TAMPA, FLA- With the 2022 College Basketball Regular Season officially over, all basketball programs have shifted their focus to the upcoming Conference Tournaments. While every team gets to participate in Conference Tournaments, the pressure to succeed is much greater for some teams. For example, teams that are comfortably in the Tournament field can’t afford to suffer a devastating conference loss to a lesser opponent. For teams who are on the wrong side of the bubble, like the Florida Gators (19-12, 9-9 SEC), they’ll be searching for a “signature win” that can boost their Tournament resume. While Florida did have a signature home-court upset win over the then-No. 2 Auburn Tigers, the Gators’ resume is still weighed down by a quadrant four loss to Texas Southern in December. If Florida wants to make the 2022 NCAA Tournament, then winning multiple quality SEC Tournament games is extremely important.
Game Recap of Texas A&M’s 56-55 Regular Season Win Over Florida
As previously mentioned, the No. 9 Florida Gators will begin their SEC Tournament Play on Thursday, as they are set to face the No. 8 Texas A&M Aggies (20-11, 9-9 SEC). In the only meeting between Florida and Texas A&M this season, it was the Aggies who prevailed 56-55 and stopped an eight-game losing streak. With 19 seconds left, Texas A&M’s Wade Taylor IV sank three decisive free-throw attempts to give the Aggies a one-point lead that would be the difference. After the win against Florida, Texas A&M would end the season winning four of their next five conference games, including an 87-71 thrashing of the then-No. 25 Alabama Crimson Tide. As for Florida, the Gators wouldn’t do so bad to end the season, either, winning three of their final five conference games.
Similar to the regular-season matchup between the Gators and the Aggies, the Tournament game will likely be a low-scoring, down-to-the-wire affair. Despite Florida and Texas A&M both boasting the SEC’s top defenses, the inefficient shooting and careless turnovers by both teams will be a common trend to watch.
In Texas A&M’s win over Florida, both teams struggled from the field and beyond the three-point line. As a team, Florida went 17-59 (28.8%) from the field and 7-30 (23.3%) from three-point range, while Texas A&M shot 19-56 (33.9%) from the field and 2-18 (11.1%) from downtown. In addition, the number of Turnovers and Personal Fouls committed were extraordinary, as both teams committed 14 turnovers and 18 personal fouls. One intriguing statistic to note was the free-throw shooting. Both the Gators and the Aggies made the most of their opportunities from the charity stripe, going 14-17 (82.4%) and 16-16 (100.0%), respectively.
Game Preview of No. 9 Florida vs No. 8 Texas A&M
Similar to the regular-season matchup, Florida’s offense will likely run through Senior Center Colin Castleton and Senior Guard Tyree Appleby. Castleton proved to be an immovable force in the paint against the Aggies, posting 15 points, 15 rebounds, and two blocks in 37 minutes. On the season, Castleton has been averaging similar numbers, at 16.4 PPG, 9.1 RPG, and 2.4 BPG. Appleby, on the other hand, has been much more volatile in terms of his production. Despite averaging 11.2 PPG, 2.0 RPG, and 3.7 APG while shooting 37.7% from the field and 34.9% from downtown, Appleby has had some disappointing performances.
A great example of this was against the Aggies, where he had just three points, two rebounds, and three assists while shooting 1-8 (12.5%) from the field and 1-6 (16.6%) from three-point range. If Florida wants to keep pace with Texas A&M, they’ll need big performances from Castleton and Appleby.
Like the Gators, the Aggies have their own offensive specialist in Senior Guard Quenton Jackson. Jackson has taken a serious statistical jump this season in College Station, averaging a career-high 14.5 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 1.7 APG, and 1.6 SPG in 25.0 MPG. Jackson has also been efficient as a shooter, going 48.3% from the field, 35.5% from three-point range, and 85.0% from the free-throw line. Florida had their troubles containing Jackson as he dropped a team-high 16 points on them in February. Jackson is the only Aggie who can score at will, as Henry Coleman III (10.7 PPG) and Tyrece Radford (10.5 PPG) each average over 10 PPG. The Aggies can also knock down a lot of three-pointers, as Hayden Hefner (41.2%), Andre Gordon (39.8%), Radford (36.9%), and Jackson (35.5%) all shoot 35.0% or better from downtown.
Game Information
- Game Location: Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL
Date: Thursday, March 10, 2022 - Tip-Off Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
- TV: SEC Network (SECN)
- Team Inactives: C Jason Jitoboh (Florida) and G Marcus Williams (Texas A&M)
- Game Spread and Over/Under: -1.5 Florida, 134.5
- Bonus Betting Trend: The Gators are 5-1 Against the Spread (ATS) in their last six games following a straight-up loss (Lost their Final Regular Season Game to Kentucky).