After posting two wins against Top 25 opponents last week, No. 8 Auburn and No. 24 Kentucky, the No. 21 A&M men’s basketball team (17-8, 6-6 SEC) will look to extend their four-game winning streak on Tuesday as they travel to play at Missouri (17-8, 7-5 SEC).
The Aggies handedly defeated the Tigers 60-49 in their first matchup, however, the Aggies 60 point tally is the second-lowest they have posted all season. Head coach Billy Kennedy says that the Tigers will be more of a challenge this time around, however, he still thinks it will be a low-scoring affair.
“They weren’t as good as they were now, they’re playing extremely well, they’ve won four in a row and we’ve both played a similar physical style. It will be a physical, defensive matchup. Whoever gets to sixty [points] first, probably has the best chance to win,” Kennedy said.
The physical matchup played to the Aggies advantage in their last matchup as Aggie big men Tyler Davis and Robert Williams outscored Mizzou big men Jontay Porter and Jeremiah Tilmon 24 to 9. Additionally, A&M center Tonny Trocha-Morelos came off the bench and posted a game-high 14 points.
Mizzou guard Kassius Robertson has been on fire since the two teams’ first meeting, averaging 21.3 points per game. The Aggies were able to neutralize Robertson, holding him to just seven points, which Kennedy attributes to a high level of emphasis in practice.
“Admon [Gilder] and our team were very aware made that a priority was very aware and we made that a priority and they lost a point guard so their team has changed from the last time we played them,” Kennedy said. “He’s [Robertson] is really good and explosive coming off the screen. We’ve just got to do a good job of helping off the screens, more so than last time.”
Gilder will likely see increased minutes due to the loss of three point guards who won’t be available for Tuesday night’s game. Fifth-year senior Duane Wilson will be out for the season with a knee injury, Jay Jay Chandler is suspended indefinitely and JJ Caldwell has been dismissed from the team. Kennedy says that there will be no new roster additions for the remainder of the season and is confident with the personnel he has on staff.
“This is what we got. At this time of the year, everybody’s going through some matrition to some degree, Missouri lost a kid that they have to manage, you just have to adjust and move on. I feel like we have enough guys that can help us win and continue to be successful like we’ve been playing,” Kennedy said.
The Aggies matchup at Mizzou will be televised on ESPNU and tip off is slated for 6 p.m.
