Photo by Alex Parker, TexAgs
Texas A&M Basketball
Texas A&M set to dive into SEC play against Tennessee Volunteers
As Texas A&M enters its conference basketball schedule with a Reed Arena clash against Tennessee tonight, the Aggies can glean optimism from several factors.
They’re strong inside.
They're tough on defense.
The Pac-12 is considered superior to the Southeastern Conference.
The Aggies (8-3) relied heavily on their inside trio of 6-10 center Tyler Davis, 6-11 forward Tonny Trocha-Morelos and 6-9 Robert Williams to account for scoring and defense in their eight victories. Davis averages 15.1 points, Williams 10.9 and Trocha-Morelos 9.0. They’re also key reasons A&M is ranked 40th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing an average of 63.8 points per game.
The fact that all three A&M losses were by seven points or less to Pac-12 powerhouses USC, UCLA and Arizona, who are a combined 37-2, should also be cause for optimism.
Yet, A&M also wasted chances to win those games.
Matt Sachs, TexAgs
Freshman sensation Robert Williams has helped the Aggies overcome the loss of last year's seniors.
Clearly,
the Aggies have taken positive steps in replacing four lost starters
from a team that shared the SEC championship last season with Kentucky.
However, more steps are required, especially on the perimeter where the Aggies have been consistently inconsistent.
“We’ve got to have some guys step up when it’s time to change a run,” Kennedy said. “Who’s going to be that guy? Especially on the perimeter.
“I know what we’re going to get from Tyler. But how are our perimeter guys going to play when it’s crunch time? That’s something we’re going to find out.”
Sophomore D.J. Hogg, who has run hot and cold through the first six weeks of the season, maintained that the Aggies are ready to prove themselves.
“We’ve shown spurts of how good we can be,” he said. “We’ve just got to do that more consistently so we can win the SEC. Everybody is going to be playing their best and coming for us.”
Tennessee (7-5), in its second year under former Texas coach Rick Barnes, probably will. But just what the Volunteers’ best is is uncertain.
Tennessee is something of an enigma. The Vols are coming off an unimpressive, 72-68 victory over East Tennessee State, but earlier this season scared North Carolina before falling, 73-71, and were competitive in an 86-76 loss to Gonzaga.
Though it’s hard to know what to expect from the Vols, Kennedy does expect them to test the Aggies in the backcourt.
The Volunteers’ strength is in the backcourt, with 6-5 senior guard Robert Hubbs, 6-5 guard/forward Grant Williams and 6-1 guard Derrick Mostella all averaging between 15.5 and 10.0 points.
The uncertainty surrounding Tennessee will likely set the tone for the entire SEC schedule.
“Our league is a young league. I think it will progress and get better. Our best basketball is probably going to be later than earlier,” Kennedy said. “There are lot of teams in our league you can say that about.
“Tennessee is rebuilding but still has really good players. Coach Barnes has been here before, so he’ll have them ready for sure.”
They’re strong inside.
They're tough on defense.
The Pac-12 is considered superior to the Southeastern Conference.
The Aggies (8-3) relied heavily on their inside trio of 6-10 center Tyler Davis, 6-11 forward Tonny Trocha-Morelos and 6-9 Robert Williams to account for scoring and defense in their eight victories. Davis averages 15.1 points, Williams 10.9 and Trocha-Morelos 9.0. They’re also key reasons A&M is ranked 40th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing an average of 63.8 points per game.
The fact that all three A&M losses were by seven points or less to Pac-12 powerhouses USC, UCLA and Arizona, who are a combined 37-2, should also be cause for optimism.
Yet, A&M also wasted chances to win those games.
Matt Sachs, TexAgs
Freshman sensation Robert Williams has helped the Aggies overcome the loss of last year's seniors.
However, more steps are required, especially on the perimeter where the Aggies have been consistently inconsistent.
“We’ve got to have some guys step up when it’s time to change a run,” Kennedy said. “Who’s going to be that guy? Especially on the perimeter.
“I know what we’re going to get from Tyler. But how are our perimeter guys going to play when it’s crunch time? That’s something we’re going to find out.”
Sophomore D.J. Hogg, who has run hot and cold through the first six weeks of the season, maintained that the Aggies are ready to prove themselves.
“We’ve shown spurts of how good we can be,” he said. “We’ve just got to do that more consistently so we can win the SEC. Everybody is going to be playing their best and coming for us.”
Tennessee (7-5), in its second year under former Texas coach Rick Barnes, probably will. But just what the Volunteers’ best is is uncertain.
Tennessee is something of an enigma. The Vols are coming off an unimpressive, 72-68 victory over East Tennessee State, but earlier this season scared North Carolina before falling, 73-71, and were competitive in an 86-76 loss to Gonzaga.
Though it’s hard to know what to expect from the Vols, Kennedy does expect them to test the Aggies in the backcourt.
The Volunteers’ strength is in the backcourt, with 6-5 senior guard Robert Hubbs, 6-5 guard/forward Grant Williams and 6-1 guard Derrick Mostella all averaging between 15.5 and 10.0 points.
The uncertainty surrounding Tennessee will likely set the tone for the entire SEC schedule.
“Our league is a young league. I think it will progress and get better. Our best basketball is probably going to be later than earlier,” Kennedy said. “There are lot of teams in our league you can say that about.
“Tennessee is rebuilding but still has really good players. Coach Barnes has been here before, so he’ll have them ready for sure.”
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