A surprising start to the season, including a handling of national champion Kentucky, led to a 12-3 (2-0) record for A&M men’s basketball. Since then, the Aggies have dropped two straight games in SEC play.
The Louisiana State University team they face has yet to win a conference game. The Tigers are 9-6, but four of their six losses come to SEC teams. Both teams look to improve their SEC record and will try to gain momentum in Wednesdays game.
LSU head coach Johnny Jones said they have to play better against Texas A&M.
We obviously have to get better with a really solid Texas A&M team coming in here on Wednesday, Jones said. Theyre a team thats playing really well winning at Kentucky, beating Arkansas and only losing by one right there at the end of the game at Alabama.
LSU has been plagued with injuries to some of their key players this season. LSU senior guard Charles Camouche, sophomore forward Johnny O’Brien IIII and freshman guard Corban Collins have all suffered injuries this season. Jones said it gives others a chance to step up.
“You look, as a player, for opportunities like this,” Jones said. “I think its great to take an advantage of it in a positive way.
The Aggies most recent loss came to Alabama on Saturday night. A&M had an 11-point lead at halftime, holding Alabama to zero points from turnovers, but Alabama took advantage of nine A&M turnovers in the second half, turning them into 11 points.
Head coach Billy Kennedy said the crowd at Alabama still celebrating the football team winning the national championship made it tougher for the Aggies.
Before you knew it they were in the game quick, Kennedy said. They had a great crowd. It was a national championship celebration day. That got the crowd right back in it and it made it more difficult to.
After the Florida loss, senior guard Elston Turner and senior forward Ray Turner both said their team will bounce back on their Twitter profiles. The Aggies are still searching for the surge to help them move forward.
The Aggies look to avoid their first losing streak of the season as they face the Tigers at 7 p.m. Wednesday.