Tide to Play Host to Hot Shooting Aggies

Coming off a win over the Missouri Tigers, head coach Avery Johnson and company will welcome in one of the top teams in the SEC on Wednesday night, the Texas A&M Aggies.

Alabama is entering the match up with a 13-9 record and 4-6 in conference play, mostly led by the outstanding production from senior guard Retin Obasohan. Obasohan was just named as the SEC Player of the Week for the second time this season, the first time it's happened for a Tide player since the 2004-2005 season. He's averaged 16 points per game during the 2015-2016 season, along with being the lone Tide player to log in more than 30 minutes/game as well. His presence on the court has been one of the key reasons the Crimson Tide have won 13 games so far.

A&M have been one of the top teams in the Southeastern Conference all season, and it's been in most part due to their ability to shoot the three, as they currently sit at third in the SEC in three-point percentage (36.6%), but also play shut down defense, leading the SEC in opponent points given up/game at 65.4/game. Not only are they able to shut down teams, they are also able to distribute the ball better than anyone else in the conference. They average 18.1 assists/game, almost a full assist more than the next best team in the SEC (Arkansas, 17.3).

To keep the Aggies from dominating the flow of the game, the Tide will have to play outstanding team defense, and while it starts with Obasohan, they'll need plenty of work on the defensive end of the court from guys like Justin Coleman, Jimmie Taylor and Donta Hall down low altering shots in the paint, and Shannon Hale using his athleticism to keep guys like Jalen Jones and Danuel House out of the paint.