Less than three weeks ago, the Aggies were 20-5 and looking at a double-bye into the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament. Fast forward to this weekend: Texas A&M has lost three straight games @ Mississippi State, vs. Tennessee, and vs. Vanderbilt. Now 6th in the SEC standings, the road doesn’t get any easier with matchups against Florida, Auburn, and LSU to close out the regular season.
The 12th ranked Aggies are led by seniors Wade Taylor IV (15.3 PPG) and Zhuric Phelps (14.4 PPG), but have struggled to get consistent scoring elsewhere despite boasting a deep rotation that features 7 other players averaging between 15-24 minutes per game.
On the other hand, Florida enters with one of the most prolific offenses in college basketball. Led by Wooden Award watchlist guard Walter Clayton Jr (17.4 PPG), the Gators get scoring from their entire starting five with senior guards Alijah Martin (14.7 PPG) and Will Richard (13.2 PPG), and sophomore forwards Alex Condon (10.5 PPG) and Thomas Haugh (8.8 PPG).
The Gators are coming off a brutal loss at Georgia Tuesday night, remarkably erasing a 26-point deficit to take the lead with 1:23 remaining and then losing in the final minute. Nonetheless, Florida has only lost once in Gainesville all season and will be fired up to protect their home court Saturday night.
How to watch Texas A&M vs. Florida
- Date: Saturday, March 1
- Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
- Venue: Stephen O’Connell Center, Gainesville, FL
- How to Watch (TV): SECN
- Streaming: fubo TV
- Texas A&M record: 20-8
- Florida record: 24-4
Texas A&M vs. Florida odds, spread and total
Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook
Moneyline
- Texas A&M +315
- Florida -410
Spread
- Texas A&M +8.5 (-110)
- Florida -8.5 (-110)
Total
- 147.5 (over -110/under -110)
Texas A&M injury report
- N/A
Florida injury report
- Sam Alexis, F: Questionable (undisclosed)
- Olivier Rioux, F: Out (redshirt)
Florida and Texas A&M series history
- Florida all-time record vs. Texas A&M: 10-9
Texas A&M vs. Florida prediction
Florida’s offense has really only been stifled once this year, being held to 44 total points on February 1st against Tennessee. For reference, Tennessee is 1st in KenPom’s Defensive Rating, while Texas A&M ranks 7th – so there is a world in which the deep, veteran Aggie squad slows down the Gators. But even if Florida is slowed down, can Texas A&M keep up?
Texas A&M is ranked 52nd in KenPom’s Offensive Rating, while Florida’s defense ranks 8th. Not to mention, the Gators will get a big boost from the Saturday night home crowd. I expect Buzz Williams’ Aggies to make this game as physical as possible with their deep rotation and paint presence, but the task will simply be too tall on the road.
Prediction: Florida 85, Texas A&M 74