Kentucky Basketball beats Texas A&M Aggies: Final score, recap, 3 takeaways and more

The Kentucky Wildcats beat Texas A&M Aggies in Lexington on Tuesday night by a score of 81-69.

This game was sloppy from the start either way. Kentucky looked a little anxious and the Aggies looked a little over-aggressive. Buzz Williams’ squad got off to an early start, hitting seven 3s in the first half, but the Cats responded to take a 35-32 halftime lead.

After the break, the Cats locked it down and exploded. Kentucky extended its lead to as many as 13 and kept the game out of striking distance throughout. Although they never pulled away, they never let it get too close.

The Cats are now 14-3 on the season and 3-1 in SEC play, including 5-0 vs. AP Top-25 Team.

Next up, the Cats have a massive matchup against the top-five Alabama Crimson Tide in Lexington Saturday at noon.

Here are three things to know from win no. 14!

Rebounding

For most of the first half, the Aggies were outgunned and outmuscled by the Cats. Specifically, Koby Brea, who couldn’t get a shot to fall, had a torrid game refusing to get on the floor, leading to an A&M offensive rebound.

To be fair, the Aggies are one of, if not the best offensive rebounding team in college basketball, so they had to burn the Cats here.

However, Kentucky heard the noise and locked in. Mark Pope’s team refused to be bullied at home and matched the Aggies’ physicality and toughness. Instead, the cats did the bullying. Amari Williams was especially impressive, and Jaxson Robinson used his length to his advantage. Williams helped put the game away late when the Aggies threatened to make it close.

Everyone knows that physics has been Kentucky’s kryptonite, but that wasn’t the case tonight. The Wildcats have emphasized that they are working to shed the ‘soft’ label that has been thrown around in the loss to Clemson, Ohio Stateand Georgia.

They have certainly responded in a big way in the last two games.

Robinson continues his hot streak

Jaxson Robinson has been a topic of conversation for many this season. What was once expected to be Kentucky’s best player became a punching bag after several uninspiring performances.

Robinson gained a reputation for “floating” and not earning his shots. He stood and shot when he caught it. As the season has progressed, you’ve seen the growth and increase in Robinson’s confidence.

It all finally came together last time out when the fifth-year senior dropped 27 points on the road against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. He continued to pour it on during the game as he let everyone know there hadn’t been a shot he didn’t like, scoring 22 points on 8/17 shooting.

Robinson’s recent improvement is huge for Kentucky going forward.

Similar stat lines hit differently

Travis Perry had a big night and Otega Oweh didn’t, but they had two similar stat lines that were big for different reasons.

For Perry, his six points were a career high and very exciting for the people of Kentucky. Perry has a long way to go, but you can see the improvement. He’s providing minutes that aren’t quite as negative as they used to be.

On the other hand, Oweh’s night was somewhat disappointing. For starters, he was able to continue his 17-game scoring streak in double figures, but it was close to being snapped! He is the Cats’ leading scorer and it was a less than stellar performance.

Either way, the Cats won, but it’s funny how different two stat lines that are so similar can mean to one guy compared to another.

Another big win for the Cats!