Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas – Divisional Round
The Kentucky Wildcats (12-6) will host the Texas A&M Aggies (13-5) in a Saturday SEC showdown. Last season Kentucky beat Texas A&M 64-58 as a seven-point road favorite.
The Texas A&M Aggies were only selected to finish sixth in the SEC preseason poll but have fared much better so far. The Aggies are 4-1 ATS during their 5-0 conference start after beating Florida twice, LSU, Missouri, and South Carolina. There's still a lot of work to be done as Texas A&M is No. 47 in the nation according to KenPom, which is still only seventh amongst SEC teams. The Aggies also have only faced one ranked opponent all year, when they beat No. 20 Missouri 82-64 on January 11.
AGGIES WIN
AGGIES WIN
AGGIES WIN pic.twitter.com/AB5tjIfVX7— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) January 19, 2023
Texas A&M is 39th in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency and 76th on the defensive end. Leading the way is Wade Taylor IV, a 6' sophomore who has put up 15.2 ppg, shooting 36.7% from three, and 82% from free-throw line. Taylor did struggle in Wednesday's tight 54-52 home win over Florida. The team leader finished with eight points but shot just 2 for 15 from the floor. 6'5 senior Dexter Dennis stepped up with a 11 point and 16 rebound outing in the victory over the Gators.