New look Aggies face deep-shooting Savannah State in opener

The 2018-19 Texas A&M basketball season will officially tip-off tonight as the Aggies take on Savannah State at 8:30 p.m. in Reed Arena. Last year, the Ags posted a 113-66 victory over the Tigers. They look to repeat that outcome tonight, though almost certainly in a much different manner.

In the off-season, Billy Kennedy lost at least 60% of A&M's production in every statistical category due to graduation or players leaving for pro ball. Admon Gilder and Chris Collins are the only players on the roster who have played more than one season at Texas A&M, and to top off the changes, Kennedy added a new coach to the staff who will primarily focus on offensive game plans and different situational awareness.

This season, Billy Kennedy's eighth in Aggieland, will offer a new look A&M team with a different style of offense, a more active defense and a smaller lineup. The Aggies will play at a faster pace, will take more long range shots and will have to swarm the ball on defense to win games. Kennedy also will play a smaller lineup, featuring four guards on the floor for much of the time. 

Expectations for the opener

1. A plethora of shots - Last year these two teams combined to take 78 3-point shot attempts in 40 minutes, with A&M shooting a total of 95 shots in the game.

Brooklyn Blaylock, TexAgs

Billy Kennedy faces a unique challenge as he leads his team into a new style of play.

2. Turnovers - I expect to see more turnovers than usual in this game because of the style of play and the amount of possessions. 

3. Rebounds - Long shots equal long rebounds. It won't be out of the realm of possibility to see an A&M guard lead the team in rebounding. 

4. Long shots - The Tigers have the green light to shoot as soon as they pass half court. It doesn't matter if they're five feet behind the 3-point line or five centimeters behind the line - as long as they're behind the line, they want to shoot. Mid-range jumpers aren't in this team's vocabulary. It will be all 3's and layups.

5. Discipline - It's tough to not get caught up in the flow of a fast-paced game and take quick, ill-advised shots. This is why I want to see the Aggies have some discipline and turn down an open shot for a good/great shot. It would be great to see A&M intentionally slow the game down to run an offense and control the tempo. 

6. Defense - The bigs for A&M are going to struggle in this game because of the way Savannah State plays, not just the tempo of the game, but the match-ups are going to be challenging. The Tigers have 3-point shooters at all five positions and almost every player on their roster can bring the ball up the floor. The Aggie guards are going to have to locate the ball in transition and get it stopped, contest quick shots, then chase the rebound.