3 things to know about Sooners

COLLEGE STATION — After snapping a four-game skid, Texas A&M basketball hits the street for a rematch. The Aggies (18-8, 8-5 SEC) took down Ole Miss Wednesday and now flip their consideration to Oklahoma, which they’ve already beaten.

Just over two weeks in the past, A&M was in first place within the convention; now they’re tied for third and three video games behind first-place Florida. The win was a Quad 3 victory, however extra importantly, A&M averted an unpleasant loss in opposition to a convention cellar dweller.

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With simply 5 video games left within the common season, the Aggies’ NCAA Tournament probability stays shaky, just lately drawing a 10-seed in Joe Lunardi’s bracketology. They should once more keep away from a résumé-hurting loss in opposition to the struggling Sooners. Oklahoma (13-13, 3-10) simply misplaced to Tennessee and is 2-3 in its final 5 video games.

Will Texas A&M make it two in a row in opposition to one other workforce that’s on the backside of the convention?

Here are three things to know about the Sooners, plus a prediction of Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma:

In virtually each metric, the Sooners have been about common this season. As of Friday, Oklahoma is ninth within the SEC in offense (82.8) and discipline objective proportion (46.8%). It’s eleventh in protection (78.2) and free-throw proportion (73.8%). The Sooners are additionally fifteenth in opponent discipline objective proportion (45.2%) and 14th in rebounds (35.8).

Oklahoma’s one true outlier is that it shoots effectively from past the arc. The Sooners come into Saturday’s matchup fourth within the convention, making 36.7% of their 712 makes an attempt.

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The final time these groups met, Oklahoma guard Nijel Pack troubled A&M. Pack had a game-high 24 factors on 8-for-20 capturing from the sphere. Fellow guard Xzayvier Brown leads the Sooners in scoring with 16.1 factors per sport. Pack, a 5-foot-10 senior, is true behind him, averaging 16.0 factors. Both common greater than three rebounds and three assists, and every continues to shoot higher than 88% from the free-throw line.

In their final assembly with A&M, Brown was held in verify, scoring simply seven factors, his second-lowest whole since convention play started. I shot 3-for-9 from the sphere and 0-for-4 from 3-point vary.

Last season the Aggies swept the Sooners. That was the primary time the previous Big 12 and Southwest Conference foes had met on the basketball court docket since an NCAA Tournament sport in 2016, and the primary time they met in a regular-season sport since 2014. Saturday presents the Aggies an opportunity for 4 straight wins within the collection. A&M took down Oklahoma within the third SEC sport of the season, 83-76, in College Station.

Forward Rashaun Agee recorded his seventh double-double of the season, scoring 16 factors and grabbing 12 rebounds in opposition to OU. Despite shedding the rebound battle (40-28), the Aggies received the turnover battle 17-8 and recorded eight steals to the Sooners’ 4.

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Texas A&M, 86-81. While your complete season is one massive résumé, what the Aggies do on this remaining stretch of the common season will in the end outline this yr’s workforce. They have winnable video games arising, beginning with the Sooners. A&M will discover a means to win because it continues to distance itself from the four-game skid.

Reach Texas A&M beat reporter Tony Catalina through electronic mail at Anthony.Catalina@statesman.com.