After winning four of its last five games, Texas A&M men’s basketball looks to continue its hot streak on Tuesday in a rematch against No.13 Louisiana State University.
LSU captured the win in its first matchup with A&M 72-57 at Reed Arena on Jan. 30. However, A&M head coach Billy Kennedy said they now know what it takes to beat the talented LSU squad.
“One of our big keys is going to be rebounding the ball,” Kennedy said. “They’re so physical, they’ve got good size at every position and it’s been the biggest challenge for teams playing them because [LSU] gets a lot of second shots.”
Even though rebounding is going to be a larger concern going into Baton Rouge, the Aggies have won the rebounding battle in the last two matchups.
LSU forward Naz Reid has been a significant presence for the Tigers in the paint, averaging 13.4 points per game and 6.6 rebounds per game. The 6’10”, 240 pound freshman is projected to be a late first-round or early second-round pick in this year’s NBA draft according to ESPN.
Separately, LSU sophomore guard Tremont Waters missed the last contest with an illness. The leading scorer for the Tigers remains questionable for Tuesday night’s game. Waters currently averages 15.7 points per game and 5.9 assists per game.
“We’re prepared to deal with him,” Kennedy said. “We expect him to be back, obviously he’s been such a weapon against us that we’ve gotta plan to guard him.”
Waters showed out in LSU’s last matchup with A&M, scoring 36 points and seven rebounds in the win.
However, LSU will also have to make a game plan for A&M sophomore forward and guard Savion Flagg, who earned SEC player of the week honors for his performance against Arkansas where Flagg had 22 points and nine rebounds. Flagg has averaged 21.3 points per game and 8.3 rebounds per game over the past three matchups—leading the Aggies in points and rebounds.
“I just think its maturity,” Kennedy said. “He’s getting better and his confidence level is up. We’ve been telling him to be aggressive early on, and he’s started being aggressive and see some success. He’s been doing it in rebounding and scoring and he’s sharing the ball, as well as showing it on the defensive end.”
Junior forward Josh Nebo is also getting back into rhythm after playing fewer minutes than usual due to a right knee injury he sustained a couple of weeks ago. Nebo scored 14 points and collected six rebounds in 24 minutes against Arkansas on Saturday.
“[My knee] is feeling pretty good,” Nebo said. “I’m getting close to 100 percent now. Just trying to get my conditioning back from all the time that I missed. Moving laterally really hurts, most of the parts like jumping and running felt fine. Cutting and stopping just hurts.”
A&M holds a 12-14 record overall and is 5-9 in the SEC, while LSU is currently 22-5 and 12-2 in conference play.
The Aggies face off against the Tigers on Tuesday at the Maravich Assembly Center. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN2.