Both marred by inconsistency, Aggies, Rebels prepare to do battle
There’s is a measure of mystery facing Texas A&M with Ole Miss visiting Reed Arena.
Just who are the real Rebels?
Are they the high-scoring dangerous team that pushed then-No. 16 Memphis to the wire in a one-point loss?
Or are they really the limited team that converted just one of 20 attempts from 3-point range in a 41-point loss to Oklahoma State?
The Aggies (6-6, 0-1) find out when they spar with Ole Miss (9-4) at 8:00 p.m. in a Southeastern Conference basketball clash.
Under former A&M coach Kermit Davis, Ole Miss had won four straight before falling 74-54 to Wichita State on Saturday. That only adds to the Ole Miss mystery.
However, the Aggies aren’t as concerned with questions about Ole Miss as they are what they’re learning about themselves.
Coach Buzz Williams told TexAgs radio this week that his team is understanding what it will take to win.
“We need everybody to be their absolute best,” Williams said. “We can’t absorb Dre (Andre Gordon) being a freshman playing out of position. We can’t absorb Eman (Emanuel Miller) being a freshman. Savion (Flagg) has to play out of his mind. (Josh) Nebo has to get a double-double. Chuck (Mitchell) at least has to shoot at least 30 percent or more.
“We need to make a bunch of free throws. We can’t leave the front end open on one-and-ones. Everything has to go right. I think the majority of our guys are beginning to understand that has to take place.”
A lot of that took place in the Aggies’ 69-59 loss at Arkansas on Saturday.
Gordon had a strong performance. Nebo posted a double-double. Mitchell shot 30 percent, but needs to be better.
But Miller, though not bad, was inconsistent as freshman often are. Flagg scored under his average. The Aggies converted only 65 percent of their free throws.
Still, A&M trailed just 52-50 with nine minutes remaining. Then, turnovers, missed shots and allowing offensive rebounds took a toll.
If the Aggies show progress in those areas, they could be a problem for Ole Miss, which is statistically similar to A&M in rebounding and turnovers.
However, the Rebels average 71.2 points behind the play of guards Breein Tyree (16.5) and Blake Hinson (11.8).
The Aggies must play effective defense to contain them. They must also get more shots and get better shooting from Flagg, Mitchell, Gordon or any combination they can find.
But, of course, that’s no secret. They’re aware of what needs to be done. Whether they can do it is a bigger mystery than Ole Miss.
