Florida Gators vs. Texas A&M: Preview, Game Info, Where To Watch and More

The Florida Gators (19-12, 9-9 SEC) have entered win-or-go-home territory as they are set to take on the Texas A&M Aggies (20-11, 9-9 SEC) on Thursday in the second round of the SEC Tournament.

In their second meeting this season, this matchup holds much more weight in the grand scheme of how college basketball's exciting postseason will shape up during the 2021-22 season.

Will Mike White's squad survive and advance to keep a high-seeded postseason berth possible? Or will it crumble to Texas A&M for the second time this year and fail to make the tournament for the first time since 2016?

Here is all of the general information you will need to know prior to Thursday's crucial contest.

SEC Tournament: No. 9 Florida Gators vs. No. 8 Texas A&M Aggies

Date and Time: Thursday, Mar. 10 at 12 p.m. ET.

Location: Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida

Series history: Florida leads, 9-5. The Gators and Aggies met for the 14th time earlier this season in College Station, where the Texas A&M reigned victorious 56-55.

TV: SEC Network

Radio: Gators Sports Network From Learfield

Stream: ESPN App

Odds: UF -2, O/U: 136.5, according to SI Sportsbook.

The Rundown

Before their lone matchup earlier in the year, Texas A&M dropped eight games in a row and looked like a shell of the team that started the season hot.

With the Aggies on a downward trajectory, the Gators entered Reed Arena in College Station, Texas, looking to bounce back following a brutal loss to Kentucky just three days prior. Florida could've used it as a buffer game to right the ship as they sailed toward postseason contention.

However, that wasn't the case.

TAMU received a spark from leading scorer Quenton Jackson in the first half to build a sizable lead on the Gators. Dropping 10 of his 16 points in the first 20 minutes, the Aggies trotted into the halftime locker room leading 27-20.

They continued to pour it on in the second half until the lead reached its pinnacle at 43-31 with 11:02 remaining. The Gators clawed their way back in to claim a four-point lead with under two minutes remaining but allowed five unanswered to squander their comeback attempts.

When the Aggies took down the Gators 56-55, a switch flipped for Buzz Williams' unit. Texas A&M proceeded to win five of their last six games and played themselves into a bubble position for the NCAA tournament.

The Gators look to burst that bubble and avenge the dreadful road loss they suffered in mid-February.

To do so, they will have to shoot better than 28.8% from the field and 23.3% from beyond the arc. White will look at center Colin Castleton, forward Phlandorus Fleming Jr., as well as guards Tyree Appleby and Myreon Jones to find sustainable offensive success.

When the field took shape following the conclusion of the SEC regular-season schedule on Saturday, the Gators fell into the Next Four Out category where a March Madness berth is concerned.

Generally, that spot is hard to climb out of, especially when playing in a competitive conference that saw a five-way tie for fifth place. That indicated Florida would not only have to excel in their performance on the big stage in Tampa, but they would need help from other programs floating on the bubble to fall short in their respective conference tournaments.

Luckily for the Gators, bubble teams like Wake Forest and Xavier lost on Wednesday. At the same time, Virginia Tech had to muster up an overtime victory to fend off Clemson despite leading them by double digits for much of the contest.

As a result, the field aligns for Florida to possibly garner a coveted at-large bid if they can advance past the second round of the conference tournament and hold their own against the top teams the SEC has to offer some there.

The winner will face Jabari Smith and the top-seeded Auburn Tigers in the quarterfinals on Friday at noon.

Stay tuned to AllGators for continuous coverage of Florida Gators football, basketball and recruiting. Follow along on social media at @SI_AllGators on Twitter and Florida Gators on Sports Illustrated on Facebook.

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