Kentucky @ Texas A&M preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 8, 2019 ) Texas A&M 74, Kentucky 85

No. 9 Kentucky is on a roll and in the driver's seat for the SEC regular-season title. However, the Wildcats lack depth, and Texas A&M will try to exploit that Tuesday when it hosts the Wildcats.

Kentucky has won six in a row and owns a two-game lead over Auburn and LSU in the standings, but foul trouble has been a problem for coach John Calipari's big men, as Nick Richards, EJ Montgomery and Nate Sestina all average at least 4.1 fouls per 40 minutes. In the Wildcats' 65-59 win over Florida on Saturday, the trio picked up two fouls each before halftime and Calipari had to relax his rule of sitting players with two fouls because he didn't have enough bodies. "We do it by committee," associate head coach Kenny Payne said. "We try to go to a zone at times to leave a guy out there with two (fouls). It's not one particular thing. We're all racking our brains. Cal is racking his brain over, 'How do I play a guy with two fouls without him getting his third in the first half?' It's just one of those things we have to deal with." Texas A&M will be seeking its first four-game winning streak of the season and first in SEC play since 2017-18.

TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN

ABOUT KENTUCKY (22-5, 12-2 SEC): Immanuel Quickley (15.7 points, 4.0 rebounds), was challenged by Calipari to shoot more and responded with a career-high 26 points, including 15 of Kentucky's 17 points during a decisive second-half stretch against the Gators. "I said, 'If you don't shoot open shots, I'm putting Johnny (Juzang) in because I know he will shoot every shot," Calipari said afterward. Quickley scored 22 of his points in the second half and is averaging 15.5 points in the second half during the win streak.

ABOUT TEXAS A&M (14-12, 8-6): The Aggies recorded season highs in points (87), field goals made (31), field-goal percentage (59.6), 3-point percentage (52.9 percent), free-throw percentage (88.9 percent) and assists (18) in a 12-point win over Mississippi State on Saturday. Josh Nebo (11.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.0 blocks) led the Aggiels with a season-high 21-points, while Savion Flagg (10.0 points, 5.3 boards) tallied a double-double with 15 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Through 14 conference games, Nebo leads the Aggies in scoring with 12.4 points, while Wendell Mitchell and Quenton Jackson average 11.2 and 10.4, respectively.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Texas A&M has won two of the last three meetings against Kentucky in College Station.

2. Quickley made 4-of-6 from 3-point range and 8-of-17 from the floor to surpass his previous high of 23 points at Auburn on Feb. 1.

3. Kentucky held Florida to 59 points to improve to 184-7 when keeping the opponent to 63 points or fewer in the Calipari era.

PREDICTION: Kentucky 76, Texas A&M 62