A&M looks to make strides in 3 point shooting, defense against Oregon State
Rest can improve vision. The Aggies must hope it can boost accuracy, too.
After nearly two weeks of inactivity, Texas A&M resumes its basketball season on Saturday night against Oregon State in Portland.
Tipoff is at 10 p.m.
The Aggies (3-4) venture to the Pacific Northwest in search of a third consecutive victory. Finding it figures to depend heavily on whether they can locate their outside shooting touch, which has been alarmingly absent.
A&M has converted just 25 percent (38 of 152) of its 3-point attempts, which ranks 350th among the nation’s 351 NCAA Division I basketball teams.
Being that woeful in accuracy would be a major concern regardless of the situation. It’s even more worrisome because scoring inside is a difficult chore against Oregon State.
“That’s going to be a big part of (improving) — taking better shots, knowing where are shots are coming from and who’s taking them,” A&M coach Billy Kennedy said. “That’s something we’ve emphasized a lot the last couple of weeks.
“You’ve heard me say all year: Making plays for each other, shot selection, taking care of the ball, decision making. That’s something we’ve been emphasizing for a long time. Now we have to hope we see it in a game because we’re going to see a big zone against Oregon State.”
The Beavers (6-2) are 51st in the nation in scoring defense. They’re allowing opponents only 40 percent shooting from the field. They block shots in bunches, too. Seven-foot junior Kylor Kelley is among the nation’s leaders in blocks.
Oregon State can be beaten though. St. Louis proved that with a 65-61 victory last Sunday. Of course, in that game the Billikens converted 8 of 12 from beyond the arc.
But A&M has made just 19 total 3-pointers in its four losses, while converting only 24.3 percent from 3-point range.
Maybe the Aggies’ extended break caused by Boston College canceling a game last week provided ample opportunity to improve long-range shooting.
Also, the Aggies can hope that junior guard Wendell Mitchell’s 18-point outburst — which included three 3-pointers — in a win over Northwestern State on Dec. 3 was a tease of things to come.
“We’ve been working with Wendell Mitchell and playing him and T.J. (Starks) together a lot,” Kennedy said. “He’s provided us a spark offensively. His decision-making and experience is going to be a plus for us.”
A&M will also need a boost from Starks and guards Savion Flagg and Jay Jay Chandler, who have combined to hit just 23 percent of their 3-point attempts.
The Aggies must get it done on the defensive end, too. Oregon State 6-foot-8 junior forward Tres Tinkle averages 20 points per game. Brothers Stephen and Ethan Thompson, a pair of 6-5 guards, both average over 13 points.
A&M would seem up to that challenge. The Aggies are allowing 73.1 points per game, which ranks 223rd in the nation.
That’s not great. But it beats their heck out of their 3-point shooting ranking.
