Buzz Williams breaks down key to beating Kentucky in SEC Tournament

Kentucky and Texas A&M are set to square off in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals shortly, with both teams looking to progress to the quarterfinal round.

Before the game, Aggies coach Buzz Williams joined the SEC Network to discuss some of his keys to the game.

“They may have the best roster in the country,” Williams said. “Obviously coach is already in the Hall of Fame, so we’ll have our hands full from the very beginning.

“We’ll have to try to contain them in transition. They want to play really fast. We need to try to make it more of a halfcourt game, and in the halfcourt we need to be able to defend the ball without fouling and then try to finish with a rebound.”

Texas A&M had some success doing that in the first meeting against Kentucky earlier this season, securing a 97-92 win on its home floor. This one will be at a neutral site, if it can be called that with the hordes of Wildcats fans that are sure to flood Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.

William’s squad is coming off a successful first outing in the SEC Tournament against Ole Miss, winning 80-71 in a very physical contest.

Despite the short turnaround, Williams knows his team will have to be equally physical on Friday night in order to have a good chance at beating Kentucky, one of the league’s powerhouses.

“If we had a choice, maybe we would think about it, but there’s not a choice. That’s the only way we have a chance,” Williams said. “It has to be physical, it has to be grimy, it has to not necessarily be pleasing to the eye. That’s probably what fits us best. In my opinion it’s probably opposite of that for Kentucky, so we need to bend it closer to the way we want it to be in order for us to have a chance.”

Texas A&M is led by veteran Wade Taylor IV, who scores 18.1 points per game. Fellow guard Tyrece Radford is averaging 15.6 points per game.

Friday night’s SEC Tournament game will tip off at 7 p.m. ET with a broadcast on ESPN.