Robert Williams' future undecided as Kentucky comes to Reed Arena

Will Texas A&M (16-13, 8-9) capitalize on its advantage inside? Will No. 9 Kentucky (25-5, 15-2) just go through the motions in what essentially is a meaningless Southeastern Conference basketball game for the Wildcats?

Will the Aggies be able to pull off a massive upset that would likely ensure their inclusion in the NIT?

Those questions are all pertinent. But without doubt the most pressing question for Aggies on Saturday at Reed Arena is obvious. Will this be the last home game for talented A&M forward Robert Williams?

The 6-9 freshman phenom still has work to do on his game but is so athletic and has such vast potential that NBA analysts have rated him as a lottery pick (top-14 selection) in the next draft.

But if Williams returns and A&M solves its point guard problems with J.J. Caldwell gaining eligibility, the Aggies would project to be a NCAA Tournament team. Although instant wealth awaits, there are rumors – possibly wishful thinking – that Williams is considering a second season in College Station.

“He’s going to be a lottery pick this year or whenever he wants to be,” A&M coach Billy Kennedy said this week. “We’ll see how that plays out.”

No doubt, Williams is getting an earful of advice on his future.

None of it would be as loud as hundred of students who chanted: “One More Year, One More Year” during a 56-53 victory over Alabama last week.

Kennedy is hoping those chants are even louder on Saturday.

“I’d love to have 13,500 here Saturday screaming ‘One More Year,’” Kennedy said. “He’s got a lot of people screaming you need to get out of here. He’s a heck of a talent. We’re just blessed to have him.”

Kennedy will need Williams and all the other Aggies at their best to upset Kentucky, which earlier this season blew out A&M, 100-58, in Lexington. However, Kentucky hasn’t been as dominant of late. Though the Wildcats are riding a seven-game winning streak, six of those victories have come by 10 points or less.

Meanwhile, A&M has three won of its last four. The Aggies held Auburn, Alabama and Missouri to a combined .311 shooting percentage in those three victories. But none of those teams have the perimeter scoring threats that Kentucky has.

Guard Malik Monk averages 21.7 points and has hit 92 three-point goals. Guard De’Aaron Fox isn’t a three-point threat but is averaging 15.4 points. Isaiah Briscoe and Mychal Mulder both have hit more than 30 three-pointers. The Wildcats also get inside scoring from 6-10 forward Edrice Abeboyo, who averages 13.3 points.

The Aggies must contain Kentucky’s guards. They can likely neutralize Abeboyo with Williams, who is second in the SEC with 74 blocked shots. Williams, who has emerged as an effective compliment to Tyler Davis in the paint, also averages 11.7 points and 7.9 rebounds and scores on an array of athletic dunks. That’s why he surfaced as a future lottery pick. But in which draft will it be?

“I’m going to meet with him at the end of the year,” Kennedy said. “We’re going to figure it out. We’ll figure out what the NBA people are saying and what he thinks is best for him.”

Last year’s lottery picks signed contracts worth at least $5,466,000 over three years with raises of at least 26.1 percent in the fourth year and 30 percent in the fifth year. Such wealth will be difficult to postpone. But maybe the pleas of perhaps thousands of Aggies on Saturday morning could influence him.

“Robert loves being an Aggie,” Kennedy said. “So it doesn’t hurt my feelings at all to hear them screaming ‘One More Year.’”