Arkansas visits Texas A&M looking for another road win

Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy gestures during the first half of his team's NCAA college basketball game against Mississippi in Oxford, Miss., Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015. (AP Photo/The Daily Mississippian, Thomas Graning)

— After splitting a pair of home games last week, Arkansas has a chance to steal one back Tuesday on the road at Texas A&M.

The Razorbacks (13-4, 2-3 SEC) will face the Aggies (9-7, 1-4) in a 6 p.m. game in College Station, Texas, that will be televised by the SEC Network.

Arkansas is 1-1 in league road games this season and has won at 10 different SEC road venues the past three years. Only to Kentucky (13) and Florida (11) have won at more arenas during that time.

“We are looking forward to going in and hopefully putting together a game of 40 minutes, play some great defense,” Arkansas coach Mike Anderson said Monday.

“It is going to be a physical ball game and one of the things we really have to do a good job on is the boards because they have got some tremendous size.

The Razorbacks have not won at Texas A&M under Anderson, who is in his sixth year. Anderson also failed to win in College Station in five seasons at Missouri when the programs were Big 12 members.

Anderson knows his program - which has won five of its last eight SEC road games - needs a road win to account for two home losses to this point in conference play.

“It is another opportunity in our league and we know that road games are very, very important in a conference season so we are looking forward to the opportunity," Anderson said.

It is a different team than last year’s Sweet 16 Texas A&M squad, which won a school-record 28 games and was co-SEC champion with Kentucky. The Aggies lost seniors Alex Caruso, Danuel House and Jaylen Jones.

“I know (past teams) prepare themselves in practice better than our young guys have done,” Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy said “Because they had been through the wars and know what intensity and effort in practice is.

“But really just understanding the sense of urgency every day has taken us some time to learn.”

Kennedy said his team’s youth has shown through and he is having to play guys that were backups last season along with holdovers Tyler Davis, D.J. Hogg and Armon Gilder.

“One it’s been kind of given to them,” Kennedy said. “Last year they were backup players and they were challenged every day to compete by Danuel House,  Alex Caruso or Jaylen Jones would embarrass them or step on them.

“This year they come in and are our best players off of talent and being here a year and they haven’t been challenged by anybody other than our coaches. Our lack of perimeter depth has really hurt us and will change with the forwards and guard we are bringing in next year.”

Davis (13.7 points, 6.9 rebounds); Hogg (13.1, 5.3); Gilder (11.8) and Robert Williams (10.6, 5.1) lead the Aggies in scoring.

Texas A&M is one of the league's top rebounding teams with those four and Tonny Trocho-Morelos (8.6, 5.3). The Aggies out-rebound their foes by seven rebounds a game.

“It is a big concern and I think that is one of their strengths,” Anderson said. “When you have a guy like Tyler Davis and Robert Williams - a guy that can jump out of the gym - and of course you have got the Morelos kid also.

“So we have to keep them off the boards, especially at home, and our guards have to be in the trenches getting rebounds as well.”

While Davis and Hogg lead the Aggies in scoring, they are also committing far too many turnovers, Kennedy said

“It’s obviously been turnovers and now we are going to play the  team that presses and gets after you,” Kennedy said. “We have to be  better taking care of the ball, Tyler Davis and D.J. Hogg average 11 turnovers  a game by themselves.

“We know our situation on the perimeter is not what we thought it would be but we have to take care of the ball at the other positions, not just the guards positions a continue to defend and rebound and just grow up. 

“We have to mature. These kids, their rises went from being a role player, a backup on a really, really good team with four seniors to now they are the main guys and that responsibility is different.

“But sometimes it’s just our not being tough enough with the ball. If we don’t do that against Arkansas, that’s obvious  one of the best things that Mike’s teams  have done.  They do that it will be hard for us to win even at home.”