TAMU preview

[DawgatAuburn]

Last preview of the regular season takes us to the Texas A&M Aggies, who have to rank as one of the biggest disappointments of the 2023-24 season. There was talk of them winning the SEC this year, but they find themselves being barely even mentioned as a bubble team. They probably need to beat both us and Ole Miss this week and then win at least one game in Nashville to be a strong bubble contender.

Their problem this year has been obvious. They have been abysmal shooting the ball. Consider these team ranks (362 ranked teams nationally)

• 356 in FG%
• 307 in 2 pt%
• 361 in 3 pt% (ahead of only IUPUI)
• 246 in FT%
• 313 in fastbreak points

It's a miracle that they have managed to be 206 in scoring offense, largely because they do three things very well.

• They don't turn it over - top 20 in the country in fewest turnovers
• They get to the line a lot, nearly 24 free throws per game
• They are the best offensive rebounding team in the country, led by our old friend Andersson Garcia who is second only to Zach Edey in offensive rebounds per game

Speaking of rebounding, they are one of the best rebounding teams in the country

• 3 in rebounds per game
• 11 in rebound margin
• 1 in offensive rebounds
• 166 in defensive rebounds

They are led by their guards, Wade Taylor and Tyrece 'Boots' Radford. Taylor was talked about as an SEC POY guy, but he has had a terrible season. Shooting only 29% from three after hitting nearly 36% last season. His points are up only because he's shooting more than last season. But he can hurt you, no doubt. 34 points against Houston, 31 against Kentucky, 41 against Arkansas, 30 against the Bears. He's been bad his last four times out, so bad that I wonder if he's hurt and just playing through it. In the last four games he's scoring just over 10 ppg with terrible shooting numbers. But that can change in an instant. Radford is also having a terrible shooting season but his scoring is also up because he's shooting more. Those two are really the main threats. Henry Coleman can score some in the post but the rest of the players are pretty much just guys. Doesn't mean one of them can't get hot like TJ Caldwell did against us in Oxford, but by and large as Taylor and Radford go, so go the Aggies.

The formula seems sort of clear.

1. Keep the turnover margin close. We were -3 and -5 in the last two games after being in the positives for four of the previous five.
2. Compete hard on the glass. Limit their second chance opportunities.
3. Prevent them from getting to the line. For all the good things he is doing, Cam is fouling way too much. And they are silly slap and reach fouls. He's taking himself off the court with foul trouble when we need him out these.

There's no reason we can't win this game. We aren't out talented like against Kentucky or Bama. It's not an overwhelming home court like Auburn. We will have to go in there and play well to do it, but hopefully we got our bad game out of the way on Saturday. It's also senior night in College Station. Buzz has an old team with seven guys listed as either grad students or seniors. Five of them are in the rotation. (Taylor is a junior.) Maybe the emotions will be too much for them to handle, especially knowing they have zero breathing room in regards to their tournament life.

 

[HuntDawg]

Last preview of the regular season takes us to the Texas A&M Aggies, who have to rank as one of the biggest disappointments of the 2023-24 season. There was talk of them winning the SEC this year, but they find themselves being barely even mentioned as a bubble team. They probably need to beat both us and Ole Miss this week and then win at least one game in Nashville to be a strong bubble contender.

Their problem this year has been obvious. They have been abysmal shooting the ball. Consider these team ranks (362 ranked teams nationally)

• 356 in FG%
• 307 in 2 pt%
• 361 in 3 pt% (ahead of only IUPUI)
• 246 in FT%
• 313 in fastbreak points

It's a miracle that they have managed to be 206 in scoring offense, largely because they do three things very well.

• They don't turn it over - top 20 in the country in fewest turnovers
• They get to the line a lot, nearly 24 free throws per game
• They are the best offensive rebounding team in the country, led by our old friend Andersson Garcia who is second only to Zach Edey in offensive rebounds per game

Speaking of rebounding, they are one of the best rebounding teams in the country

• 3 in rebounds per game
• 11 in rebound margin
• 1 in offensive rebounds
• 166 in defensive rebounds

They are led by their guards, Wade Taylor and Tyrece 'Boots' Radford. Taylor was talked about as an SEC POY guy, but he has had a terrible season. Shooting only 29% from three after hitting nearly 36% last season. His points are up only because he's shooting more than last season. But he can hurt you, no doubt. 34 points against Houston, 31 against Kentucky, 41 against Arkansas, 30 against the Bears. He's been bad his last four times out, so bad that I wonder if he's hurt and just playing through it. In the last four games he's scoring just over 10 ppg with terrible shooting numbers. But that can change in an instant. Radford is also having a terrible shooting season but his scoring is also up because he's shooting more. Those two are really the main threats. Henry Coleman can score some in the post but the rest of the players are pretty much just guys. Doesn't mean one of them can't get hot like TJ Caldwell did against us in Oxford, but by and large as Taylor and Radford go, so go the Aggies.

The formula seems sort of clear.

1. Keep the turnover margin close. We were -3 and -5 in the last two games after being in the positives for four of the previous five.
2. Compete hard on the glass. Limit their second chance opportunities.
3. Prevent them from getting to the line. For all the good things he is doing, Cam is fouling way too much. And they are silly slap and reach fouls. He's taking himself off the court with foul trouble when we need him out these.

There's no reason we can't win this game. We aren't out talented like against Kentucky or Bama. It's not an overwhelming home court like Auburn. We will have to go in there and play well to do it, but hopefully we got our bad game out of the way on Saturday. It's also senior night in College Station. Buzz has an old team with seven guys listed as either grad students or seniors. Five of them are in the rotation. (Taylor is a junior.) Maybe the emotions will be too much for them to handle, especially knowing they have zero breathing room in regards to their tournament life.

They were the 5th bubble team out BEFORE they went to UGA and won. They are very much a bubble team. They've lost 3 games at the buzzer basically, or they'd be right where we are. They win the last two, their chances improve dramatically. I expect them to be focused and ready, not emotional.

Will be an extremely tough game for us.

 

[DoggieDaddy13]

We're 17d!

 

[Lettucexxxx]

Last preview of the regular season takes us to the Texas A&M Aggies, who have to rank as one of the biggest disappointments of the 2023-24 season. There was talk of them winning the SEC this year, but they find themselves being barely even mentioned as a bubble team. They probably need to beat both us and Ole Miss this week and then win at least one game in Nashville to be a strong bubble contender.

Their problem this year has been obvious. They have been abysmal shooting the ball. Consider these team ranks (362 ranked teams nationally)

• 356 in FG%
• 307 in 2 pt%
• 361 in 3 pt% (ahead of only IUPUI)
• 246 in FT%
• 313 in fastbreak points

It's a miracle that they have managed to be 206 in scoring offense, largely because they do three things very well.

• They don't turn it over - top 20 in the country in fewest turnovers
• They get to the line a lot, nearly 24 free throws per game
• They are the best offensive rebounding team in the country, led by our old friend Andersson Garcia who is second only to Zach Edey in offensive rebounds per game

Speaking of rebounding, they are one of the best rebounding teams in the country

• 3 in rebounds per game
• 11 in rebound margin
• 1 in offensive rebounds
• 166 in defensive rebounds

They are led by their guards, Wade Taylor and Tyrece 'Boots' Radford. Taylor was talked about as an SEC POY guy, but he has had a terrible season. Shooting only 29% from three after hitting nearly 36% last season. His points are up only because he's shooting more than last season. But he can hurt you, no doubt. 34 points against Houston, 31 against Kentucky, 41 against Arkansas, 30 against the Bears. He's been bad his last four times out, so bad that I wonder if he's hurt and just playing through it. In the last four games he's scoring just over 10 ppg with terrible shooting numbers. But that can change in an instant. Radford is also having a terrible shooting season but his scoring is also up because he's shooting more. Those two are really the main threats. Henry Coleman can score some in the post but the rest of the players are pretty much just guys. Doesn't mean one of them can't get hot like TJ Caldwell did against us in Oxford, but by and large as Taylor and Radford go, so go the Aggies.

The formula seems sort of clear.

1. Keep the turnover margin close. We were -3 and -5 in the last two games after being in the positives for four of the previous five.
2. Compete hard on the glass. Limit their second chance opportunities.
3. Prevent them from getting to the line. For all the good things he is doing, Cam is fouling way too much. And they are silly slap and reach fouls. He's taking himself off the court with foul trouble when we need him out these.

There's no reason we can't win this game. We aren't out talented like against Kentucky or Bama. It's not an overwhelming home court like Auburn. We will have to go in there and play well to do it, but hopefully we got our bad game out of the way on Saturday. It's also senior night in College Station. Buzz has an old team with seven guys listed as either grad students or seniors. Five of them are in the rotation. (Taylor is a junior.) Maybe the emotions will be too much for them to handle, especially knowing they have zero breathing room in regards to their tournament life.

Must win

 

[DawgatAuburn]

They were the 5th bubble team out BEFORE they went to UGA and won. They are very much a bubble team. They've lost 3 games at the buzzer basically, or they'd be right where we are. They win the last two, their chances improve dramatically. I expect them to be focused and ready, not emotional.

Will be an extremely tough game for us.

Lunardi now has them 10th out. Palm doesn't even mention them. I agree that it will be a tough game though, regardless of their bubble status.

 

[MSUDC11-2.0]

They were the 5th bubble team out BEFORE they went to UGA and won. They are very much a bubble team. They've lost 3 games at the buzzer basically, or they'd be right where we are. They win the last two, their chances improve dramatically. I expect them to be focused and ready, not emotional.

Will be an extremely tough game for us.

They have several good wins (Tennessee, Kentucky, Iowa State, Florida) but have taken some absolutely atrocious losses. 0-3 against Arkansas and Vandy is absolutely pathetic. Also lost to LSU and Ole Miss at home.

I’m not expecting this be a crazy crowd. Lot of seats unsold on their website. I think they lost a lot of their fan support with the recent skid.

We play a good game (not even our best game), we win. It’s that simple. They do not have the offensive firepower of most of the teams we’ve lost to. I’ll be disappointed if our defense doesn’t have success in this one. At that point it’s just about us making enough shots and, I trust Hubbard and what should be a size advantage for Tolu.

 

[MSUDC11-2.0]

Must win

Not must win, but would keep Saturday from having pressure on it. And we’re a better team than A&M. So I think it’s a SHOULD win.

 

[HuntDawg]

They have several good wins (Tennessee, Kentucky, Iowa State, Florida) but have taken some absolutely atrocious losses. 0-3 against Arkansas and Vandy is absolutely pathetic. Also lost to LSU and Ole Miss at home.

I’m not expecting this be a crazy crowd. Lot of seats unsold on their website. I think they lost a lot of their fan support with the recent skid.

We play a good game (not even our best game), we win. It’s that simple. They do not have the offensive firepower of most of the teams we’ve lost to. I’ll be disappointed if our defense doesn’t have success in this one. At that point it’s just about us making enough shots and, I trust Hubbard and what should be a size advantage for Tolu.

We'll have to play our best game on the road to date to win. Their style matches our style very well. Muck it up type game. Lots of big bodys down low. One guard whose capable of going off. 2 main scorers. Expect Buzz to gear everything to stopping Hubbard. Guessing the game is close to a pick em spread wise.

Dont think its going to be as easy as show up, play our B game, and win.

 

[MSUDC11-2.0]

We'll have to play our best game on the road to date to win. Their style matches our style very well. Muck it up type game. Lots of big bodys down low. One guard whose capable of going off. 2 main scorers. Expect Buzz to gear everything to stopping Hubbard. Guessing the game is close to a pick em spread wise.

Dont think its going to be as easy as show up, play our B game, and win.

I would love for them to muck it up. We are even better at that kind of game than they are.

 

[HuntDawg]

I would love for them to muck it up. We are even better at that kind of game than they are.

We are 2-7 on the road. This would be by FAR our best road win.

The 5 game win streak was nice, but against inferior competition. TxAM isnt that inferior.

you are much more optimistic than me, we can win, but need to play well to win......and I wouldnt be shocked to see us underdogs by the experts in vegas.

 

[DawgatAuburn]

BPI has Aggies as 2.8 pts better and a 61% chance to win
Torivk has Aggies to win 69-68
Warren Nolan has the Aggies 70-68

 

[MSUDC11-2.0]

We are 2-7 on the road. This would be by FAR our best road win.

The 5 game win streak was nice, but against inferior competition. TxAM isnt that inferior.

you are much more optimistic than me, we can win, but need to play well to win......and I wouldnt be shocked to see us underdogs by the experts in vegas.

Oh yeah the line will be close, A&M might even be a slight favorite.

I still don’t think they’re very good. They’re roughly on the same tier as the LSU team we just smashed (though stylistically different, yes). They’re a likely NIT team who is .500 at home in conference play, and three of those losses are to non-tournament teams. I don’t think we have any reason to be shaking in our boots here. Go play a good game and we win.

 

[HuntDawg]

Oh yeah the line will be close, A&M might even be a slight favorite.

I still don’t think they’re very good. They’re roughly on the same tier as the LSU team we just smashed (though stylistically different, yes). They’re a likely NIT team who is .500 at home in conference play, and three of those losses are to non-tournament teams. I don’t think we have any reason to be shaking in our boots here. Go play a good game and we win.

weve been handled by medocore teams on the road (ole miss & georgia tech) . This team metrically lines up more with a south carolina that we lost to, than the LSU team we beat.

I'm not saying TxAM is a world beater. But they are the type team we've proven to not be able to beat away from home this season.

We'll see. I hope you are right.

 

[MSUDC11-2.0]

weve been handled by medocore teams on the road (ole miss & georgia tech) . This team metrically lines up more with a south carolina that we lost to, than the LSU team we beat.

I'm not saying TxAM is a world beater. But they are the type team we've proven to not be able to beat away from home this season.

We'll see. I hope you are right.

To be fair, the GT loss was without Tolu (though yes we stunk it up) and the OM loss required them making 12 threes and even then it came down to the last possession of the game. The main reason our road record is bad is because we’ve played 5 of the Top 6 in the SEC on the road. 0-5 in Columbia, Lexington, Gainesville, Tuscaloosa, and Auburn is not hard to do.

The way we played at Mizzou and LSU makes me feel better about our chances in this one. The more winnable road games we’ve had recently, we played really well in.

 

[HuntDawg]

To be fair, the GT loss was without Tolu (though yes we stunk it up) and the OM loss required them making 12 threes and even then it came down to the last possession of the game. The main reason our road record is bad is because we’ve played 5 of the Top 6 in the SEC on the road. 0-5 in Columbia, Lexington, Gainesville, Tuscaloosa, and Auburn is not hard to do.

The way we played at Mizzou and LSU makes me feel better about our chances in this one. The more winnable road games we’ve had recently, we played really well in.

This team again metrically is closer to that of South Carolina AND florida (teams we've lost to) than it is LSU the only semi quality team we've beaten on the road.

The excuses about the road losses dont fly with me. GT is plain bad, and teams play better at home. Ole miss playing well at home shouldnt be anymore of a shocker than TxAM playing well at home.

Although we have lost to good teams on the road. That is the nature of the league. The top is very good. The bottom is very bad. We are 1-1 against middle tier teams on the road (LSU and Ole Miss, could even say 1-2 because some call SC middle tier metrically) and again TxAM who is another middle of the pack team, is better than both for certain. We will need our best road effort.

 

[MSUDC11-2.0]

This team again metrically is closer to that of South Carolina AND florida (teams we've lost to) than it is LSU the only semi quality team we've beaten on the road.

Although we have lost to good teams on the road. That is the nature of the league. The top is very good. The bottom is very bad. We are 1-1 against middle tier teams on the road (LSU and Ole Miss, could even say 1-2 because some call SC middle tier metrically) and again TxAM who is another middle of the pack team, is better than both for certain. We will need our best road effort.

They’re an odd team to measure up because they’ve been very erratic all year. My recent eye test tells me they are still struggling right now. They did beat Georgia but it was not pretty, I watched most of the second half and thought both teams played pretty poorly. Georgia also ran a really stupid offense against them that I don’t believe we’ll run (they attempted 41 threes on a day where they couldn’t make anything).

 

[HuntDawg]

They’re an odd team to measure up because they’ve been very erratic all year. My recent eye test tells me they are still struggling right now. They did beat Georgia but it was not pretty, I watched most of the second half and thought both teams played pretty poorly. Georgia also ran a really stupid offense against them that I don’t believe we’ll run (they attempted 41 threes on a day where they couldn’t make anything).

Agree. They've played very good, had to have to beat UT and UK. Then played very poorly, as you have to lose to Vandy and Arkansas twice.

Obviously we need the bad TxAM to show up. With their backs to the wall though, i expect them to show up and play well in their last home game. In which case, we'll need our best effort.