3 Notable Players To Watch When Big Blue Visits Aggieland

Another open opportunity for Texas A&M presents itself on Tuesday night when Kentucky travels into town.

Can the Aggies take advantage of the Quad 1 opportunity that is in front of the 12th Man for the final game of the season at home, or will there be another missed chance at building up an already strong resume?

For head coach Bucky McMillan’s team to find a way to get off the bubble, it starts with defeating head coach Mark Pope’s program, which is also searching for a road win before ending the season against the defending national champions.

Will the A&M offense and defense put together a clean 40 minutes of basketball and shut down these three ball handlers that are experts at putting the ball in the hoop?

Otega Oweh, Guard

If the Wildcats want offense, their first option is to turn to Otega Oweh, who has been Mr. Reliable during a good part of the season. In his senior season, he hoped to finally reach the Final Four after falling short in Lexington and Norman.

As the dangerous 6-foot-4 playmaker maneuvers around the floor, he always makes disciplined decisions and puts his teammates first, which has been key to his and his teammates' success throughout the 2025-26 campaign. Oweh is averaging 17.5 points per game to go along with his 4.5 rebounds per game and his 2.6 assists. From the field, he is a 47.6 percent shooter and continues to make defenders pay for poor defense.

The native of Newark, New Jersey, has had 27 games in double digits, with only one game not counting as one of those, which was two games ago against South Carolina, when he had eight points. His season-high was at Auburn when he posted 29 points in the loss. It will be a tricky test for an A&M defense that has had a few up-and-down games over the last several weeks.

Denzel Aberdeen, Guard

Another player who jumps off the board for his athleticism, both offensively and defensively, is Denzel Aberdeen, the star who leads the Wildcats in assists with 3.3. On top of that, he is second on the team in minutes played, so there will be a ton of looks for the Aggies’ defense to stop his ability to knock down shots all around the floor.

Over the year, Aberdeen is a 43.6 percent shooter from the field and is averaging 12.9 points per game, along with 2.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists. One of the areas that can be a threat is from deep, where he is a 37.1 percent shooter, so he isn’t afraid to fire away when there is an open window or when he is in a highly contested moment.

His best performance was against Louisville at the beginning of the season, when he had a season-high 26 points and made 10 field goals. Maybe that carries over to Reed Arena, where A&M has been struggling of late.

Collin Chandler, Guard

Out of all the Kentucky starters, Collin Chandler is the guy that Pope wants to be shooting the three ball when it comes down to burying shots from distance. Sometimes, it doesn’t work out in his favor, but when he is on, there is no stopping this guy.

On the season, the 6-foot-5 sophomore from Farmington, Utah, knows exactly what it takes to be a member of this program, and he has risen to the occasion when there have been other guys who haven’t been able to answer the call. On the season, Chandler is a 44.2 percent shooter from the field and is fully capable of a double-digit game, averaging 10 points per game.

In the recent win over Vanderbilt, the youngster who proudly wears No. 5 on the back of his jersey recorded 23 points in the home win at Rupp Arena. He shot 70 percent from the field, making 7 of 10 field goals, and went 3 of 4 from the charity stripe. Teams have to be mindful not to foul this dynamic player because he’ll knock down his free throws as an 83.3 percent shooter from the line.

Action between A&M and Kentucky starts at 6 p.m. on ESPN2.