Virginia vs. Texas A&M Game Preview, Score Prediction

The Cavaliers host the 14th-ranked Aggies in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge on Wednesday night at JPJ

A stretch of four-consecutive games against major conference competition continues for Virginia, as the Cavaliers play host to No. 14 Texas A&M in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge on Wednesday night at John Paul Jones Arena. 

Read on for a full preview of Virginia vs. Texas A&M, including game details and notes, an opponent scouting report, what to watch for, and a prediction for Wednesday night's matchup. 

Follow along with score updates and live analysis for Virginia vs. Texas A&M here: Virginia vs. Texas A&M Live Updates | NCAA Men's Basketball

Game Details

Who: Virginia Cavaliers (5-1) vs. Texas A&M Aggies (6-1)

When: Wednesday, November 29th at 7:15pm ET

Where: John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia

How to watch: ESPN2

How to stream: fuboTV (Start your free trial)

How to listen: SiriusXM 381, SXM App 971 | Virginia Sports Radio Network - click here for affiliates

All-time series: Texas A&M leads 1-0

Last meeting: Texas A&M defeated Virginia 60-59 on December 29th, 1962 in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

Game Notes

• Virginia and Texas A&M meet as part of the inaugural ACC/SEC Men's and Women's Challenge. 
• This is just the second meeting between the Cavaliers and Aggies and first since 1962. 
• Texas A&M is currently ranked No. 14 in the AP Top 25. This is the first ranked opponent UVA will face this season. 
• Virginia is 51-45 against ranked opponents under Tony Bennett.
• Tony Bennett owns a 7-3 record in head-to-head meetings with Buzz Williams, who served as the head coach at Virginia Tech for five seasons. 

Opponent Scouting Report: Texas A&M

2022-2023: 25-10, 15-3 SEC, Lost in NCAA Tournament 1st Round
2023-2024: 6-1

Texas A&M is in its fifth season under head coach Buzz Williams, who is certainly a familiar name for followers of UVA basketball as Williams served as the head coach at Virginia Tech for five seasons. Williams has been twice named the SEC Coach of the Year, including last season after he coached the Aggies to 25 wins, an appearance in SEC Tournament title game, and a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they fell to No. 10 seed Penn State in the first round. 

This year's Texas A&M team seems built to contend among the best in the SEC, starting off the year 5-0 with a win on the road against Ohio State. The Aggies played some tough competition at the ESPN Events Invitational last week, avenging the NCAA Tournament loss to Penn State with a win over the Nittany Lions, then losing 96-89 to Florida Atlantic, a team that went to the Final Four last year and is currently ranked No. 13 in the AP poll, and then bouncing back with a 73-69 win over Iowa State, who is ranked No. 27 on KenPom. 

Texas A&M is ranked No. 18 on KenPom, with an adjusted offensive efficiency ranking of No. 4. Although the Aggies shoot just 28.8% from beyond the arc as a team and 43.9% from the floor, they are the best in the country at rebounding those missed shots, ranking No. 1 in all of college basketball in offensive rebounding (averaging 18.0 offensive rebounds per game) and No. 16 in total rebounding. One of Virginia's major weaknesses so far has been defensive rebounding and that will be a major concern against the Aggies on Wednesday night. 

Texas A&M is led by SEC Preseason Player Wade Taylor, a 6'0" junior guard who thus far has lived up to the hype, averaging 20.0 points and 4.4 assists per game. He had 35 points in the loss to FAU last week and has scored at least 14 points in each of A&M's seven games this season. 

Joining Taylor at the guard spots are former Virginia Tech transfer Tyrece Radford and 6'6" sharpshooter Hayden Hefner. Radford is averaging 13.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, while Hefner scores 8.9 points per contest and can light it up from distance, shooting 41.4% from three on 4.1 attempts per game so far this year. 

Texas A&M's starting forward tandem is Henry Coleman and Wildens Leveque. Coleman might be another familiar name for those who follow UVA recruiting, as he is a Richmond native who was recruited by Virginia out of high school before ultimately committing to Duke, where he spent only one season before transferring to Texas A&M. Coleman, a 6'7"  forward, is having his best season yet, averaging 14.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game and shooting a remarkable 72.1% from the floor on lots of dunks and putbacks. Leveque isn't a focal part of the offense, but at 6'11", 230 pounds, he is an effective screener and anchor for the A&M defense. 

Coleman and Radford were injured in the loss to Florida Atlantic and missed the following game against Iowa State. The Aggies went with 6'6" junior guard Jace Carter and 6'7" sophomore forward Solomon Washington in the starting lineup for that game. Washington knocked down three three-pointers and scored 18 points to help Texas A&M erase a 21-point deficit to beat the Cyclones. Buzz Williams declined to give an update on Coleman and Radford, but their injuries aren't expected to be long-term, so they could very well be back in the starting five against Virginia on Wednesday night. 

What to Watch For

Rebounding

It's no secret that Virginia has struggled with defensive rebounding so far this season. Florida, Wisconsin, and West Virginia gave the Cavaliers fits with offensive rebounds and endless second chance scoring opportunities. Texas A&M seems particularly poised to take advantage of that weakness, coming in as the No. 1 offensive rebounding team in the country. The Aggies are going to get their fair share of second chances, but the Cavaliers must not let those offensive rebounding numbers get out of hand and remain disciplined on defense to deny those second chances. 

Another important front court matchup.

As we get closer and closer to ACC play, the development of Virginia's front court, especially on the defensive end, becomes more and more important. Blake Buchanan showed flashes of brilliance in the win over Florida, but has since taken a step back, leaving the Cavaliers still in search of a capable center to pair next to Ryan Dunn. The Aggies have plenty of bigs - Coleman, Washington, Leveque and Andersson Garcia - who will assert themselves in the paint if the Cavaliers let them. Virginia must show improvement in its front court play on defense. 

Reece Beekman vs. Wade Taylor

Reece Beekman has won his fair share of head-to-head matchups and against talented playmaking guards over the course of his career and Wade Taylor is Beekman's next challenge. Taylor is a scoring machine and excellent at creating his own shot. It'll be important for Virginia's chances in this game that Beekman keep Taylor in check, but from a pure basketball fan's perspective, that matchup is going to be wildly entertaining to watch. 

Prediction

Given Texas A&M's robust rebounding numbers and ability to create second chances, there is a clear path to success for the Aggies to pull off the road win at JPJ. With that said, Virginia has had a whole week to rest up, get healthy, and prepare for this game. It wouldn't be surprising to see Tony Bennett have his Cavaliers ready to deliver a classic defense performance. This should be one of the better matchups of the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge and I expect it to come down to the wire. 

Score prediction: Virginia 65, Texas A&M 63

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