The Texas A&M Aggies have gotten off to a great start this season. Texas A&M is 11-1 with some very nice victories and is looking like it might be the second-best team in the SEC. Coming into the year, some were thinking that that title may have gone to the Alabama Crimson Tide. However, this team has not been able to get over the hump. Alabama’s best win this season came against Rhode Island, and it already has four losses. These teams will meet each other to tip off SEC play on Saturday.
This war on the floor will go down Saturday, December 30, 2017, at 6 p.m. ET at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The game will be televised live on ESPN2. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Saturday schedule.
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Defense and rebounding have been the keys to Texas A&M’s hot start. The Aggies are giving up just 64.4 PPG this season and that helped them knock off West Virginia, USC, and Oklahoma State. That defense also limited Arizona to just 67 points in their lone loss this season. The under has cashed in four of their last five games.
Alabama has not lived up to expectations this season. The Crimson Tide have a pretty bad loss to UCF on their resume and are sitting at 4-6-1 ATS. They have failed to cover each of their last six lined games in the state of Alabama.
Key Stat
Ken Pomeroy has the Aggies’ defense ranked as the third-best in the nation. Texas A&M withstood not having some of its stars through the first few games due to suspensions, and the team has responded under Billy Kennedy.
The Aggies are allowing opponents to hit just 36.2 percent of their field goals and 26.8 percent of their three-pointers this season. Both numbers are in the top five of all defenses in the nation. That’s especially impressive considering the offenses this team has faced.
Length is one of the keys to this team’s prowess. The starting guards are 6’3 and 6’4, and the frontcourt starters are all at least 6’9. That leads to a lot of long arms in passing lanes and opposing players have had a hard time shooting over these taller players.
Player to Watch
There’s already talk of Collin Sexton being one and done. The freshman guard has been the star of Alabama this season and he looks set to be a lottery pick. He has been an incredible playmaker for the Crimson Tide and the leader of this offense despite being the newcomer.
Sexton has the ball-handling ability and tempo that coaches dream of. He looks comfortable with the basketball despite having been in high school just seven months ago and has proved to be unflappable on the court.
He was the reason that Alabama was able to stay close with Minnesota despite being three-on-five for the last part of the second half. Sexton finished with 40 points in that game and sent a message to everyone that he is a force to be reckoned with.
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The key for Texas A&M in this game is to neutralize Sexton. Alabama doesn’t have a real playmaker other than him, and Sexton knows he has to take it upon himself to win games. That’s one of the reasons he’s averaging nine trips to the free throw line a game as he relentlessly drives with the basketball to create good opportunities.
Alabama has not played a defense like Texas A&M yet this season. The Aggies are going to be able to smother the Crimson Tide and hold Sexton in check. That will be enough to give them a comfortable victory on the road.
College Basketball Odds: Texas A&M 72, Alabama 64
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