The November 23rd Texas A&M vs Butler matchup features two teams that lost their Maui Invitational openers on Monday. The Aggies were up 16 at one point vs. Wisconsin, but cooled off immensely in losing 69-58 to the Badgers as +3 point underdogs.
Butler was never that close, falling down 41-20 at the half to #12 Houston en route to a 70-52 win by the Cougars that also covered the -10 point spread. Both squads have a game under their belts at the Michelob Ultra Arena at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, but who pulls out Tuesday afternoon’s contest where Texas A&M is a -2 point favorite?
Aggies Need to Finish
Texas A&M looked like they were headed to a matchup with Houston on Tuesday night after jumping out to a big 1st half lead against Wisconsin on Monday. The Aggies were up 16 points mid-way through the 1st half, but couldn’t even hold on to that to the break with the Badgers taking a 35-34 halftime lead.
Monday marked the first loss of the year for Texas A&M (4-1), and one of the lone bright spots for the Aggies was Quenton Jackson who had 15 points powered by 3-6 shooting from beyond the arc. It’s possible that the good start to the year for Buzz Williams’ team was due more to the level of competition instead of strong play by the Aggies, as they were -11 point favorites or better in each of their wins. We will find out on Tuesday.
Texas A&M does have three other players besides Jackson who average in double figures, but they were all ice cold vs. the Badgers. Henry Coleman, Tyrece Radford, and Marcus Williams combined for just 22 points in the loss to Wisconsin, and Texas A&M shot just 8 for 27 in the 2nd half.
Butler Tries to Stop Their Skid
The Bulldogs were never in Monday’s contest, falling down 17-0 to Houston and letting the deficit build to 23 points right before the half. To their credit Butler battled back dwindled the lead to 12 points, but the Cougars were just too much in hitting 51% of their shots from the field (27-53).
Monday marked the second straight loss for Butler who also lost 72-53 to Michigan State at home last Wednesday as +3 point underdogs. Therefore LaVall Jordan’s squad really needs a win in the November 23rd Texas A&M vs Butler matchup.
Jair Bolden was the lone bright spot for Butler on Monday as he hit 4 of 8 from beyond the arc on his way to 16 points. Ty Groce has reached double figures against both Houston and Michigan State so his role will be critical if Butler wants to stop this two game slide. Chuck Harris had just 3 points vs. the Cougars on Monday, so he’ll need a bigger game as well after averaging 18ppg the previous two.
November 23rd Texas A&M vs Butler Pick
The Aggies are a -2 point favorite for Tuesday’s game mostly because they looked good early against the Badgers before losing their shot. Butler has been blown out two games in a row, but they’ve also faced some stiff competition in Michigan State and Houston. Does that quality of competition give the Bulldogs the edge?
Butler 74 – Texas A&M 71
Free Pick: Butler +2
