KSR Gameday: No. 8 Kentucky returns home to host No. 11 Texas A&M

Kentucky is 4-0 this season vs. AP top-15 opponents. Tonight, the No. 8 Cats will try to make it 5-0 when they host the No. 11 Texas A&M Aggies (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2).

Kentucky is coming off its first true road win of the season, a 95-90 victory at Mississippi State that brought the Cats’ record to 13-3, 2-1 in the SEC. Texas A&M has the same overall and conference records, most recently losing at home to No. 4 Alabama, which Kentucky hosts on Saturday. Buzz Williams’ team is the best offensive-rebounding team in the country, pulling down an average of 17.1 offensive boards per game. Of the eleven SEC players who have pulled down 40+ offensive rebounds this season, Texas A&M has three: Henry Coleman III, Solomon Washington, and Pharrel Payne. No other school has more than one.

The Aggies will be without Wade Taylor IV for the third straight game. The star guard was listed as “out” on last night’s SEC Availability Report, which is good news for Kentucky as he is their leading scorer and dropped 32 points on the Cats in the Aggies’ win in the SEC Tournament this past March. For Kentucky, Kerr Kriisa (foot) remains “out” and Andrew Carr was listed as “probable” as he continues to deal with back issues. On his radio show, Mark Pope said that Carr did not practice on Monday but ultimately, he believes he will play.

Texas A&M has not won in Rupp Arena since 2013, but the Aggies own the last two wins in the series, beating John Calipari’s Cats in College Station and the SEC Tournament last season. This game also holds special meaning for Jaxson Robinson. Robinson started his college career at Texas A&M during the 2020-21 season. After transferring to Arkansas, he lost both games against the Aggies. I’m sure Robinson wants to follow up his best game of the season with a strong showing vs. his former school.

Let’s get you ready for tipoff, shall we?

How to Watch, Listen

• Time: 7 p.m. ET
• Television: ESPN2 (Karl Ravech Jimmy Dykes)
• Home Radio: UK Sports Network – 630 WLAP, iHeart Radio (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)
• Online Radio: iHeart
• Satellite Radio: Sirius 160 or 192
• Live Stats: StatBroadcast

You can also follow the game via our LIVE BLOG on the website, which will begin an hour before tip-off, or join the conversation on KSBoard. The KSR Pregame Show will start at 4:30 p.m. ET at KSBar and Grille.

Odds

Kentucky opened as a 4.5-point favorite vs. A&M on Monday. The line is now Kentucky -5.5 on FanDuel, with the total set at 158.5 points. The Cats have covered the spread in three of the last four games and are 5-5 ATS at Rupp Arena this season.

KenPom predicts a final score of 80-77, giving Kentucky a 60% chance of victory, while Bart Torvik likes the Cats by four, 81-77. ESPN’s BPI ranks this as the second-best game of the day behind Baylor vs. Arizona and gives Kentucky a 60.5% chance of victory.

Ansley Almonor, Travis Perry preview A&M

On Monday, senior forward Ansley Almonor and freshman guard Travis Perry met with the media to talk about Saturday’s win at Mississippi State and tonight’s clash with Texas A&M. As you might expect, Pope’s Cats have been well briefed on the Aggies’ strength on the boards.

“They’re a very good team. Offensive rebounding stands out for them,” Perry said. “Number one in the country in offensive rebound percentage by a large margin. We need to come out early, make a push early, and continue it throughout the game.”

Hear more from Perry, who talked about how he’s growing into the role of backup point guard, and Almonor, who discussed his breakout performance in Starkville, below.

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Quick-hitters from the Mark Pope Show

We also heard from Mark Pope on Monday. Pope’s call-in show has become must-listen radio for a lot of fans, and last night’s included a little bit of news:

— Special edition uniforms coming soon? The most exciting nugget may have been Pope teasing some potential new, special edition uniforms. Pope said the staff had “a little fashion show” on Monday to check out the new threads, which they may break out this season. The 1996 team debuted the denim uniforms vs. Arkansas. Just saying. (Jack just dropped some more scoop about the uniforms on KSBoard, yet another reason to join the club.)

— Kerr Kriisa update: Pope said Kriisa can now be out of his boot for parts of the day and should begin the rehab process in “the next couple of weeks.” From there, it’s all about ramping up to playing shape. Still no exact timeline for the fifth-year senior’s return, but a positive update nonetheless.

SEC Standings

Only three teams have yet to lose a conference game: Auburn, Alabama, and Ole Miss. That will change tonight, as the Crimson Tide hosts the Rebels (7 p.m. ET, ESPNU). Kentucky and Texas A&M are in the big pack of teams at 2-1 in league play.

College Basketball on TV today

It’s another big night of college hoops. No. 8 Kentucky vs. No. 11 Texas A&M is one of nine ranked games tonight, four in the SEC. At the same time the Cats play the Aggies, No. 1 Auburn hosts No. 15 Mississippi State and No. 4 Alabama hosts No. 21 Ole Miss. Could be a good night for the multi-view if you can handle it.

TIME (ET)	AWAY	HOME	TV/STREAMING
7:00 PM	No. 11 Texas A&M	No. 8 Kentucky	ESPN2
7:00 PM	No. 15 Mississippi State	No. 1 Auburn	SEC Network
7:00 PM	No. 21 Ole Miss	No. 4 Alabama	ESPNU
7:00 PM	No. 7 Marquette	DePaul	CBSSN
7:00 PM	No. 19 Illinois	Indiana	Peacock
7:00 PM	Louisville	Syracuse	ACC Network
9:00 PM	Miami	No. 3 Duke	ESPN
9:00 PM	Missouri	No. 5 Florida	ESPNU
9:00 PM	Ohio State	No. 24 Wisconsin	Peacock
9:00 PM	Arkansas	LSU	SEC Network
9:00 PM	Clemson	Georgia Tech	ACC Network
11:00 PM	No. 25 Baylor	Arizona	ESPN

Georgia Amoore on KSR

On Monday, Willie Cauley-Stein sat down with the KSR crew to talk about his time at Kentucky, his thoughts on the current team (and John Calipari), and his dream of being a high school basketball coach. He also reunited with one of his biggest fans, a must-see moment if you missed it on Monday.

Willie Cauley-Stein and Olivia go way back, and today they shared a heartwarming reunion!

Here’s the story behind it. pic.twitter.com/9urbFOI4xF

— Mario A Maitland (@MarioMaitland_3) January 13, 2025

Today, Kentucky Women’s Basketball star Georgia Amoore will join the show to discuss her time in Lexington so far and Kenny Brooks and the Cats’ 15-1 start. Sounds like a great way to get a gameday rolling.