Arizona Wildcats vs. #7 Texas A&M Aggies: Wildcats & Aggies set to clash in Tucson
Sean Miller and the Arizona Wildcats are looking to get their season back on track. If Arizona can pick up a win against the #7 Texas A&M Aggies Tuesday night at home, that would help. However, that is a big if.
Lead by the 53-year-old head coach Bill Kennedy, the Aggies have soared into the AP Top 10. They are a perfect 7–0 and have beaten two ranked teams already.
In the opening game of the season, Texas A&M downed the then-11th ranked West Virginia Mountaineers by a score of 88–65. Two weeks later, A&M traveled to Southern California to take on USC, who was ranked number 10 at the time. They beat the Trojans by 16 at the Galen Center.
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Sure, those wins came in the month of November, but no matter what time of year, those victories are extremely impressive.
For the Aggies, Junior forward DJ Hogg is the man to watch out for. The Plano, Texas native has led his school in scoring in four out of the seven games played thus far. Hogg is a touch under 17 points per game, hauls in seven rebounds, and even throws in three assists for good measure. The Junior also makes over 50% of his three point shot attempts and sinks 76% of his free throws.
On the other side, the Wildcats look like they may be turning a corner. And that turn started with a come from behind road win against UNLV. The Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, is not an easy place for any visiting opponent. At times, Arizona looked lost as the Runnin’ Rebels took command. But lessons have been learned from a disastrous week in the Bahamas, and managed to pull out a three-point overtime win.
The two-headed monster, Allonzo Trier and Deandre Ayton, is still providing Arizona most of its offense. Trier can bomb shots from distance, around the key, and can drive to the hoop with authority. Meanwhile, Ayton is a force anywhere below the rim. With his size and strength, all you need to do is to get the ball to him, and the 7–1" monster will do the rest.
How will this match up play out? The Texas A&M Aggies are not afraid of going on the road and playing in tough environments. They’ve already shown that hostile arenas do not phase them in their win over USC. Arizona’s McKale Center is a fortress, and A&M will have to play a near-perfect game in order to come out with the victory. But Hogg and company can do just that.
The scheduled tip time for the game between the Arizona Wildcats and the Texas A&M Aggies is set for 9:00 PM EST Tuesday night.
