Rebels Prepare to Take on Texas A&M in Aggieland

Ole Miss travels west to tangle with the Aggies from Texas A&M on Tuesday night. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. inside Reed Arena and will be carried on the SEC Network.
Ole Miss (10-7, 3-2 SEC) rolls in after taking down the Florida Gators 78-72 on Saturday. Junior Bruce Stevens was huge for the Red and Blue, posting 22 points and 6 rebounds.
This season, Head Coach Andy Kennedy’s squad ranks 28th nationally in fewest turnovers with 196. Ole Miss’ guards are accounting for 71.3 percent of the scoring.
Texas A&M enters Tuesday’s contest in search of its first SEC win. After beginning the season 11-1 and being ranked as high as No. 5 in the country, the Aggies have dropped all five of their conference games. However, with wins over West Virginia and USC, Texas A&M still has a solid RPI (33). The Aggies’ size has helped them lead the SEC in rebounding (42.3 per game), ranking fifth nationally. They also are eighth in the country in blocks per game (6.2).
Four Aggies average double figures in scoring, led by junior center Tyler Davis (14.2 ppg), who leads the SEC in field goal percentage at .601. Classmates D.J. Hogg and Admon Gilder are close behind with 13.9 ppg and 13.1 ppg, respectively. Hogg is making 45.3 percent of his shots from long range, topping the conference. Duane Williams averages 11.6 ppg, while preseason SEC Player of the Year Robert Williams leads the Aggies in rebounds (9.6 per game) and blocks (30).
Billy Kennedy is in his seventh season as head coach of the Aggies. Before arriving at College Station, he spent five seasons as Murray State’s head coach.
Tuesday’s game will be only the eighth meeting between the Rebels and Aggies. Texas A&M is Ole Miss’ least common SEC opponent after the Aggies joined the SEC prior to the 2012-13 campaign. After playing twice in Texas A&M’s inaugural SEC season, the squads have met only once in each of the following four seasons. The Aggies hold a 5-2 advantage, including a 4-2 record in SEC games and a 2-0 mark in College Station.
The two teams first met on Dec. 29, 1972 in Oklahoma City, where Texas A&M claimed a 100-83 victory. The Rebels’ last win in the series occurred in Oxford on Feb. 4, 2015, when Ole Miss won 69-59.

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Adam Brown is the sports editor of HottyToddy.com. He can be reached at adam.brown@hottytoddy.com.