Tennessee basketball travels to Texas A&M on Saturday for another top-ten SEC matchup. The Vols have struggled to beat top teams across the conference, so this could be a statement win on the road.
The Vols had a week of rest before its road trip, and there was an open date during the week. Meanwhile, Texas A&M played Mississippi State.
Tennessee beat Mississippi State by 12 points earlier in the year, but Texas A&M lost to the No. 21 ranked Bulldogs 70-54 in a dominant performance by the underdog.
Mississippi State put out the blueprint for beating Texas A&M just before Tennessee's road trip to College Station revolves around defensive pressure, forcing turnovers, and bad shots.
If the best version of Tennessee's defense shows up in College Station, the Vols might put together a double-digit win the same way Mississippi State did earlier this week.
Texas A&M's offense largely revolves around dominating the glass and making free throws, but Mississippi State limited the Aggies' efforts in both categories. Texas A&M shot 8-for-13 from the free-throw line and grabbed 11 offensive rebounds.
Tennessee has shown its defensive potential throughout the year. If the Vols can stay out of foul trouble, I believe they can do enough in the rebounding category to slow down the Aggies' offensive rebounding and scoring efforts in the paint.
The Aggies only scored 18 points in the paint, which is a large part of their low-scoring output. Mississippi State's offense also showed up in the second half, scoring 40 points and putting the game away.
Tennessee now has the cheat sheet to defeat Texas A&M. The Vols have to travel with its physical defense ready to shut down Wade Taylor IV and the Aggies' offense like Mississippi State did earlier this week.
The Vols and Aggies are scheduled to tip-off at 12 PM ET on ESPN in a game Tennessee needs to win and a game that Texas A&M can't afford to lose.