Coming off its best basketball showing since November, Texas A&M now seeks its first road victory since that month. The (15-8, 4-6) Aggies, who have won four of their last six, continued their modest resurgence by pummeling South Carolina 83-60 last Saturday.
That resurgence will no longer be classified as modest if they can follow up that Southeastern Conference win with a victory at No. 8 Auburn (21-2, 9-1) on Wednesday night. Obviously, that won’t be an easy chore for the Aggies, who have lost five straight on the road — four by double figures — since prevailing at USC on Nov. 26.
Auburn, which leads the SEC race by two games over Tennessee, is the surprise team of the nation and is riding a five-game winning streak behind the high-scoring guard trio of Bryce Brown, Mustpha Heron and Jared Harper. Brown averages 17 points and has hit 80 three-point goals. Heron averages 15.6 points. Harper averages 12.9 points and has 45 three-pointers.
“This is the best guard-oriented team we’ve played the way they’re playing right now, especially at home,” Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy said. “It’s a tough matchup for us, but hopefully it’s a tough matchup for them.
Stephanie Aiple
The Aggies will rely on Tyler Davis to control the low post against guard-oriented Auburn on Thursday.
Despite its guard-oriented lineup, Auburn still ranks third in rebounding among SEC teams. However, A&M leads the SEC in rebounding.
Kennedy is counting on the post tandem of Tyler Davis and Robert Williams to exploit that inside advantage, which they’ve done successfully against Auburn in recent clashes. Last season the Aggies prevailed 81-62 at Reed Arena. The Aggies are 3-0 at Auburn Arena.
“We’ve had success getting the ball inside and using our size in the past,” Kennedy said. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to do that again. The key thing is getting back in transition and taking care of the ball — two things we haven’t done consistently on the road. That’s why we’re in the situation we’re in.”
The Aggies hope to slow down the Tigers by often employing a zone and putting Admon Gilder, a defensive menace, on Brown in man-to-man situations.
“I’m just looking forward to it,” Gilder said. “Not just me, but the whole entire team. We’ve got a game plan to stop the three-point shooting. Of course, the transition because they’re a dynamic transition team.”
A&M has been somewhat dynamic of late, too. In back-to-back lopsided victories over Arkansas and South Carolina, the Aggies have played strong perimeter defense and limited transition points. But both of those games were in Reed Arena.
In back-to-back lopsided victories over Arkansas and South Carolina, the Aggies have played strong perimeter defense and limited transition points.
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Kennedy admits even he’s not sure what to expect on the road.
“We don’t know sometimes what we’re going to get at times,” he said. “We haven’t had consistent practices, we don’t have consistent play. We’re playing better as a team. We’ve played well there before. We understand the magnitude of the game and, hopefully, we’ll play well again.
“I wish I could tell you every day I knew what I was going to get from this team. We haven’t been consistent enough to feel that way.”
