Florida @ Texas A&M preview

Florida at Texas A&M

Last Meeting ( Feb 11, 2017 ) Texas A&M 62, Florida 71

A shorthanded Texas A&M team hopes to avoid an 0-2 start to SEC play when the sixth-ranked Aggies host Florida on Tuesday. The Aggies are 7-0 at home and have won 10 of their last 13 conference home openers, while the Gators are playing their first true road game of the season.

The Aggies were hammered 79-57 at Alabama in Saturday’s SEC opener, as Texas A&M was a dismal 2-for-21 from 3-point range and shot a season-low 30 percent overall. Texas A&M could be in for more offensive struggles against the Gators with leading scorer D.J. Hogg (14.6 points, 6.8 rebounds) serving the last of a three-game suspension for violation of school policy and No. 3 scorer Admon Gilder (12.7, 5.3) dealing with a knee injury. The Gators have won three straight following a stretch of four losses in five games that included an ugly 65-59 loss to Loyola Chicago, and they opened SEC play with an 81-74 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday. Florida also has a pair of wins over ranked opponents, though, defeating Gonzaga and Cincinnati on neutral courts.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT FLORIDA (9-4, 1-0 SEC): The Gators have found themselves in a bit of an offensive slump of late, but they have a talented group of guards who can score in a number of ways. Leading scorer Jalen Hudson (17.4 points) is coming off the bench now to back up a three-guard lineup led by Rice transfer Egor Koulechov (14.7 points, 6.8 rebounds). Point guard Chris Chiozza (13.2 points, 5.5 assists) is having a solid season, but the Gators need KeVaughn Allen (12.2 points) to find his stroke after shooting a paltry 35.9 percent overall and 30.6 percent from 3-point range thus far.

ABOUT TEXAS A&M (11-2, 0-1): The Aggies’ approach changes dramatically without Gilder and Hogg, two of their best ball-handlers. Two freshmen are now starting in the backcourt alongside Marquette transfer Duane Wilson (12.1 points, 4.5 assists), but big men Tyler Davis (13.9 points, 8.2 rebounds) and Robert Williams (eight points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.6 blocks) will have to do more to fuel the offense. The Aggies also miss Gilder and Hogg on the defensive end, where they rank sixth in the nation in field-goal defense (36.9 percent) and third in 3-point defense (27.1 percent) but had a tough time against Alabama.

TIP-INS

1. After scoring in triple-digits in four of their first five games, the Gators have topped 80 points only twice in their last eight contests.

2. Williams has blocked a shot in 40 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the nation.

3. Koulechov has made 31 consecutive free throws and is shooting an SEC-best 97.6 percent from the line.

PREDICTION: Florida 77, Texas A&M 75