No. 2 Alabama and No. 24 Texas A&M will meet for the first time this year. The top two teams in the SEC standings will collide to conclude the regular season before heading to Nashville, where a conference tournament champion will be crowned next week. The Crimson Tide (26-4, 16-1 SEC) have already clinched the regular-season title but will be looking to ride into the postseason with momentum by taking down one of the nation's hottest teams.
Texas A&M (22-8, 14-3) has the No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament locked up but is still looking for national respect after struggling in nonconference play. The Aggies have won seven of their past eight games and crept back into the AP Top 25 but are still just a projected No. 7 seed for the NCAA Tournament in Jerry Palm's Bracketology.
A win over Alabama could change the national perception around Texas A&M entering the postseason and would only help its case of securing a strong seeding in the Big Dance after it was left out of last year's field. The Aggies are a ferocious rebounding squad that thrives on getting to the free throw line and scoring second-chance points.
Alabama's length and athleticism could hinder that approach, though, as the Crimson Tide enter enjoying arguably the best season in program history. Amid an off-court controversy involving star player Brandon Miller, however, Bama has been vulnerable over the past couple weeks. Two of the Tide's last three games have gone to overtime, and the other was a narrow home victory against Arkansas.
But that stretch has also shown how good Alabama is at closing out close games, which is a vital skill come tournament season. All told, this is shaping up as one of the most intriguing SEC matchups of the season as the Aggies and Crimson Tide look to finish strong.
How to watch Alabama vs. Texas A&M live
Date: Saturday, March 4 | Time: 12 p.m. ET
Location: Reed Arena -- College Station, Texas
TV: CBS | Live stream: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free)
Alabama vs. Texas A&M prediction, picks
Alabama has made a habit of playing close games recently while dealing with off-court distractions. The Tide clinched the outright SEC title with an overtime win over Auburn on Wednesday in what had to be an emotionally and physically draining environment. Meanwhile, the Aggies are coming off a Tuesday win over Ole Miss and now have a chance to make a national statement by knocking off the Crimson Tide at home to close the regular season. Look for the A&M to capitalize. Prediction: Texas A&M +2
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