter on the Kansas roster, Sviatoslav, or Svi for short, presents a lot of matchup problems for opposing teams.
His elite shooting ability makes him one of the most dangerous players in the country on the offensive end of the floor, and he can single-handedly turn the tide of any game that he plays in with the ability to shoot from NBA range and beyond.
If the Jayhawks can set him up to get open shots early and often, look for Kansas to run out to a big lead, as well as open up driving lanes for the guards, such as Vick, Newman, and Devonte’ Graham.
He could also help Udoba Azubuike pick up easy post touches on the low block.
How Texas A&M Can Win
The Aggies need to exploit the distinct lack of size that the Jayhawks have in the starting lineup.
Outside of Azubuike, the Jayhawks have no other true big men on their roster, and with the Aggies sporting three centers in their rotation, look for Robert Williams, Tyler Davis, and Tonny Trocha-Morelos to take advantage of that lack of size and rack up a large rebounding advantage, especially offensively.
If Texas A&M can control the rebounding margin, it has a great chance to get more looks around the basket, and in turn, score more points than the Jayhawks.
How Kansas Can Win
The Jayhawks need to control the flow of the game from a tempo standpoint, with Graham leading that charge.
The Aggies are a bottom-half tempo team, ranking 197th in the KenPom adjusted tempo rankings, and with Kansas ranking 100th in those same rankings, the Jayhawks want to get out and run a bit more..
If those trends continue, that could lead to easy transition looks for the shooting guards and forwards of the Jayhawks.
If Kansas can get going in transition, it’ll have a great chance to win a critical home game as the back half of Big 12 play begins.
Prediction
Simply put, the Aggies aren’t playing as well as the Jayhawks in most facets of the game.
Texas A&M does have the size advantage up front, but the backcourt for the Aggies is simply outclassed by the backcourt players of the Jayhawks.
At this point in the season, I’ll take the Jayhawks by double-digits at home, although the score will not represent how close the game will be throughout.
Prediction: Kansas 81, Texas A&M 70