Kentucky proved it could win a physical game against one of the top hard-nosed teams in the Southeastern Conference on Tuesday night.
The eighth-ranked Wildcats imposed their will on Texas A&M and pushed and shoved their way to a gritty 81-69 triumph over No. 11 Aggies for their fifth win against a Top 15 foe this season. The win kept Kentucky perfect (11-0) at home.
With the exception of scoring eight straight points during an 11-2 run to open the second half that put the Cats in control for the remainder of the game, Kentucky never got into a consistent flow on offense. The Wildcats made just 9 3-pointers but controlled the Aggies in other phases of the game.
“I love winning the game where we never felt great,” Kentucky coach Mark Pope said. “We didn't feel great at any time (and) where we felt like we really got into a flow. For our guys to win that game is really important and I like the way that we can win in different ways.”
A week after dropping a disappointing 82-69 loss at Georgia, Kentucky (14-3, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) responded with back-to-back victories, this time against an Aggies squad that has a reputation as one of the most potent rebounding teams in the nation.
Despite the guests' impressive resume, the Wildcats owned the glass and outrebounded the guests 40-30. Pope's squad limited the Aggies to just 11 offensive rebounds and 11 second-chance points, a statistic that overshadowed Kentucky's inability to get into a rhythm. Texas A&M entered the contest ranked No., 2 in the nation in offensive rebounding, averaging 17.1 per game.
“That's an epic effort by our guys,” Pope said of his team’s performance on the glass.
It marked just the third time the Aggies have lost the rebounding battle this year and Amari Williams and Jaxson Robinson disrupted Texas A&M’s inability to control the glass. Williams snagged 12 rebounds, including nine on the defensive end, while Robinson had eight boards, with seven of those coming on the defensive end of the floor.
“That was the big emphasis before the game,” Robinson said. “We knew they were the best offensive rebounding team in the country. (We just) stayed focused on making sure we (blocked out) every single time. We did a great job of that tonight.”
Along with his work on the boards, Robinson led the Wildcats in scoring for the second straight time. Coming off a career-high 27-point performance in a 95-90 win at Mississippi State last week, he tallied 22 against the Aggies after missing his first four shots from the field.
“I think that is probably the most well-rounded that I've seen him play,” Pope said. “It's not the scoring, it's his contribution on the defensive end.”
Pope also praised the effort by Williams, who just missed a double-double with eight points to go along with four assists.
“He looked like a man-child on the glass to me — my goodness,” he said. “He was a man on the glass.”
Williams, who is still adjusting to the SEC, said the Aggies were tough to handle in the post but said the Wildcats matched their toughness.
“It was tough, but we responded well and got the job done,” Williams said.
Andrew Carr added 13 points and Otega Oweh added 11 for Kentucky.
NEXT GAME: Alabama at Kentucky, 11 a.m., Saturday. TV/Radio: ESPN, UK Radio Network SuperTalk 94.3 WKYX, WiLLiE 102.
Travis Perry connects on two key 3-pointers in the win over Texas A&M on Tuesday (Photo by Les Nicholson)
