The 13-seed Texas Longhorns (18-14, 6-12 SEC) will take on the 5-seed Texas A&M Aggies (22-9, 11-7 SEC) in a Second Round matchup in the SEC Tournament in this Texas vs. Texas A&M prediction. Texas defeated Vanderbilt 79-72 in the first round to get here, while Texas A&M had a First Round bye. These teams met twice in the regular season, splitting the games with the home team winning each matchup. The winner will advance to play the 4-seed Tennessee. Tipoff is set for 3:30 EST from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville and can be found on the SEC Network. Keep reading to see our Texas vs. Texas A&M prediction, and check out all of our NCAAB Predictions!
Texas Advances to Second Round
The Texas Longhorns grabbed a much-needed with on Wednesday in the SEC Tournament, not only did they get to advance to this game, but they improved their tournament resume for the Big Dance. Texas defeated Vanderbilt 79-72, controlling the game for the majority of the second half. They led by 15 at halftime, and though the game got closer, it never truly felt like Vandy was in a position to win. Texas was led by both Tre Johnson and Tramon Mark who finished with 19 points a piece.
Johnson is their star freshman, he won Freshman of the Year in the SEC and was the leading scorer in the conference. He is a 6'6 freshman guard who averages 20.2 PPG and has 77 made threes on the season, the highest mark on the Longhorns. He could potentially bolt to the NBA after this season, so the Longhorns want to extend this run as long as possible. Tramon Mark is another perimeter scorer, the 6'5 senior guard has been a starter at both Houston and Arkansas before coming to Texas where he averages 10.0 PPG. Arthur Kaluma is another transfer, he came over from Kansas State and averages 12.7 PPG and 7.8 RPG as a 6'7 senior forward.
Texas is currently ranked 44th overall according to KenPom. They are 49th in offensive efficiency and 48th in defensive efficiency. They play at an average pace, ranking 171st out of 364 Division I teams in pace of play. Texas is currently in the "First Four Out" section of Bracketology, but this could change based on their SEC Tournament performance.
Aggies Miss Out on Double Bye
The Texas A&M Aggies head into the SEC Tournament as the 5-seed, which means they just missed out on the double bye that the top four teams received. They finished with an 11-7 record in league play, and closed the season with two wins, including a strong win over #1 Auburn. The Aggies are led by their First Team All-SEC point guard Wade Taylor IV, he is in his senior season and just had his jersey retired on Senior Night.
Taylor is their leading scorer and outside shooter as a 6’0 senior guard, he is averaging 15.2 PPG and has knocked down 67 made threes on 33.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Taylor also leads the team with 4.3 APG, and his seven threes and finished with 25 points in a game against South Carolina this season. Their only other scorer in double figures is Zhuric Phelps, he is a 6’4 senior scoring 14.3 PPG while grabbing 5.0 RPG. Phelps had 19 points in their upset win over Auburn. Their top frontcourt scorer is Pharrel Payne, he is a 6’9, 250-pound junior contributing 9.6 PPG and 5.0 RPG.
Texas A&M is currently ranked 17th overall according to KenPom. They are 43rd in offensive efficiency and 7th in defensive efficiency. They play at a slow pace, ranking 238th in pace of play. The Aggies are projected to be a 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament according to Bracketology.
Best Bets for Texas vs. Texas A&M
Full-Game Side Bet
Insiders Status:
There are going to be upsets in Championship Week, and six points is far too many for the Aggies to lay against a team with momentum that beat them already this season. Texas looked strong in their win over Vanderbilt, but the final score did not truly explain how much Texas controlled that game, as it was never really close in the second half. Texas also has all the pieces necessary to keep this close as they have backcourt scorers and strong post players to battle inside. The biggest game-changer is Tre Johnson, the freshman has NBA talent and led the SEC in scoring, if he gets hot he can take over this game as the most talented player on the floor. Texas A&M had that big win over Auburn, but they masked the fact that they lost four of their last six to close out the year. Texas will keep this close.
Take Texas to cover.
Full-Game Total Pick
Insiders Status:
These teams are both outside the top 170 in pace of play, they will match each other's tempo in a slow-paced game here. There were two regular season matchups between the Longhorns and Aggies, they split the outcomes, but both went under the total. Texas only scored 60 points in the first meeting, as Texas A&M has an elite defense that is ranked 8th in the nation in efficiency. The Aggies are the slower team of the two, they rank 238th in pace of play and have two strong guards in the backcourt in Taylor and Phelps who will limit turnovers and take care of the ball. Texas has a strong defense ranking 48th in efficiency and Kaluma and Shedrick can match A&M's bigs on the inside. This will be a low-scoring defensive battle.
Take the under.
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