Tennessee @ Texas A&M preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 13, 2018 ) Texas A&M 62, Tennessee 75

Admiral Schofield is enjoying the finest season of his college career in 2018-19, but he still felt the need to apologize to his teammates prior to Tennessee's last game for his recent lack of production. The 6-6 senior flipped the script with his best game in over two months earlier this week, and he'll try to be a key reason the top-ranked Volunteers set a program record Saturday when they visit Texas A&M.

Schofield (17.0 points, 48.5 field-goal percentage) averaged 10.7 points and shot 11-for-42 over a three-game stretch in which Tennessee beat Alabama and Vanderbilt by a combined eight points after the Volunteers had won each of their previous eight games by double figures. His uneven play continued in last Saturday's victory over West Virginia before coming to an emphatic halt in Tuesday's 92-70 rout at South Carolina, as he finished 9-of-17 from the field overall and scored 20 of his 24 points in the second half. The victory was Tennessee's 15th in a row since a six-point loss to No. 12 Kansas on Nov. 23, matching a school record set over a span of three seasons over 100 years ago (Feb. 20, 1915, to Jan. 20, 1917). The Aggies were unable to build on their surprising 12-point win over Kansas State last weekend, losing for the fourth time in five tries following Wednesday's 72-57 home setback against No. 19 LSU.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN

ABOUT TENNESSEE (19-1, 7-0 SEC): Reigning conference player of the year Grant Williams (league-high 20.4 points) ranks third in the country with 140 made free throws, fifth in the SEC in field-goal percentage (57.3), seventh in rebounds (7.4), 10th in free-throw percentage (82.8) and 11th in assists (3.4). Jordan Bone (13.4 points) is 15th in the country in assists (6.4) and ninth in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.49). Tennessee played Tuesday without sixth man Jordan Bowden (10.9 points), who entered the game ranked eighth in the SEC with 16.2 points per game during league play but was ruled out shortly before tipoff after tweaking his knee during shootaround; coach Rick Barnes told reporters after the game he expects his junior guard to be fine for Saturday.

ABOUT TEXAS A&M (8-11, 1-6): Josh Nebo (8.4 points, 5.8 rebounds) enjoyed perhaps the best game in his first season as an Aggie on Wednesday despite attempting only five field goals, tallying 16 points, a season-high 11 rebounds and four blocks in 33 minutes off the bench. "Josh is doing it by example. He had a heck of a game. I thought defensively he was the one guy that was throwing his body around. He had four blocked shots and 11 rebounds. He was a major factor in the game," coach Billy Kennedy said. Wendell Mitchell (11.3 points), who averaged 23.5 points on 16-of-28 shooting (including 11-of-17 beyond the arc) over his previous two games, managed only two points and misfired on seven of his eight field-goal attempts versus the Tigers.

TIP-INS

1. Tuesday's win gave Tennessee its first undefeated January since 1945. With a victory Saturday, the Volunteers will match their best start in conference play since 1981-82.

2. Nebo has swatted at least three shots in five of his last six games and ranks second in the SEC with 2.6 per game.

3. Williams has made 36 more free throws than anyone else in the SEC and buried more than twice as many than all but eight players in the conference.

PREDICTION: Tennessee 86, Texas A&M 70