OKLAHOMA CITY – The 29-6 Houston Cougars face former SWC rival Texas A&M in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Saturday evening, with a berth in the Sweet 16 in Houston on the line. This is the second time in three years that the teams will face off in the round of 32, fighting for a chance to advance to a Texas Regional. Houston beat the Aggies 100-95 in OT in Memphis in 2024 to advance to the South Regional in Dallas.
This is not the same Aggie squad UH saw in Memphis. Those teams were eerily similar, built on toughness and grit, and they wanted to slug it out for 15 rounds. This Aggie team was constructed on short notice by Bucky McMillan and will full-court press for 40 minutes, shoot tons of threes, or get to the free-throw line. A&M averages 24 free-throw attempts per game; by comparison, Houston has shot 24 free throws three times since Christmas.
The head of the snake is 25-year-old Rashaun Agee, an inside/outside threat who brings toughness to this Aggie roster. During Friday’s media availability, Kelvin Sampson and Bucky McMillan separately (and without knowing the other had said it) compared him to Charles Barkley, an undersized post player who is tough and difficult to rebound against.
This game is close to me. I have known several guys on the A&M staff for 20 years and always pull for them when they aren’t playing Houston. I think Houston wins the game, but they have not seen a system like Bucky Ball. The Cougars must breathe and take care of the basketball. There will be times when Milos and Emanuel must help Kingston get the ball up the court. That is the beauty of having experienced guys around Flemings who have been in this spot. Coogs win in what I believe will be a close one!
Texas A&M Offensive Notes
- The Aggies are one of the top scoring teams in the nation, at 87 points per game (11th nationally). “Bucky Ball” is predicated on scoring quickly, driving to score (or drawing a foul), kicking it out to an open shooter for three, and then a full-court press defense. They will gladly trade two-point baskets for three-point baskets. The key is to limit them to a single contested outside shot and protect the ball on offense.
- They are ranked 12th nationally in assists per game (18). Their guards do a phenomenal job of getting to the paint to score or kick out to an open shooter.
- A&M is ranked 48th in the nation in free throws attempted and 45th in FTs made per game. This is from their small guards – Marcus Hill, Jacari Lane, and Josh Holloway – attacking the paint and drawing fouls. I asked Kingston Flemings on Friday about the importance of keeping their small guards off the free-throw line.
“They get downhill really hard, so trying to stay in front, to the best of our ability, and funnel them to the paint where JoJo is at and don’t foul them. Make them make tough shots,” Flemings said.
- Another part of “Bucky Ball” is frequent substitutions. Bucky has no problems playing 12 guys on a nightly basis. They are ranked 3rd nationally in bench points per game (35.06). Everyone on their team is capable of scoring 6-15 points.
- The Aggies are ranked in the top 20 nationally in three-point attempts and makes. It will be important to identify who is hot for them and not allow wide-open threes.
Aggies Defensive Notes
- Texas A&M plays man-to-man (m2m) defense 87% of the time. They usually switch on guard/guard pick-and-rolls. On guard/big pick-and-rolls, they tend to run drop coverage similar to Idaho. Their bigs are much more athletic than Idaho’s, but it could still open a lane for Kingston to shoot his mid-range jumper or potentially get to the rim.
- The Aggies zone 13% of the time. They tend to always run a zone defense vs. a baseline out-of-bounds (BLOB) play. They tend to switch it up between a 2-3 zone and a 1-3-1 zone.
- A&M full-court presses 41% of the time on defense. The only team Houston has played that has pressed over 200 times this season is TCU, at 254 possessions. The Ags have pressed over 1,100 possessions this season! The press they used the most vs. St. Mary’s was a run-and-jump. They make it difficult to get the ball in bounds, then the closest defender leaves his man to trap immediately. The next closest defender will leave his man to take away the next closest pass. If they get past that…the press is officially broken. At times, they will stick with a straight-up m2m press.
- If UH can beat the press, they are subject to giving up easy baskets. The Aggies are ranked #307 in the nation in scoring defense, giving up 78.7 points per game.
- They are ranked 38th in the nation in steals per game from their high-octane presses (8.2). The Coogs MUST limit their “live-ball” turnovers to prevent easy offense.
- Because they take a lot of risks defensively, A&M is subject to fouling, averaging over 19 per game (#318). UH has played only two teams that foul more (New Orleans and Jackson State). UH averages just under 18 fouls a game, meaning it could be a long evening. The game in Memphis, which went to OT, took nearly 3 hours.
Texas A&M Personnel (*Indicates likely starters)
*#12 – Rashaun Agee – 6’8″ – GR – Forward – (New Mexico State, Casper College, Bowling Green, USC) – 15ppg, 9rpg, 2.5apg.
- Head of the snake;
- Premier World Traveler! At his 5TH College!!!;
- He’s been at a school in all four continental time zones (two schools in Mountain)
- Big body/strong forward. Really strong finisher in the paint;
- Uses a nice pump-fake in the paint to get the defender off their feet. He can then jump into their body and create a foul opportunity…JoJo beware!!!!.
- Explosive finisher in their pick-and-roll game;
- Has attempted 60 more free throws than his next closest teammate (140-186, 75%);
- Really good offensive rebounder. The Coogs will need to focus on boxing him out.
- Capable…but not a great three-point shooter (23-84, 27%);
*#2 – Pop Isaacs – 6’2″ – JR – Guard – (Texas Tech, Creighton, Houston…for a day or so) – 10ppg, 3rpg, 3apg.
- Three-level scoring guard, but is predominantly a three-point specialist;
- Excellent three-point shooter. Can shoot from DEEP (60-151, 40%);
- Good at driving going right;
- Really good at catch and shoot threes, but is also good at shooting the three off the bounce.
- Was a Houston Cougar for about a month last spring before Milos Uzan withdrew his name from the NBA Draft.
*#9 – Ruben Dominguez – 6’6″ – SO – Guard – (A bunch of pro teams overseas) – 10ppg, 2rpg.
- Three-point specialist. Must know where he is at all times;
- 210 of his 248 field goal attempts have been from beyond the arc (85-210, 41%);
- He runs off tons of “off-ball screens” to get open. He’s physical to get separation from his defender.
- Does not need much space to get his shot off.
*#3 – Rylan Griffen – 6’5″ – SR – Guard – (Alabama, Kansas) – 11ppg, 3rpg.
- Three-level scoring guard;
- Good three-point shooter (63-154, 41%);
- Was mostly a “Three and D” guy at Alabama and Kansas. He has taken his game up a notch and is getting in the paint more to score.
- Capable mid-range jumper;
- He has an awkward stance before he drives. Uses the ball fake well to get past his defender.
*#0 – Marcus Hill – 6’3″ – GR – Guard – (Southern Union CC, Bowling Green, NC State) – 11ppg, 3rpg.
- Not sure that he’s 6’3″, so let’s call him a smaller scoring combo guard;
- Extremely shifty guard that does a nice job getting to the rim. Probably one of the best ball handlers that I’ve seen this season;
- Really good at changing the height and speed of his dribbles;
- Not a major outside shooting threat (15-62, 24%);
- Nice spin move (driving left and coming back to his right to score at the rim);
- Hill is second on the team in free-throw attempts (83-116, 72%). He’s a bit of a foul baiter. The Coogs will need to be aware.
#7 – Zach Clemence – 6’11” – GR – Forward – (Kansas) – 7ppg, 3rpg.
- Tall stretch forward off the bench. Did not play much vs Houston in his years at KU.
- Really good outside shooter, especially at 6’11” (36-89, 40%);
- He is capable of getting into the paint to score. He would prefer to stand outside and shoot threes. But he is patient when getting to the paint to score or pass the ball back out;
- Clemence LOVES to use the spin move in the paint;
#5 – Jacari Lane – 6’0″ – SR – Guard – (North Alabama) – 6ppg, 2rpg.
- Closer to 5’9″ scoring point guard;
- Lightning fast at getting to the rim. Has been small his entire life, so he knows how to use his size to get around and under guys when driving to the basket;
- Decent floater in the paint;
- Not an overwhelming three-point shooter (27-88, 31%);
#6 – Ali Dibba – 6’5″ – 5th – Guard – (Chicago State, Abilene Christian, Southern Illinois) – 6ppg, 3rpg.
- World traveler! At 4th college;
- Makes his money getting to the rim. He’s a very strong driver and finisher at the rim;
- Tough defender. Appears to have a long wingspan that he uses to create havoc;
- Does a nice job of cutting to the rim without the ball;
- Solid three-point shooter, but doesn’t shoot many (17-46, 37%);
#1 – Josh Holloway – 6’1″ – JR – Guard – (Samford) – 4ppg, 2rpg.
- Another small/shifty guard who is excellent at getting into the paint;
- Really nice dribble package to get to the rim;
- Nice floater in the paint;
- Doesn’t shoot many threes at all, but shoots a solid percentage (10-28, 36%).
#4 – Jamie Vinson – 6’11” – SO – Forward – (Texas) – 3ppg, 2rpg.
- Tall/athletic forward off the bench;
- Major lob threat. They love looking to lob to him in the pick-and-roll;
- Sets TONS of screens to get shooters open;
- Not a major low-post scoring threat, but he isn’t bad shooting with his right hand over his left shoulder;
- Not an outside shooting threat (3-17, 18%);
#33 – Federiko Federiko – 6’11” – GR – Forward – (Northern Oklahoma, Pitt, Texas Tech) – 2ppg, 2rpg.
- World traveler! At 4th college;
- Tall forward off the bench;
- Was a solid player at Texas Tech. Hasn’t been getting much playing time lately;
- Had 9 boards against UH in Lubbock last season;
- Mainly a defensive player at this point in his career. He affects shots at the rim.
My Game Plan vs Texas A&M
- PROTECT THE BALL. A&M wants to get steals and easy baskets. This will be the first team UH has seen that plays full-court defense. The Coogs will need to be under 12 turnovers total and under 4 (or so) live-ball turnovers.
- Defend their small guards without fouling. Guys like Jacari Lane and Marcus Hill are going to use their compact size and quickness to get in the paint to score or draw fouls. The Coog guards must trust that JoJo, Chris, and Kalifa have their backs and avoid committing bad fouls that could take them out of the game.
- Limit them to one shot. The Aggies are not an elite offensive rebounding team. The Coogs need to limit them to one shot and not allow them to get any extra opportunities.
- Attack the paint. The Coogs will have opportunities to drive the ball. They must take advantage of those times and get the ball in the paint.
- Win all the toughness plays. This is it. It’s survive and advance time. Houston has to defend the culture and be the first on the floor, take the charge, own the glass, and take care of the ball. Whatever it takes to get back to Houston with a win!!!
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