A&M eyes biggest test yet in 'neutral-site' meeting with No. 4 Houston
Sometimes you laugh to keep from crying.
Texas A&M basketball coach Buzz Williams didn’t shed any tears when discussing the No. 4 Houston Cougars, but there was ironic laughter when he talked about their defense.
“Six teams have scored 55 points or less against them,” Williams noted. “It is their ball screen coverage. That’s a part of it. It is their turnover rate. That’s a part of it. I think it’s who coach (Kelvin Sampson) is.”
Sampson’s Cougars (10-0) allow an average of just 49.7 points to lead the nation in scoring defense. That’ll be a major concern for the Aggies (7-3) when they square off in The Halal Guys Showcase on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. CT in Houston’s Toyota Center.
It would be a huge victory for A&M, which fell out of the AP top 25 after an 81-75 loss to Memphis last week.
“This weekend’s game is definitely an opportunity for us, without a doubt,” A&M senior guard Hayden Hefner said. “Get back to who we are. This last game wasn’t our best game at all. We didn’t play that well or shoot the ball well at all.
“Not only is (Houston) a great opponent, but neutral site game, Quad 1 game, so we’re going to have to come out and be prepared.”
The last time A&M faced a defense of Houston’s ilk it resulted in a 59-47 loss at Virginia, which is ranked second in the nation in scoring defense.
Meanwhile, Houston has not allowed more than 66 points all season. The Cougars defeated Utah 76-66 on Nov. 17.
“They both suffocate you and take your oxygen from you,” Williams said. “But it’s a different type of suffocation. The difficulty in scoring is the same.”
Houston hasn’t faced many opponents with the offensive capabilities of A&M, which has scored 89 points in three of its last six games.
Also, A&M — at No. 23 — is the highest-rated team in the NET that Houston will have faced.
However, the Aggies must be at their offensive best, especially from the 3-point arc.
In the three losses, the Aggies have hit just 25.6 percent (20-for-78) from 3-point range. That figure plunges by 17.8 percent in the last two losses in which the Aggies converted just 10-for-56 from long range.
Explosive guard Wade Taylor IV averages 17.1 points but was limited to nine in losses to Memphis and Virginia. He converted just one of his 15 shots from behind the arc in those games.
Forward Henry Coleman III averages 13.3 points but took only five shots against Memphis. Guard Tyrece “Boots” Radford returned from an injury, which forced him to miss three games, but appeared rusty against Memphis.
However, sophomore guard Manny Obaseki scored a career-high 21 points in that game. That suggests he could provide a much-needed alternative source of scoring.
“Do we need somebody that is a perimeter-oriented scorer in addition to what we currently have? Yes,” Williams said. “(Obaseki’s) physicality comes out in different ways that also plugs some holes that are team needs.”
Despite their offensive issues, the Aggies' main focus may be on matching Houston’s defensive prowess.
Typically stingy on the defensive end, A&M has allowed an average of 78.6 points in their losses to Florida Atlantic, Virginia and Memphis.
Much of the defensive problems in those games started at the 3-point line, where opponents shot 44.1 percent (34-for-77).
That’s a concern because Houston guard L.J. Cryer, who averages 17.8 points and is 14th in the nation in 3-pointers, averaging 3.5 treys per game. Overall, the Cougars average 8.2.
The Aggies are confident they’ve identified their mistakes and taken corrective measures to tighten up their defense at the arc.
“You’ve got to be able to guard the ball, so fixing that problem is an easy fix,” Hefner said. “Staying in front of your man. Not letting us get into rotation as quickly. And then just being able to be prepared whenever the time comes to help, not helping too early, which causes extra rotation.
“Really, just figuring out who needs to help, knowing which spot you need to go to whenever the ball is being driven into the paint.”
