Press conference video courtesy of the NCAA.
DES MOINES, Iowa — Days change. Opponents change. Venues change.
Dexter Dennis’ mission doesn’t.
Whenever Texas A&M goes on the basketball court, Dennis — the Aggies’ angular 6-foot-5 senior guard — is given the task of guarding the opponent’s best offensive player.
Hence, Dennis draws All-American Jalen Pickett when No. 7 seed A&M (25-9) faces No. 10 seed Penn State (22-13) at Wells Fargo Arena on Thursday at 8:55 p.m. CT in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Pickett averages 17.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 6.7 assists, shoots 51.6 percent and has hit 44 3-pointers. He has been Penn State’s leading scorer in 18 of its 35 games.
Anyone would be impressed with Pickett’s line. Dennis must prevent him from striking.
“Knowing (Dennis) is going to be on the best player makes the rest of the team confident because we know what he brings to the table every night,” A&M guard Wade Taylor IV said on Wednesday.
Dennis is fully aware of the difficult challenge he faces.
“They pose a threat with their outside shot-making ability, and Pickett is also a weapon when he gets in the mid-post area or just all around,” Dennis said. "He does a lot for their team. I think it’s going to be a great matchup as always.
“I think coach (Buzz Williams) is going to depend on me to do a lot of things. It’s going to be fun.”
“They pose a threat with their outside shot-making ability, and Pickett is also a weapon when he gets in the mid-post area or just all around. He does a lot for their team. I think it’s going to be a great matchup as always.”
- Texas A&M guard Dexter Dennis
Fun? Maybe.
Facing Penn State hasn’t been much fun of late.
The Nittany Lions have prevailed in eight of their last 10 games. During that streak, Pickett has averaged 18.5 points while shooting 53.4 percent from the field.
“He runs the show for them,” A&M junior forward Julius Marble II said. “He’s going to take his time. He’s going to make sure he gets to his spot and his teammates get to their spots.”
Oh yeah… the teammates. Despite Pickett’s gaudy statistics, it has been made abundantly clear that Penn State is not a one-man team.
The Nits have hit 364 goals from 3-point range. They average 10.4 triples. That’s sixth in the nation.
Guard Seth Lundy averages 14.4 points. He has hit 88 times from 3-point range. Guard Andrew Funk averages 12.1 points and has covered 102 from behind the arc.
Guard Myles Dread has 55 treys. Guard Camren Wynter has 35.
Williams warned that A&M cannot get too preoccupied with containing Pickett.
“I actually think that’s how Penn State has beat teams,” Williams said. “When you begin to think that it’s this player vs. (Pickett), #22 is going to beat you every time.
“If you give all your attention to #22, he’s going to be the decision-maker that beats you. (We) have to be really careful in how we play defense.”
Playing defense typically isn’t a problem for A&M, which allows an average of 66.2 points to rank 65th in the nation in scoring defense.
However, A&M allowed nine treys in an SEC Tournament semifinal victory over Vanderbilt. Then the Aggies gave up 12 in a loss to Alabama in the SEC final.
TexAgs
Last time out, Pickett scored 11 points vs. Purdue in the Big Ten Championship Game.
Of course, A&M gives Penn State reasons for concern, too.
Like Penn State, the Aggies come into the tournament on a hot streak. A&M has won 10 of its last 12, which includes victories over NCAA Tournament teams Auburn, Arkansas (twice), Missouri, Tennessee and Alabama on March 4.
Taylor, an All-SEC selection and named to some All-American teams, has averaged 20.5 points since Feb. 7 and 16.5 points for the season.
Tyrece “Boots” Radford averages 13.9 points, while Marble and Dennis both average 10.4 and junior forward Henry Coleman III averages 8.2
The Aggies relentlessly attack the basket for score layups or draw fouls. They lead the nation with 25.3 free throw attempts and 19.2 free throws made per game.
“Their guards are special,” Penn State coach Micah Shrewsberry said. “They are elite at attacking the rim, being able to score, being able to get to the free throw line and (a) really, really, really good rebounding team.
“We’re going to have to hold our own on the offensive glass and keep those guys off the free throw line.”
The Aggies will challenge Penn State at the rim. Why not? There’s no reason to change their approach.
“I think we are (playing our best),” Marble said. “We’ve been playing really good the last 10 or 12 games. I think we’re going to keep that same energy, that same flow.”
