If you go out and don't score a basket from the field for the last 7 minutes of the game, several of your key plays have off days and you beat a top-10 team anyway, you're good.
Guess what? That's A&M. They're good. They've got the potential to be a lot better, too.
With the exception of experience (and you can debate that to an extent too), this team really does seem to have everything it needs to not only be an NCAA Tournament team, but one that makes a run once they're there. Take a look:
Star and leading scorer? Check. Danuel House scored 19 points against Texas last night, but you could argue he was off his game. Today, he scored 19 again, but on 6-9 shooting and 5-6 from the line. He had a couple of assists, tied for the team lead in rebounds and even had a steal. He had a complete game.
Bigs who can score? Check. This was a tough game for Tyler Davis because the true freshman had to go toe-to-toe with some absolute monsters, including 7'1", 300-pound Przemek Karnowski, who shall henceforth be called Moose. It was his least-productive day of the season (6 points), but he held down Moose with some help. Today it was time for Tonny Trocha-Morelos to step up, and he did with 14 points, including four 3's. A&M (in most situations) can get points in close from inside and out. Another guy who can normally be relied on for some points inside is Jalen Jones, and he really struggled today -- 6 points on only 2-10 shooting. Last year, a day like that from Jones or House is an L. Not so this year.
Depth on the front line? Check. The Aggies played Davis, Trocha, Elijah Thomas, Jones and Tavario Miller against the Moose and the other frontline bigs. They had a good rotation and were able to stop any one play from having severe foul problems. On the other hand, Gonzaga's Mark Few went with a short bench and had trouble when one of his better players, Domantas Sabonis, fouled out. He didn't have the options Kennedy had.
Strong defense? Check. A&M played solid man and threw in a little zone here and there to throw Gonzaga off. They were outrebounded handily (Moose), but still limited a team that hadn't scored less than 80 this year to 61. The Zags never had a good look on their final possession because the Aggies closed on the ballhandler and took away his ability to see any open shooters.
Offensive versatility? Check. You didn't see it as much today as in earlier games, because Gonzaga was very strong defensively, but A&M has the ability to either play the halfcourt game or run. They tried to go up-tempo the past couple of years, but it never really worked. When House is out on the court with Admon Gilder, D.J. Hogg and Anthony Collins, they can push the issue.
The ability to shoot threes? Check. House was 2-4 from 3; Hogg hit his only triple and Trocha had his four. They are comfortable playing inside out and hit 50% of their threes today, which is a nice average to have.
Leaders on the court? Check. Collins and Alex Caruso are two guys who can not only handle the ball, but the entire offense. Collins has been a brilliant distributor since he arrived, and Caruso had what has become a pretty typical game for him: 50% from the field, including a couple of shots to stop Gonzaga runs, two big free throws, leads the team in assists and steals and steps up on defense in critical situations. They're not the flashy guys, but they're critical to the team's success.
Good coaching. Kennedy switched to a 2-3 zone when Gonzaga had a short possession out of a timeout and they couldn't figure it out, ending up chucking a bad three. The final points of the game for A&M came off a brilliant call on an inbounds play, where House cut straight to the hoop and should have jammed it for an and-1. As it was, though, it caught Gonzaga totally off guard.
Gonzaga is a very good team. They will be a force to be reckoned with all year. But A&M went toe-to-toe with them after an emotional win over Texas, didn't play their best ball and won anyway. That should tell you something about the talent they've got on that team. There's no reason to think the best is not yet to come, either.
Guess what? That's A&M. They're good. They've got the potential to be a lot better, too.
With the exception of experience (and you can debate that to an extent too), this team really does seem to have everything it needs to not only be an NCAA Tournament team, but one that makes a run once they're there. Take a look:
Star and leading scorer? Check. Danuel House scored 19 points against Texas last night, but you could argue he was off his game. Today, he scored 19 again, but on 6-9 shooting and 5-6 from the line. He had a couple of assists, tied for the team lead in rebounds and even had a steal. He had a complete game.
Bigs who can score? Check. This was a tough game for Tyler Davis because the true freshman had to go toe-to-toe with some absolute monsters, including 7'1", 300-pound Przemek Karnowski, who shall henceforth be called Moose. It was his least-productive day of the season (6 points), but he held down Moose with some help. Today it was time for Tonny Trocha-Morelos to step up, and he did with 14 points, including four 3's. A&M (in most situations) can get points in close from inside and out. Another guy who can normally be relied on for some points inside is Jalen Jones, and he really struggled today -- 6 points on only 2-10 shooting. Last year, a day like that from Jones or House is an L. Not so this year.
Depth on the front line? Check. The Aggies played Davis, Trocha, Elijah Thomas, Jones and Tavario Miller against the Moose and the other frontline bigs. They had a good rotation and were able to stop any one play from having severe foul problems. On the other hand, Gonzaga's Mark Few went with a short bench and had trouble when one of his better players, Domantas Sabonis, fouled out. He didn't have the options Kennedy had.
Strong defense? Check. A&M played solid man and threw in a little zone here and there to throw Gonzaga off. They were outrebounded handily (Moose), but still limited a team that hadn't scored less than 80 this year to 61. The Zags never had a good look on their final possession because the Aggies closed on the ballhandler and took away his ability to see any open shooters.
Offensive versatility? Check. You didn't see it as much today as in earlier games, because Gonzaga was very strong defensively, but A&M has the ability to either play the halfcourt game or run. They tried to go up-tempo the past couple of years, but it never really worked. When House is out on the court with Admon Gilder, D.J. Hogg and Anthony Collins, they can push the issue.
The ability to shoot threes? Check. House was 2-4 from 3; Hogg hit his only triple and Trocha had his four. They are comfortable playing inside out and hit 50% of their threes today, which is a nice average to have.
Leaders on the court? Check. Collins and Alex Caruso are two guys who can not only handle the ball, but the entire offense. Collins has been a brilliant distributor since he arrived, and Caruso had what has become a pretty typical game for him: 50% from the field, including a couple of shots to stop Gonzaga runs, two big free throws, leads the team in assists and steals and steps up on defense in critical situations. They're not the flashy guys, but they're critical to the team's success.
Good coaching. Kennedy switched to a 2-3 zone when Gonzaga had a short possession out of a timeout and they couldn't figure it out, ending up chucking a bad three. The final points of the game for A&M came off a brilliant call on an inbounds play, where House cut straight to the hoop and should have jammed it for an and-1. As it was, though, it caught Gonzaga totally off guard.
Gonzaga is a very good team. They will be a force to be reckoned with all year. But A&M went toe-to-toe with them after an emotional win over Texas, didn't play their best ball and won anyway. That should tell you something about the talent they've got on that team. There's no reason to think the best is not yet to come, either.
