Texas A&M out to regain swagger vs. surging Missouri
Texas A&M will try to avoid its first three-game losing streak of the season when it hosts improving Missouri on Wednesday in a Southeastern Conference game in College Station, Texas.
The Aggies (17-6, 7-3 SEC) most recently suffered an 86-67 loss at home to then-No. 17 Florida on Saturday. That was the first time in league play that Texas A&M lost by more than five points and the first time since November that it has lost back-to-back games.
Texas A&M's shooting was the culprit in Saturday's loss. The Aggies entered the contest averaging 92.0 points per game but shot just 30.6% from the floor and scored less than 70 points for only the second time all year. A&M made just one of its first 27 shots, including a stretch of 23 straight misses.
"We can learn more from this game than a lot of games," Texas A&M coach Bucky McMillan said. "Just understand we've got to stay the course and not get too antsy. Our destiny is right in front of us."
Pop Isaacs and Marcus Hill led the Aggies in scoring with 17 points apiece in defeat.
"I believe in this team," Issacs said. "We did a good job staying together earlier in the year when we went through that adversity. I have no doubt this team will stick together, do this and find our swagger back."
Missouri (16-7, 6-4 SEC) heads to Texas after a 78-59 romp at South Carolina on Saturday that produced the Tigers' first two-game winning streak since the first week in January and snapped a three-game road losing skid.
Jayden Stone scored 22 points, Mark Mitchell added 20 points and 11 rebounds and T.O. Barrett hit for 14 points in the win, which improved Missouri's chances of advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the last four years.
A win over the Aggies on the road would aid those chances even more.
"To be able to go on the road and never have a deficit in a game is tremendous," Missouri coach Dennis Gates said after Saturday's win. "Hats off to our team.
"We played a collective game from the beginning to the end," Gates added. "Defensively, to be able to hold a team on their home court to 30% in the first half, 30% in the second and for the game 30%, that's a remarkable accomplishment."
The Tigers have five more Quadrant 1 games remaining on their schedule, including Wednesday's clash in Aggieland. Three of those Quad 1 opportunities will be at home against Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Arkansas.