A&M's outside tournament hopes largely reliant on success from deep
Texas A&M’s outside shot for a postseason basketball tournament will likely depend on outside shooting.
The Aggies (16-10, 5-8) begin a vital five-game stretch to close Southeastern Conference play on Saturday at 5 p.m. against Vanderbilt (13-12, 5-8) in Nashville.
With flimsy hopes to get in the NCAA Tournament field and perhaps tenuous to reach the National Invitation Tournament, the Aggies cannot afford a series of missteps or a rash of missed shots.
A month ago, the Aggies led the SEC in 3-point shooting percentage. But due to a recent cold snap, they’ve plummeted to sixth with a 32.5 percentage behind the arc.
The Aggies have hit just 5-of-22 three-pointers (12.5 percent) in their last two games. Further, A&M has converted fewer than 30 percent from behind the arc in seven SEC games. In fact, the Aggies have shot just 27.5 percent in SEC play.
It’s not that A&M cannot hit from the perimeter. The Aggies made 7-of-15 in a 70-66 loss to Missouri on Feb. 5. They hit 8-of-19 in an 86-81 victory over Arkansas on Jan. 8. They also hit 11-of-23 in an 81-79 win at Georgia on Jan. 4.
A&M survived a frustrating 2-of-18 showing from 3-point range in a 56-55 victory over Florida largely by converting 16-of-16 free throws.
“We did a lot of good things, some of the same things we did in losses,” Texas A&M head coach Buzz Williams said. “When you get to after Valentine’s day, I think so much of it is your energy, so much of it is your competitiveness. Some of it is your togetherness. So much of it is the competitive spirit that’s required, whether you’re at home or on the road.”
But the Aggies cannot always compensate with inside scoring, points off turnovers or perfect free-throw shooting.
However, A&M’s typically sound defense figures to keep the Aggies in contention against Vanderbilt, which averages just 69.2 points to rank 12th in the SEC in scoring.
The Commodores’ rebounding is also anemic, which figures to aid the Aggies. Surrendering offensive rebounds is A&M’s most consistent problem.
Despite their offensive issues, the Commodores cannot be overlooked.
Guard Scotty Pippen Jr. — son of the former NBA star — leads the SEC with a 19.3 scoring average. Forward Jordan Wright is a solid second source of scoring with a 12.2 average.
“They played great at Auburn,” Williams said. “[Pippen] is the second-most fouled player in the country, with the highest usage rate of any player in the league.”
Pippen scored 29 in a 94-80 loss to Auburn on Wednesday. He had 23 in 73-64 loss to Tennessee last Saturday.
Before those two losses, however, the Commodores had posted victories over Missouri and LSU.
And despite their often low offensive totals, the Commodores reached at least 70 points in five of their last six games.
A&M has failed to reach 70 points in six of its last seven games. That suggests the Aggies will need a spike in scoring to hold off Vandy.
That will likely require more accurate 3-point shooting.
