MEMPHIS – Before starting on Texas A&M, I just remembered that my first scouting report for GoCoogs.com was on the Aggies. I am forever thankful to Ryan and Brad for giving me the opportunity. Now, on to A&M!
the daily #233 | 3/24/2024 | Archives
Texas A&M Overview
Texas A&M has been on fire in March, going 6-1 this month. It appeared that late in their season, they were likely NIT-bound but then won their last three regular-season games and beat Ole Miss and Kentucky in the SEC Tournament, which was enough to get them in the dance.
They were BY FAR the tougher team vs Nebraska in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. They’re 8-2 this year when scoring over 80 points in the game. As a reminder, Houston outlasted the Aggies 70-66 in their previous matchup on December 16 at the Toyota Center.
A&M has changed its lineup a bit since the first matchup. They are starting four guards now and bringing #15 Henry Coleman III off the bench. They will have #23 Tyrece “Boots” Radford this time to go with superstar guard #4 Wade Taylor IV, #13 Solomon Washington, and #35 Manny Obaseki in the backcourt. They are sticking with big man #10 Wildens Leveque in the frontcourt. This allows them to play at a faster pace to start the game. They are very athletic with this starting lineup.
They can go BIG as well when they bring in the deadly rebounding duo of Coleman and #11 Andersson Garcia. They can also bring in outside scoring threats #0 Jace Carter and #2 Hayden Hefner off the bench.
This will be a war between two of the toughest teams in the country. It could very well come down to whoever plays the toughest on Sunday night. Both teams have amazing coaches who get the most out of their players. Kelvin and Buzz are very different individuals, but both do it the right way and are great leaders of young men.
I am fascinated to see how this game goes and who will advance to Dallas and the Sweet 16!
The Head Of The Snake
It’s still Taylor. He scored 34 points in 35 minutes against the Coogs in December, including 26 in the second half. He is a tough shot-maker and three-level scorer. He has his sidekick back in Boots Radford for this one. The Coogs must slow that duo down and not allow their friends to have bigger games than usual. This is a big-time defensive assignment for UH’s guards.
Texas A&M Offense
Texas A&M’s offense runs through Taylor and Boots. Both are legit three-level scorers. A large portion of their offense is predicated on offensive rebounds and put-backs. They are the best offensive-rebounding team in the nation and attack the boards like crazy. They shoot a ton of free throws because they are often hacked when going back up with the put-back opportunities. They are a threat to turn the ball over when pressured, but overall, their turnovers are low (14th nationally at 9.6 per game). It will be imperative for the Coogs to create pressure and turn that into offense on the other end and to keep the boards as clean as possible.
- #1 nationally in offensive rebounds per game (17.2);
- 10th in the nation in free throw attempts per game (24.1);
- They run tons of plays out of “horns” sets (Two guys at the elbows of the FT line);
- Run a nice little BLOB (baseline out of bounds) play to isolate someone in the post;
- They really like to get Obaseki looks out of horns:
- They run a play I believe they likely stole from TCU. They use the “Horned Frog” hand sign when calling the play. They move some guys around as a distraction, but it’s just a high pick and roll to get the ball-handler downhill for an isolation:
- Ranked #1 in the nation in rebounds per game (42.6);
- Ranked #5 in the nation in rebound margin – 9 boards more than opponents;
- *Something to watch.* I’ve noticed when the A&M opponent runs a BLOB (baseline out-of-bounds play), head coach Buzz Williams will grab a piece of paper from the scorers’ table with their BLOB plays drawn up and send in a late substitution to let his team know which play it is and how to defend it. If I were on the UH staff, I’d recommend changing my play after the sub enters the game or throwing a wrinkle into the play that they wouldn’t expect:
- Love to run a 3/4 court 1-2-2 press (especially after a made free-throw):
Texas A&M Defense
Texas A&M tends to play tough half-court, man-to-man defense. They love to run a 1-2-2 full-court press after making a free throw. They may sprinkle in some zone defense, but it would be rare. They are a better offensive-rebounding team than a defensive one. The Coogs had 16 offensive rebounds in the first matchup. They will need to have a similar performance in this one.
