The Texas A&M men’s basketball team is looking for another win over a divisional rival as they prepare to host the No. 19 LSU Tigers on Wednesday in Reed Arena.
The Aggies are coming off of a stunning upset win over Kansas State which snapped their three-game losing streak. While the 65-53 win on Saturday helped get the team out of a slump, A&M now has to prepare for what could be an even greater challenge.
The Tigers are 16-3 overall and undefeated in SEC play. LSU is also on a nine-game win streak, and holds second place in conference standings. LSU’s performance can be attributed to its efficient scoring, averaging 83.2 points per game. In addition, the Tigers lead the conference in steals per game, taking the ball from opponents almost 10 times per game.
In order to stop LSU’s offensive attack, A&M head coach Billy Kennedy said he plans to play solid defense and rotate larger players into the lineup.
“Our guys played really well last game, and changes to the defense I think will help us,” Kennedy said. “We played both of our bigs about five minutes last game together. We may have to do that again against LSU.”
Junior forward Josh Nebo said to get a win over the Tigers, the Aggies will have to execute the fundamentals, communicate well and keep mistakes to a minimum.
“I feel like we will have to rebound well because they’re a pretty big team,” Nebo said. “We’ve got to limit our turnovers, so they can’t get out in transition, and we’ve just got to guard the ball well, communicate as one, and stay together through the highs and lows of the game.”
Kennedy said the team has improved and its offensive success translates to an improved defense.
“I know we’ve gotten better, and we established that on Saturday against a really good team,” Kennedy said. “When we make shots I think, like any team, we’re better defensively.”
Nebo was also happy with Saturday’s performance against Kansas State and said A&M needs to build off the victory.
“I feel like this last win is a good stepping stone for the team to get better for SEC play, and we can take that performance forward and into the LSU game,” Nebo said
Kennedy said he is pleased with the performance of his players, but he is mostly focused on defeating LSU, something the Aggies have had a hard time doing in the past.
“We lost to LSU twice last year, so the guys who are returning know how good they are, and I don’t think we’re overlooking anybody,” Kennedy said.
The Aggies will take on the Tigers on Wednesday in Reed Arena. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m., and the game will be televised on ESPN2.