With both of their basketball teams projected by many to make the NCAA Tournament, Billy Kennedy and Gary Blair both looked ahead to big weeks as they held their weekly radio shows Monday.
The Aggie women are ranked No. 14 and come off a 78-45 win over Auburn. After losing two straight to No. 22 Georgia and No. 1 South Carolina, the Aggies received a mid-week break before Auburn.
“Any time you come off of two losses you need some time to teach,” Blair said. “We needed time.”
Courtney Williams was the standout performer, scoring 23 points in the win over the Tigers on Sunday. The A&M women will travel to Columbia, Missouri, Thursday to take on Missouri. The next few games are important for the Aggie women and their push toward a high seed in the NCAA Tournament.
“We need to continue to win at home, win at least 3 of 4 on the road and we’ll be in good shape,” Blair said.
As far as the Missouri game this week, Blair is focused and not looking ahead.
“They have shot 506 three-pointers,” he said. “When they get hot, they’re committed to the three. We’re going to have to play some small ball there. We might have to experiment to see what the best set will be for us.”
For the Aggie men, they travel to Oxford, Mississippi, Wednesday to take on the Ole Miss Rebels. Having won six straight games, they sit in second place in the conference behind No. 1 Kentucky.
A&M is coming off a 69-58 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday. Leading the Aggies were Jalen Jones, Alex Caruso and Danuel House, who was named SEC Player of the Week Monday after scoring 13 points against Vanderbilt and hitting six 3-pointers in his 22-point performance against Auburn.
The six-game winning streak is the longest since the Aggies were in the Big 12. Kennedy attributes the streak to good defense and tough play.
“We’re not giving up many easy baskets,” Kennedy said. “We’re getting back in transition. Defensively we’re rebounding and that gives you a chance to win every night.”
This week is a different animal. Kennedy knows his team is getting a huge challenge this week.
“Ole Miss will be the toughest team we play besides Kentucky,” Kennedy said.
The game tips off at 6 p.m. on the SEC Network.