Missouri vs. Texas A&M Odds, Picks & Predictions: SEC Basketball Betting Preview (Saturday, Feb. 5)
David K Purdy/Getty Images. Pictured: Kobe Brown.
- Texas A&M (15-7) hosts Missouri (8-13) in SEC college basketball action on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET.
- The Aggies opened as 9-point favorites, and the line has remained Texas A&M -8.5 or -9 leading up to tipoff.
- Our college basketball betting analyst explains why he believes Texas A&M is overvalued. Read on to find out why he's taking Missouri against the spread on Saturday afternoon.
Missouri vs. Texas A&M Odds
| Missouri Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+8.5 +100 | 132 -110o / -110u | +320 |
| Texas A&M Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-8.5 -120 | 132 -110o / -110u | -425 |
The Aggies will look to complete a season sweep of the Missouri Tigers when they welcome them to College Station on Saturday. Its been an odd year for A&M who is 15-7 on the season, but just 4-5 in conference play.
What's even more interesting is that the Aggies began conference play 4-0 and have since lost five in a row. They are in desperate need of a win, but will they be able to get It against the Tigers?
Missouri has had the same struggles as the Aggies, but it cant boast the soft non-conference schedule and impressive start to the season. The Tigers have lost four in a row and are 1-6 on the road this season. They are also in a heated battle with Georgia for last place in the SEC, currently 2-6 in conference play.
In their first meeting earlier this season A&M beat the Tigers 67-64 in Columbia. However, the Aggies failed to cover the five-point spread and have not won a game since that January 15 victory. The Aggies lead the all-time series 22-19 and have won 11 of the last 14.
Texas A&M head coach Buzz Williams is just 4-3 against Missouri in his career. Can he avoid falling to .500 against the Tigers?
Missouri Tigers
Missouri isn't winning games, but it has showed steady improvement throughout the season. The Tigers are still struggling to finish games though, as four of Mizzou's last five games have been lost by an average of just four points.
Against one of the best teams in the nation, Auburn, the Tigers lost by just one point. And in their last game against Florida they again fell just one point short. It's important to note that both those games were at home in Columbia, as on the road the Tigers are losing conference games by an average of 27 points.
The Tigers are last in the SEC in points per game, posting just 66.1 per contest. They are also last in three-point shooting percentage and fourth in turnovers, but Mizzou does have three players in Kobe Brown, Amari Davis and Barron Coleman who are averaging in double figures. Missouri grades as one of the worst three-point shooting teams per Kenpom, currently 346th and hitting just 27.9%. But against conference teams the Tigers are hitting 32.8%.
One big thing to note in this game is the contention Mizzou may have around the basket. The Tigers rank 105th in average height compared to A&M's 310th. They are also just edging out the Aggies in rebounds per game, 35.1 to 34.8. Missouri is 8-2 when it outbounds opponents this season and has done so in every win it has recorded.
Defensively Missouri is allowing teams to score 71.4 points per game, but in its last three it has improved significantly, holding opponents to just 62.7 per game. The Tigers can also find success when it comes to forcing turnovers against the Aggies. Missouri ranks 76th in block percentage and 156th in steal percentage. Texas A&M is outside the top 300 in both on offense and gives up 13.6 turnovers per contest, a stat that has ballooned to 15.7 per game over the last three as well.
Texas A&M Aggies
The Aggies are led by an SEC Sixth Man of the Year candidate, Question Jackson. Yes that's correct, the leading scorer for A&M is coming off the bench. Jackson leads the team with 13 points per contest and has recorded double figures in the last four games. He is also the Aggies' best free throw shooter at 84.8%.
On offense the Aggies average 72.8 points per game, but that has taken a hit recently, Texas A&M averages 69 points over its last three games. In fact all the offensive numbers for A&M have taken a considerable drop as of late, including three-point shooting decreasing from 33.9% to 28.8% and effective field goal percentage dropping from 50.8% to 46.2%.
The question is will the Aggies bounce back against Missouri, or will they continue to struggle? In their first meeting this season the Aggies hit just 43.5% of two-point shots and 23.5% of threes. Missouri fell short in that game due in large part to racking up 21 fouls.
Missouri vs. Texas A&M Betting Pick
Texas A&M is desperate for a win, but Missouri playing better than Athe Aggies as of late. This is a tough game to call, and I wouldn't be surprised if A&M snapped back into form in a huge way and blew out Missouri. But I wouldn't be surprised if Missouri took A&M down to the wire either. It's really hard to gauge how this Aggies team will come out. It's been five games and we're all just waiting for them to return to form.
I do think A&M's losing streak ends here at home against Missouri, but 8.5-9 points is just way too many for me to lay with how bad Texas A&M has been recently. Missouri lost to Auburn and Florida both by just one point, it beat Ole Miss, and it has covered the spread in five consecutive SEC games dating back to its last matchup with the Aggies.
There is no way I can lay 8.5 with the Aggies, so it's time for the Show Me State to show me.
Pick: Missouri +8 or better
How would you rate this article?
bet365 Bonus Code TOPACTION: Choose Between $150 in Bonus Bets or $1K Insurance Bet in 10 States
Caesars Sportsbook Promo Code ACTION41000 Provides $1K First Bet Offer for Any Game, including NBA Play-In
PrizePicks Promo Code ACTIONMAX Banks Up to $100 Deposit Match for All Weekend Entries in 30 States
Fanatics Sportsbook Promo Gets $1K Bet Match in 14 States; 10 Profit Boosts Live in 5 States for NBA & NHL Playoffs, All Weekend Action
Follow Us On Social
