Kentucky Wildcats vs. Texas A&M Aggies Prediction & Game Preview - 1/19/2022

by Chuck Sommers

Tuesday, Jan 18, 2022
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Venue:  Reed Arena, College Station, TX
Where to watch: SECN

Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks


DraftKings: Kentucky -6.5
BetMGM: NL
Caesars: Kentucky -7

Season record
No. 12 Kentucky: 14-3 (4-1 SEC)
Texas A&M: 15-2 (4-0 SEC)

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Kentucky - Texas A&M preview, analysis and prediction


Here’s your ultimate something’s-got-to-give game on the college basketball schedule this week.

Based on recent results, I’m going with the Kentucky Wildcats to cover against the Texas A&M Aggies in what should ultimately be an entertaining game in the SEC on Wednesday.

This is more of a testament to how Kentucky has rebounded since losing to LSU back on Jan. 4. As expected, a John Calipari team has played well in the face of adversity, and the double-digit wins against Georgia, Vanderbilt and Tennessee over the past week have helped restore that confidence within Lexington.

But perhaps there was no more dominant display than Kentucky putting up 107 points in a dominant victory against the Volunteers on Saturday. The Wildcats shot a blistering 68 percent from the floor and made 11 of 18 from 3-point range. They also missed all but one of their 21 free-throw attempts against the then-No. 22 Volunteers.

And per usual, TyTy Washington led the way with 28 points and made both of his 3-point attempts. Sahvir Wheeler had one of his better games of the season with Washington’s backcourt mate going for 21 points (8 of 10 shooting) and a team-high eight assists.

"We wanted to win, and it's a ranked opponent," Calipari said. "I told them we got a ways to go but this was a step and look, I thought Tennessee played well offensively. They did some good stuff.

Kentucky might be one of the more complete teams in the SEC, which is why that LSU loss was so surprising and it has me thinking of who’s really the best team in the conference. But the Wildcats are averaging 84 points per game and have made 50.5% of their shots; just when you want to shut them down, Calipari’s cats come back and do something like this.

Kentucky is going to be the toughest test Texas A&M has faced this season. The Aggies are on an 8-game winning streak and have not lost since Dec. 11 at home to TCU. But while the Aggies have taken care of business, the wins have not been as impressive. Oregon State was the lone major non-conference win, followed with wins against Northwestern State, Dallas Christian and Central Arkansas.

Wrap that with wins against Georgia, Ole Miss and Missouri, and it really isn’t that appealing to the naked eye. While Texas A&M is 18-15 against the spread in the past three seasons against SEC teams, the Aggies are just 16-17 straight up and just 2-2 against the spread.

Kentucky has gone 27-14 outright in its last 41 conference games and is 14-1 straight up as a favorite; the Wildcats are 9-6 against the spread as a favorite this season. We need to see more from Texas A&M and will need big games from either Quentin Jackson or Henry Coleman III to pull off the upset.

I expect a big game from Washington, as well as Oscar Tshiebwe after a lackluster performance against Tennessee, for a big Kentucky win. Kentucky by 12

Betting trends


Kentucky is 5-1 ATS in its last six following a straight-up win.

Kentucky is 1-6 ATS in its last seven road games against a team with a home winning percentage greater than .600.

Texas A&M is 4-1 ATS in its last five following an ATS loss.

Road team is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings.

Projected starting lineup


Kentucky:
PG: Sahvir Wheeler
SG: TyTy Washington Jr.
SF:
Kellan Grady
PF:
Keion Brooks Jr.
C: 
Oscar Tshiebwe

Texas A&M:
PG: Marcus Williams
SG: Andre Gordon
SF:
Tyrece Radford
PF:
Ethan Henderson
C: 
Henry Coleman III

Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this Kentucky - Texas A&M prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily college basketball projections and previews.

Chuck Sommers

About the Author:

Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.

All photographic images used for editorial content have been licensed from the Associated Press.

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