Kentucky men’s basketball — the No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament — received a special opportunity in Nashville: A chance at revenge.
Facing off against the No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies, the game has potentially more resume stakes than many realize, with the Cats having a chance to erase one of the smudges on their resume and avenge the loss in College Station in January.
Looking back at the first meeting of the pairing, Kentucky fell 97-92 in overtime after coming from behind to force the extra period in the first place.
“It was a big game. It was a big game for us,” Texas A&M guard Tyrece Radford said on Thursday. “We can’t bank off that game. We’re a different team now and they’re a different team. I guarantee they’re a different team now, too. We can’t think about that.”
The Cats had entered the contest on a six-game winning streak that included a win over current No. 4 North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic, but couldn’t quite get things clicking in the Lone Star State as Wade Taylor IV and Radford combined for 59 points.
Jumping back to the present, the Cats saw a lot of success – albeit with some low points as well – and finished as the No. 2 seed in the SEC after defeating No. 1 seeded Tennessee in Knoxville.
Earning a double-bye in the SEC Tournament, the Cats were to get the winner of No. 7 Texas A&M and No. 10 Ole Miss.
The contest was close between the Aggies and Rebels, but A&M pulled it off 80-71, with Taylor IV once again leading the way with 20 points, setting up the rematch with Kentucky.
For Kentucky, the game is a huge opportunity to get revenge for one of its losses and bolster its resume as it attempts to lock down a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and maybe even work its way up to a No. 2.
For the Aggies the game has equal, if not more dire stakes as A&M entered the tournament on “the bubble,” meaning it’s one of several teams right on the edge of making the Big Dance or being left out.
While beating the Rebels helped, the game against Kentucky may be the final deciding factor between a spot in the field of 68 or a second NIT appearance in three years.
“100%, no doubt about it (we’re good enough and deserve to be in the NCAA Tournament),” Texas A&M guard Manny Obaseki said. “We’ve worked every day and we have talented players. We have guys that can do everything and I think when we put that together we’re hard to stop.”
The Aggies, who entered the season ranked No. 15, have disappointed, with the win over the Cats in Texas being one of their best wins all year, and it came early in SEC play.
Kentucky can hardly be described as the same team as it was in January, entering the NCAA Tournament in strong form with wins over No. 5 Tennessee, No. 19 Alabama, No. 12 Auburn and likely NCAA Tournament lock Mississippi State since mid February.
In fact, the last time UK faced off with TAMU, Zvonimir Ivišić had yet to make his UK debut, doing so on Jan. 20.
Even beyond the addition of an entire new team member, Justin Edwards has found his stride, Antonio Reeves has remained consistent, being named to the All-SEC First Team, and Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard have been strong, being named SEC Sixth Man of the Year and SEC Freshman of the Year respectively.
Kentucky has scored 100+ points in four games since leaving College Station, including a 117-point showing against Alabama, but has also won defensive battles, like those over Auburn and at Arkansas.
The Cats open up as a five-point favorite, with ESPN Matchup Predictor favoring UK by 64.7%.
There’s very few certainties when it comes to March basketball, but the fact remains that the Cats are primed for a key opportunity for a resume boost and a trip to the SEC Tournament Semi-Finals if they’re able to overcome a hungry and desperate Texas A&M squad.
Tip-off against the Aggies is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET assuming there are no issues with session one running long and will air live on the SEC Network.
