Learning from history: Aggies eye 5-0 start with rematch of Florida
To continue its basketball surge, Texas A&M aims to repeat itself without… well, repeating itself.
That might appear a contrary idea. But it actually makes perfect sense.
The Aggies (12-5, 4-0) seek to duplicate a Southeastern Conference victory over Florida (10-7, 3-2) on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Reed Arena. A&M also aims to avoid repeating last season’s struggles following a fast start in conference play.
A year ago, A&M started SEC play 4-0 but then lost to Kentucky. That defeat started an eight-game losing streak that ultimately kept them out of the NCAA Tournament.
“We have a lot of players that were a part of that team last year,” senior guard Tyrece Radford said. “It’s pretty much up to us to steer the rest of the team or new guys in a different direction. We’ve been there. We know the feeling. We know what that did for us.
“We know winning one game out of that streak could have changed the whole end of the season for us. We don’t want to be in that same situation.”
This year’s Aggies appear much better equipped to be contenders in the SEC race. They demonstrated as much by knocking off Florida, 66-63, two weeks ago in Gainesville.
In that game, A&M forced 20 turnovers, limited Florida to six offensive rebounds and held the Gators to 37.5 percent shooting in the first half en route to building a 34-23 halftime lead.
Radford, Julius Marble II and Wade Taylor IV all scored 17 points to help the Aggies withstand a late Florida rally.
Since that victory, A&M has posted dominant victories over LSU, Missouri and South Carolina. The Aggies allowed an average of 57.6 points while limiting opponents to 36 percent shooting in those three games.
Meanwhile, in SEC play, Taylor is averaging 16 points, Marble 14.7, Radford 12.7 and Dexter Dennis 11.7.
“I think through two weeks, we’re improving,” A&M coach Buzz Williams said. “I think we’re playing really hard. I think our guys are playing for one another. I think we’re much more consistent in our effort on a daily basis.
“I think our staff has been turbo-charged in regards to the preparation for each game and the adjustments we’ve made defensively and offensively.”
However, Florida is also improving. The Gators have won three straight since facing A&M.
Colin Castleton, the Gators’ 6-foot-11 forward, has averaged 15.3 points and 9.3 rebounds in the last three games. He was the SEC Player of the Week for his work last week.
He was limited to 14 points and five rebounds and was harassed into committing six turnovers in the loss to A&M.
The Aggies acknowledge neutralizing again him won’t be an easy chore.
“We’re going to prepare for them like we did last time,” Marble said. “I know they’re not going to guard us the same way or run the same plays. We’ve just got to make sure we’re prepared for any and everything they will throw at us.
“Just making sure we do the same things again as far as not letting (Castleton) get comfortable … making it get real tough on him.”
Florida has had some changes that might ease at least some of the dependency on Castleton.
Guard Trey Bonham, who scored 21 points against A&M, has had his playing time dramatically reduced. He’s scored just three points since the A&M game.
Meanwhile, guards Riley Kugel and Myreon Jones have seen their minutes increase significantly. Both have averaged just over nine points in the last three games.
“They’ve completely changed their personnel,” Williams said. “One of the kids that was a really good player against us (Bonham) is playing significantly less. One of the kids that played three minutes against us (Kugel) is now playing teen minutes. So, the complexion of their team has changed because of their personnel. Their pace has changed.
“The priority that 12 (Castleton) has on their team hasn’t changed. They haven’t lost since we played them. They’re playing really, really well.”
