The No. 11 Texas A&M Aggies (11-2, 0-1 SEC) will attempt to prolong their seven-game home winning streak in a matchup against the Florida Gators (9-4, 1-0 SEC) at Reed Arena. The games Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 143 points with Texas A&M opening as a 3.5-point favorite. Action starts at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 2, 2018.
Florida Gators at Texas A&M Aggies Free Preview
In the Gators last matchup, they beat the Vanderbilt Commodores, 81-74. Egor Koulechov was the games high scorer with 22 points on 5-for-13 shooting. The Gators made 27 of their 30 free throws (90.0 percent) and had a turnover percentage of 6.9 (better than their season average of 12.6).
The Aggies are hoping for a better outcome after their 79-57 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide in their last game. Robert Williams led Texas A&M in scoring with 14 points on 5-for-10 shooting. Alabama did a great job of making free throws (20-24; 83.3 percent). Texas A&M, meanwhile, had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (37.7 vs. 31.3).
Texas A&M appears to have the advantage on the defensive side of the ball. The Aggies rank fifth in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.423), while Florida is 184th in effective field goal percentage (0.513). Ball security should be an advantage for the Gators. They rank 7th at avoiding errors (turnover percentage of 14.3 percent), while the Aggies force the 41st-fewest turnovers in the nation (opponents turnover percentage of 16.8 percent).
Of Florida’s 10 games that accepted bets, five have finished over the projected point total, while 6 of Texas A&M’s 10 games have finished under the projected point total. The Aggies have the better straight up (SU) record (11-2 vs. 9-4), but both teams are near the .500 mark against the spread (ATS).
Tyler Davis has really been playing well over the last five games for Texas A&M, averaging 14.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.
This will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams, after the Gators won the sole contest last season, 71-62. The Gators played a nearly perfect game. They had an absurd free throw rate of 0.339 and a turnover percentage of 17.3. The Aggies recorded marks of 0.164 and 23.3, respectively, for those same stats.
Florida Gators vs. Texas A&M Aggies Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Florida, ATS Winner – Florida, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- The Gators rank 44th in blocks per game (4.8) while the Aggies rank 137th in blocks allowed per game (4.2).
- Florida averages 7.7 steals per game, which ranks 43rd in the NCAA. Texas A&M ranks 115th in steals allowed per game (6.6).
- Florida is 3-2 ATS on the road, while Texas A&M is 1-3 ATS at home.
- The total has gone over in 3 of the Gators 5 road games, while 2 of the Aggies’ 4 home games have gone over.
- Florida ranks 73rd in three pointers attempted per game (24.5) while Texas A&M ranks 245th in three pointers allowed per game (26.2).
- The Aggies average 44.8 rebounds per game, which ranks second in the NCAA. The Gators rank 152nd in rebounds allowed per game (36.0).
- Texas A&M ranks 21st in assists per game (17.8) while Florida ranks 154th (13.2).
Bettings Trends:
- Texas A&M is 1-2 ATS with 2 unders and 1 over in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, Florida is 1-3 ATS with 3 unders and 1 over.
- The Aggies average margin of victory in their last five games has been 13.4, down from 14.2 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Gators have scored an average of 72.6 points per game (10.9 below their season average) and allowed an average of 65.6 points per game (8.2 below their season average).
