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SEC college basketball final: Kentucky Wildcats 81, Texas A&M Aggies 69

john clay
·4 min read

It’s another SEC basketball battle between two ranked teams. The Kentucky Wildcats, No. 8 in the AP Top 25, play host to the No. 11 Texas A&M Aggies at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Rupp Arena. ESPN2 has the television coverage.

Ben Roberts, Ryan Hermens, Mark Story, Cameron Drummond and yours truly will be reporting on the action from inside Central Bank Center. You can follow Ben on Bluesky at @benrobertshl. You can follow the rest of us on X/Twitter at @ryanhermens, @markcstory, @cdrummond97 and @johnclayiv.

Follow a dedicated Kentucky men’s basketball X/Twitter list.

Officials for Kentucky-Texas A&M are K.B. Burdett, Byron Jarrett and Doug Sirmons.

Kentucky guard Otega Oweh (00) drives the ball as Texas A&M guard Hayden Hefner (2) defends during a game at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025.
Kentucky guard Otega Oweh (00) drives the ball as Texas A&M guard Hayden Hefner (2) defends during a game at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025.

Scouting report: Texas A&M

Coached by Buzz Williams, the Aggies are 13-3 overall and 2-1 in the SEC. A&M had beaten Texas, 80-68, and Oklahoma, 80-78, before losing to Alabama, 94-88, at College Station last Saturday. Texas A&M is ranked 15th in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency rankings. It ranks 29th in adjusted offensive efficiency and 13th in adjusted defensive efficiency.

Texas A&M crashes the boards. The Aggies are 286th in 3-point shooting percentage (30.9) and 179th in turnover percentage (17.5) but lead the nation in offensive rebounding percentage (44.4). They also know the way to the free-throw line. The Aggies are 20th nationally in FTA/FGA at 43.4%.

Leading scorer Wade Taylor, who averages 15.7 points per game, has been ruled out of Tuesday’s contest. He’s missed A&M’s last two games with an undisclosed injury. Zhuric Phelps has assumed the scoring load. The SMU transfer scored 34 points against Oklahoma, 24 against Alabama.

Texas A&M men’s basketball roster

Texas A&M men’s basketball schedule

Texas A&M men’s basketball statistics

Scouting report: Kentucky

Coached by Mark Pope, the Wildcats are also 13-3 overall and 3-1 in the SEC. Kentucky beat visiting Florida 106-100, lost its visit to Georgia (82-69), then won its visit to Mississippi State (95-90). UK is 21st on KenPom’s numbers chart for overall efficiency. It ranks third in adjusted offensive efficiency, 87th in adjusted defensive efficiency.

Three-point shooting tells Kentucky’s tale. It made 14 of 29 attempts from 3 for 48.3% in the Florida win. It made six of 25 attempts from 3 for 24.0% in the Georgia loss. It made 16 of 32 attempts from 3 for 50% in the Mississippi State win. There’s a pattern there.

Jaxson Robinson made six of 17 shots and scored 19 points in Kentucky’s first two SEC games. The 6-foot-6 guard made nine of his 12 shots, including seven of 10 from 3, on his way to 27 points in Starkville. He’s now averaging 12.6 points per game, behind Otega Oweh’s 15.6 and Lamont Butler’s 13.9.

So if Texas A&M attacks the offensive glass, how does Kentucky defend it? Kentucky ranks 62nd in defensive rebound percentage. Amari Williams is UK’s top rebounder at 8.4 per game. The 7-foot Drexel transfer ranks sixth nationally in defensive rebound percentage, according to Pomeroy.

Kentucky men’s basketball roster

Kentucky men’s basketball schedule

Kentucky men’s basketball statistics

Where to watch and how to follow the Kentucky men’s basketball game vs. Texas A&M

One major change for UK basketball in the Pope era? The Rupp Arena fans are more into it.

Kentucky has a new place in the college basketball rankings. And there’s a new No. 1, too.

Sorry, Kentucky basketball. There’s no time to bask in the win at Mississippi State.