It's the Gators vs. Bucky Ball tonight in College Station

Xaivian Lee's defense will be critical tonight against the Aggies (Photo by Chris Spears)

Nobody in the Southeastern Conference plays with a bigger chip on their shoulder than the Texas A&M Aggies (17-5, 7-2 SEC). First-year coach Bucky McMillan has sold the Aggies on an us against the world mentality and it’s working quite well. The Aggies are the most vertically challenged team in the SEC and from a pure talent perspective, they probably rank among the bottom feeders.

Yet, McMillan, a high school coaching legend in Alabama who took Mountain Brook to five state championships and followed that up with 99 wins in five years as the head coach at Samford, has gotten the Aggies to adapt well to what has become known as “Bucky Ball.” That’s bell-to-bell full court pressure with the intent of turning every game into a track meet where everybody has the green light to bomb away from the 3-point line.

It is working well enough that the Aggies are tied with 17^th-ranked Florida (16-6, 7-2 SEC) for the conference lead. Texas A&M is second in the SEC in scoring (92 points per game) and leads the league in 3-point percentage (37.6). Alabama and Georgia both play at a very fast pace, but nobody presses and forces tempo quite like the Aggies.

That is the challenge for the Gators tonight (8:30 p.m., SEC Network) when the Gators take on the Aggies at sold out Reed Arena in College Station. Todd Golden loves it when the Gators play at a fast pace, but taking care of the basketball is essential. Early season losses to Arizona, TCU, UConn and Duke had plenty to do with turnovers (59 combined in those four games). In their last seven games, the Gators (6-1) have turned it over only 61 times.

The two teams that have tried to beat the Gators with consistent full court pressure were Vanderbilt and Alabama. Florida turned the ball over 10 times against Vandy but rarely against the press. Against Alabama, the Gators turned it over only twice the entire game, both times in the second half.

Teams that press the Gators rarely force a bad inbounds pass. If Tommy Haugh and Xaivian Lee are covered up, Alex Condon is the release guy in the middle, who either pitches it back immediately to Boogie Fland, a one-man wrecking crew against the press, or puts the ball on the deck and breaks the press himself.

Against Alabama, the Gators broke the press easily and turned it into fast break advantages at the other end. Condon had a brilliant game as both a scorer (25 points) and ball handler (six assists). Fland, who scored 15, had eight steals and eight assists as well.

Florida has a huge size advantage over the Aggies, but so does nearly every team A&M plays. The Gators have to value the basketball, dominate the rebounding to force the Aggies into a lot of one-and-done trips down the court, and they have to force the Aggies off the 3-point line. Alabama tried to lure the Gators into a 3-point shooting contest, but instead of trying to match Bama shot-for-shot, the Gators took only 13 threes (made three). The Gators didn’t have to take threes. They moved the ball so efficiently (24 assists) that they got the shots they wanted on the inside.

Figure the Aggies will try to tempt the Gators into taking a lot of threes by clogging up the lane. South Carolina and Alabama have tried that the last two games and the Gators have responded with great passing for dominant inside play.

At some point this season, the hope is that the 3-point shots will fall somewhere between 30-35 percent of the time, but until they do, they have to impose their will on opponents. The last two games have been a blueprint on how to win without killing it from deep.

The same formula should work again tonight.

Anticipated starting lineups

No. 17 FLORIDA (16-6, 7-2 SEC): Alex Condon (6-11, 236, JR); Rueben Chinyelu (6-11, 265, JR); Tommy Haugh (6-9, 215, JR); Boogie Fland (6-3, 185, SO); Xaivian Lee (6-4, 185, SR)

Texas A&M (17-5, 7-2 SEC): Rashaun Agee (6-8, 231, SR); Ruben Dominguez (6-6, 213, SO); Rylan Griffin (6-5, 181, SR); Marcus Hill (6-3, 192, SR); Jacari Lane (6-0, 178, SR)

SEC teams in kenpom.com national analytics: 7. FLORIDA 16-6; 13. Vanderbilt 19-3; 17. Tennessee 16-6; 21. Alabama 15-7; 25. Arkansas 16-6; 27. Auburn 14-8; 29. Texas A&M 17-5; 31. Kentucky 16-7; 33. Texas 14-9; 41. Georgia 16-6; 48. LSU 14-8; 56. Missouri 15-7; 66. Ole Miss 11-11; 71. Oklahoma 11-12; 84. Mississippi State 11-11; 88. South Carolina 11-12

SEC teams in barttorvik.com analytics: 8. FLORIDA 16-6; 10. Vanderbilt 19-3; 14. Tennessee 16-6; 20. Alabama 15-7; 23. Texas A&M 17-5; 29. Arkansas 16-6; 32. Auburn 14-8; 40. Texas 14-9; 41. Georgia 16-6; 42. Kentucky 16-7; 56. LSU 14-8; 58. Missouri 15-7; 75. Oklahoma 11-12; 79. Mississippi 11-11; 83. Mississippi State 11-11; 94. South Carolina 11-12

SEC in NCAA NET rankings: 11. FLORIDA; 14. Vanderbilt; 20. Tennessee; 23. Alabama; 26. Arkansas; 28. Kentucky; 30. Auburn; 35. Georgia; 36. Texas A&M; 38. Texas; 56. LSU; 68. Missouri; 83. Ole Miss 11-11; 85. Oklahoma 11-12; 95. Mississippi State 11-11; 105. South Carolina 11-12

SEC teams in ESPN (Joe Lunardi) bracketology

West: 1. Arizona; 2. Nebraska; 3. Gonzaga; 4. Virginia (SEC teams: 5. Alabama; 7. Kentucky)

South: 1. UConn; 2. Houston; 3. Purdue; 4. Vanderbilt (Other SEC teams: 6. Arkansas; 8. Texas A&M)

Midwest: 1. Michigan; 2. Iowa State; 3. FLORIDA; 4. Texas Tech (Other SEC teams: 8. Auburn)

East: 1. Duke; 2. Illinois; 3. Kansas; 4. Michigan State (SEC: 5. Tennessee; 10. Georgia; 11. Texas)

SEC teams in CBS Sports bracketology

West: 1. Arizona; 2. Illinois; 3. Vanderbilt; 4. Virginia (Other SEC teams: 5. Tennessee; 6. Arkansas; 7. Auburn)

South: 1. UConn; 2. Iowa State; 3. Nebraska; 4. BYU (SEC teams: 11. Missouri)

Midwest: 1. Michigan; 2. Houston; 3. Michigan State; 4. FLORIDA (Other SEC teams: 9. Texas A&M)

East: 1. Duke; 2. Purdue; 3. Kansas; 4. Gonzaga (SEC teams: 5. Alabama; 6. Kentucky; 9. Georgia; 10. Texas)

SEC BASKETBALL

Saturday’s games

No. 17 FLORIDA (16-6, 7-2 SEC) at Texas A&M (17-5, 7-2 SEC)

Oklahoma (11-12, 1-9 SEC) at No. 15 Vanderbilt (19-3, 6-3 SEC)

No. 21 Arkansas (16-6, 6-3 SEC) at Mississippi State (11-11, 3-6 SEC)

No. 25 Tennessee (16-6, 6-3 SEC) at Kentucky (16-7, 7-3 SEC)

Alabama (15-7, 5-4 SEC) at Auburn (14-8, 5-4 SEC)

Georgia (16-6, 4-5 SEC) at LSU (14-8, 2-7 SEC)

Ole Miss (11-11, 3-6 SEC) at Texas (14-9, 5-5 SEC)

Missouri (15-7, 5-4 SEC) at South Carolina (11-12, 2-8 SEC)

WORST TO FIRST IN THE SEC

16. Oklahoma (11-12, 1-9 SEC): Nine straight losses have Sooner faithful begging the admin to start searching diligently for a coach to replace Porter Moser.

15. South Carolina (11-12, 2-8 SEC): The faithful are questioning the admin, which gave Lamont Paris a 6-year contract extension that runs through 2030. The Gamecocks are all but certain to post a third losing season in the last four.

14. Mississippi State (11-11, 3-6 SEC): To avoid a losing season, the Bulldogs need six wins in their last nine games. That would take a miracle of changing water into wine proportions.

13. LSU (14-8, 2-7 SEC): Three more wins and the Tigers will have a winning season. To have any chance at all at the postseason, the Tigers have to find four wins in the last nine.

12. Ole Miss (11-11, 3-6 SEC): Chris Beard’s team puts up a good fight against everyone, but the talent just isn’t there.

11. Missouri (15-7, 5-4 SEC): Some nights the Tigers can play with anybody. Others they play like bottom feeders. You never know which team is going to show up.

10. Texas (14-9, 5-5 SEC): The Longhorns are starting to play like a team that could make the NCAA Tournament. The next four games are very winnable.

9. Georgia (16-6, 4-5 SEC): The Bulldogs have lost three in a row and they have the look of a team ready to punch its ticket to the NIT. Mike White’s team can score but they can’t stop anyone.

8. Auburn (14-8, 5-4 SEC): The Tigers had a week to get their collective act together. They get Bama at home Saturday. If they’re going to make a run at the NCAA that would be a good place to start.

7. Alabama (15-7, 5-4 SEC): The Tide can’t play a lick of defense. Charles Bediako hasn’t really helped and there is a genuine lack of teamwork.

6. Kentucky (16-7, 7-3 SEC): The Wildcats can play great (see Arkansas in Fayette Nam) and they can also stink it up (see Vanderbilt in Nashville). You never know which team is going to show up.

5. Arkansas (16-6, 6-3 SEC): The Hogs have a get well game at Mississippi State. If they don’t get on a roll soon, this is a team that could easily go in the tank.

4. Tennessee (16-6, 6-3 SEC): The Vols take the momentum of four straight wins to Lexington where Felix Okpara will have to have a big game for UT to keep the streak alive.  

3. Vanderbilt (19-3, 6-3 SEC): Oklahoma comes to Nashville this weekend so the Commodores are likely to become the first 20-game winner in the SEC.

2. Texas A&M (17-5, 7-2 SEC): The Aggies almost sprung the upset of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Can they take down the Gators Saturday night?

1. FLORIDA (16-6, 7-2 SEC): Nine games left, five on the road, four at home. The Gators are favored to win all of them.