Gasping Aggies look to exploit Jacksonville's porous 3-point defense
A stunning gut punch left the Aggies needing to regain their wind.
Fortunately, Texas A&M’s next basketball game could be a breeze.
The Aggies (7-3), perhaps still gasping from a 93-80 overtime loss to SMU, aim to get back on track on Sunday against Jacksonville (5-5) in a 6 p.m. CT basketball clash at Reed Arena.
It’s one of the last three non-conference tune-ups before the Aggies begin Southeastern Conference play vs. LSU on Jan. 3.
Last week, A&M led SMU 77-73 late in regulation. But four turnovers in the final 38 seconds enabled SMU to tie and force overtime.
However, the turnovers wouldn’t have been an issue had A&M not floundered through their worst shooting display of the season.
A&M connected on just one of its first 17 shots from 3-point range. The Aggies, who previously were hitting 38 percent behind the arc, finished just 8-of-34 (24 percent).
Guard Rubén Dominguez averages 3.7 triples per game to rank seventh in the NCAA.
Yet, he misfired on three attempts. Rylan Griffen, who hits at a 35 percent clip from long range, made just 1-of-7.
“A lot more went right than wrong besides shooting the ball in the first half, which you can’t control. Everybody tries to make shots… (but) 1-for-17 from three,” A&M coach Bucky McMillan said on Friday. “To get back where it was (down 15 points) with a four-point lead with 40 seconds with the ball and a time out, you’ve just got to win the game.
“There’s no other way for me to say it. I just keep harping on it. But like, the consequences of not closing are the consequences of not closing. We would be sitting here feeling pretty dang good about ourselves right now on a good, long winning streak with a chance to get these at home, feeling great, but we didn’t close it out.”
Regaining the shooting touch has to be a top priority against Jacksonville, which has allowed opponents to shoot 34.3 percent from 3-point range. The Dolphins are ranked 258th in the nation in 3-point defense.
That’s one reason Jacksonville has fallen by at least 18 points in each of its five losses: Miami (89-69), High Point (85-64), George Mason (79-57), Pacific (68-53) and Florida International (88-65).
The Dolphins are allowing an average of 73.8 points to rank 200th in the nation in scoring defense.
A&M hopes to exploit the mediocre 3-point to get by Jacksonville. The Aggies are quite literally aiming to get more confident shooting in Reed Arena.
McMillan said confidence on the home court will be vital when SEC play starts.
“We’re always going to be what we are,” he said. “We are a good 3-point shooting team. That’s got to be our strength, and we’ve got to roll with it.
“There’s going to be some games where we are unconscious and look great. There’s going to be some games where we may come out 1-for-17 in this half. I know over time, if we get enough of them off, we’re going to be pretty good.
“We’ve got to get confident shooting at home. We know this league is going to come down to taking care of business at home. So, we’ve got to feel like we’re invincible in this gym.”