The Texas A&M men’s basketball team tips off against Marshall Henderson and the Ole Miss Rebels at 5 p.m. Saturday in Reed Arena.
Ole Miss beat the Alabama Crimson Tide 79-67 on Wednesday, despite a 27-point and nine rebound performance by Alabama freshman Shannon Hale. Junior Jarvis Summers scored a team-high 20 points for the Rebels and made 9-of-10 free throws from the line.
Henderson is ranked fourth among the scoring leaders in the SEC, averaging 19.3 points per game. Last season, Henderson was honored as the SEC Newcomer of the Year, elected to the second team ALL-SEC squad and was the SEC Tournament MVP. This season, Marshall was named SEC Player of the Week on Jan. 20.
Junior Aaron Jones ranks third in the SEC in blocked shots per game and has become the defensive anchor for the Rebels.
Texas A&M (16-12, 7-8 SEC) is coming off a 68-49 loss to LSU on Wednesday, in which the Aggies were held to only 31 percent shooting from the field. LSU freshman Jarell Martin led all scorers with 20 points and seven rebounds. Junior guard Jordan Green came off the bench to lead the Aggies in scoring with a 12-point performance.
Sophomore Alex Caruso filled the stat sheets against LSU, scoring seven points, dishing out five assists, and grabbing five steals. Caruso is the current SEC leader in assists (130) and assists per game (4.6). He also ranks third in steals per game.
Ole Miss is ranked fourth in the SEC in both scoring and three-point shots, while A&M is ranked last in both categories. On defense, the Rebels ranked fourth in steals and third in blocked shots per game.
The last time the two programs met, Ole Miss defeated A&M 82-73 at Reed Arena, thanks to an off-the-bench, 18-point performance by Henderson. Graduated senior Elston Turner scored a game-high 25 points in an attempt to move the Aggies out in front and junior forward Kourtney Roberson had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Texas A&M holds the 2-1 advantage in the all-time series with Ole Miss. Head coach Billy Kennedy is 1-6 in previous matchups against the Rebels.
The Rebels are 2-5 on the road in conference play, while the Aggies are 6-1 at home.