Aggies, Frogs renew Southwest Conference rivalry in Houston on Saturday
Last year, a 78-55 loss to TCU raised red flags about the future of Texas A&M’s basketball season.
A victory over the Horned Frogs on Saturday might warrant the waving of green flags, which indicates the race is on.
A&M (7-1) returns to action after an 11-day break to face TCU (7-1) at 5:30 p.m. at the Toyota Center in Houston.
The Aggies are on a three-game winning streak after defeating Butler and Notre Dame in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational in Las Vegas and New Orleans at Reed Arena.
A victory at the Toyota Center could set up A&M for a possible 12-1 record heading into Southeastern Conference play. That seemingly would enhance the Aggies’ hopes for postseason play.
“It’s most important to keep it rolling,” freshman guard Wade Taylor IV said. “No telling where you’ll be in a month or two. The ball is rolling right now, so we’re going to have to keep working hard and seeing where it will take us this year.”
The key for the Aggies might be defensive rebounding. TCU averages 15.7 offensive rebounds to tie for fourth in the nation in that statistical category.
One of the major reasons for that success is junior forward Emanuel Miller, who transferred from A&M after last season. Miller averages 10.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
Guard Mike Miles can cause headaches, too. He leads the Frogs with a 17.1 scoring average. He scored 15 on the Aggies last year.
“They present multiple problems for us,” A&M coach Buzz Williams said. “They’re rebounding 43 percent of their missed shots. They have one of the premier guards in the country. He’s really good with the ball in his hands for himself and making the game easier for his teammates.”
Fortunately, the Aggies have scorers, too.
A&M has four averaging more than nine points. Guard Quenton Jackson leads the Aggies with 12.0, followed by Henry Coleman at 9.6, Tyrece Radford at 9.5 and Marcus Williams at 9.1.
“You can’t scout just one player or even two,” Marcus Williams said. “We can’t complain because we all get the rock and share touches. It’s just great vibes.”
The Aggies figure to be well-rested, too. The long break since the victory over New Orleans has provided an opportunity to rest and focus on areas in which they need to improve.
“The negative is we haven’t played,” Buzz Williams said. “There is something to be said about being in a routine of playing.
“But to be able to have practice and concentrate, watch tape on yourself, practice just on yourself, be able to spend more time on the things that you want to be better at and not worry about the pie chart of how much time we’re giving to the opponent or certain things … I do think has been good.”
Perhaps good enough to address any red flags. And keep the green flags waving.
