A&M maintains focus on strengths and weaknesses as season progresses

There are a few things coach Buzz Williams would like to see his Texas A&M basketball team improve on.

“We need to get to the bonus first,” Williams said Tuesday. “We need to try, defensively, not to allow (opponents) in the bonus.

“We foul way too much too far away from the basket. We need to get back in transition and calm the ball down.”

Williams wants to see progress in those areas, and others, when the Aggies (4-2) play host to SMU (3-3) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Reed Arena.

“When we are in set half-court defense, our numbers are really good,” Williams said. When we don’t get our defense set, our numbers are bad. Conversely, in transition for us, offensively, our numbers are exemplary.

“Defensive rebounding is hurting us. Fouling too far away from the basket is hurting us. Offensive rebounds are helping us, and we get fouled at a very high rate.”

A&M is more focused on what it’s doing well — and isn’t doing well — than the strength and weaknesses of opponents.

That’s not uncommon in the first month of the season, especially with the increase in the number of transfers in college basketball.

“We have focused more on us than I remember ever doing in the month of November,” Williams said. “I’ve seen some growth.”

The Aggies have shown that growth, especially in their last two victories — 67-51 over Loyola Chicago and 82-66 over DePaul.

They got strong scoring in those wins from guard Tyrece “Boots” Radford, who had 31 points against DePaul, and guard Wade Taylor IV.

Forward Henry Coleman also has averaged 12.5 points in those games.

A&M also showed great growth on the defensive end. They were torched at the 3-point line when they lost to Murray State, 88-79, and Colorado, 103-75. Those two opponents combined to hit 26-of-54 from behind the arc.

TexAgs

Behind Wade Taylor IV, Tyrece Radford is second on the team in scoring with 12.3 points per game. 

But A&M came back to limit Loyola to 38.1 percent and DePaul to 28 percent from the arc.

In doing so, DePaul was held to 66 points. Loyola managed just 51.

The Aggies aim to maintain that defensive success against SMU, which is averaging 67.3 points.

Though the Mustangs have been erratic offensively, they are not without threats.

Guard Zhuric Phelps averages 18.5 points, and guard Zach Nutall, a Bryan High grad, averages 12.7. Forward Efe Odigie, a 6-foot-9 senior from Houston, averages 9.5 points and 9.5 rebounds. Phelps scored 19 in a 75-50 victory over Lamar on Sunday.

Still, the Aggies go into that game more focused on themselves. Taylor said that’s not a new approach.

“We’re always focusing on ourselves,” he said. “Every game is against us. Every practice is against us. Just focusing on ourselves. Not worrying about the team we’re playing against. Just making sure we’re the best we can be.”