A Wednesday night ranked matchup sees Texas A&M heading over to Ole Miss for quite a matchup; do the Aggies nab a nice road win or can the Rebels pull out another great win?
TV schedule: Wednesday, January 22, 9:00 pm ET. ESPN2
Arena: The Sandy and John Black Pavilion in Oxford, Mississippi
For the most part, things have gone according to plan on the court for Texas A&M (14-4), a team that could easily be in even better shape than they are right now. Still comfortably part of the national rankings, the Aggies have lost a pair of tough games in recent weeks, but recently got their lineup healthy once again.
Senior point guard Wade Taylor IV (15.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.8 apg) is one of the best players in the SEC and missed both of those recent defeats. With him back in the lineup, the Aggies won against LSU this past weekend and look to get another notable victory this week. Equally important has been the health and contributions of Zhuric Phelps (15.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg), the top scorer and an immense weapon in that backcourt. Also keep an eye on Pharrel Payne (9.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg), who has really stepped up at times when Taylor or Phelps were out of the lineup.
Texas A&M is #13 in the AP Top 25, though the metrics don’t reflect that, as they sit just 18th in KenPom and 19th in the NET. Their defense has been the unit getting the job done more times than not, even with some rough efforts during SEC play. Long-range shooting has been something that’s doomed the Aggies several times this season, with lame results even in earlier wins over Creighton and Rutgers. At the very least, the entire lineup is in position as they hope to stay above .500 in this vicious SEC race.
Meanwhile, Ole Miss (15-3) is glad to see their homecourt after a pair of tough road tests last week. The Rebels are playing some inspired basketball this season and picked up a monumental win at Alabama, proving they belong in the conversation in this conference. A close overtime loss to rival Mississippi State still stings but this home test gives them a chance to get back in the winning column.
Former Virginia Tech guard Sean Pedulla (14.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.7 apg) has become a major playmaker for the Rebels while Jaylen Murray (11.8 ppg, 3.9 apg) has had a nice shooting touch, forming a killer pair in this backcourt. Chris Beard’s rotation is full of veteran talent, with former All-SEC player Matthew Murrell (11.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg) putting up nice numbers since returning from injury a few weeks ago.
Last week’s action saw Ole Miss rise to #16 in the AP Top 25 while they sit 17th in KenPom and are up to 13th in the NET rankings. Unlike last year’s squad that faltered at this point, these Rebels are showing their worth in the SEC, now sitting 4-1 in league play. This is a solid interior offensive unit that defends and has won several important games away from home since the season began.
It’s home sweet home for an Ole Miss team that’s playing about as well as anyone in the SEC right now, save for Auburn. The Rebels’ defense really showed up against Alabama last week and that same effort will lead to an easy win over these Aggies. However, with Taylor in the lineup this game becomes much less simple, with Texas A&M desperately needing more consistency from their offense.
There’s talent on both sides here, and we’re leaning towards the Rebels at home, but why can’t Texas A&M get this one on the road? They have the game’s best player in Taylor and play just as strong a defensive game as Ole Miss. Regardless, Ole Miss is just playing a bit better right now and can definitely take this one if they limit opportunities for the Aggies. Expect a lower-scoring affair than these teams have had recently.
Prediction: Ole Miss 67, Texas A&M 63