Riding on a three-game losing streak, Texas A&M (8-6, 0-3) is still searching for their first conference win of the season. The Aggies will attempt to bounce back when they host LSU (9-5, 1-2 SEC) Wednesday night at Reed Arena.
Both the Aggies and Tigers are coming off tough losses, as LSU fell to Mississippi State 95-78 last Saturday, while A&M dropped a road match to South Carolina 79-68. The Tigers are also suffering a losing streak, having dropped three of their last four games.
During A&M’s losing streak, the Aggies have committed 66 turnovers that have turned into 84 points for their opponents. The miscues have peaked in the past two games, as the Aggies have committed 25 turnovers in each contest.
Fingers have been pointed towards the Aggies’ lack of a true, strong point guard as the main reason for A&M’s struggles taking care of the ball. A&M head coach Billy Kennedy has used a different starting lineup in each of the past three games, which entailed sophomore and former walk-on Chris Collins earning the starting nod over senior J.C. Hampton at point guard the past two games.
Hampton had started in A&M’s first 12 games of the year before being benched in favor of Collins against Kentucky last Tuesday. Despite the shake-up, the teams’ numbers have not been stellar, as Collins has committed four turnovers to just three assists during the past two outings and Hampton has committed three turnovers to only three assists as well in the span.
LSU is led by hot-shooting guard Antonio Blakeney, who averages a team-high 17.5 points per game. He is complemented by bruising forward Duop Reath, who at 6-foot-10 has recorded three double-doubles for the Tigers this season, averaging 14.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
The Aggies and Tigers are set to tip-off at 7:30 p.m. and the game will be televised on SEC Network.