Huge seeding implications on the line for Tennessee in College Station
The Tennessee Basketball Volunteers have 5 games left to make their best case for a 1-seed in the NCAA tournament, and it seems like tomorrow’s game in College station versus the 7th ranked Aggies is a must win if they hope to accomplish that feat.
Texas A&M is very much a grind it out and play defense type of team. They rank 2nd in the SEC in defense allowing only 65.5 points per game but rank 15th in the SEC in offense scoring only 73.7 points per game. The undisputed calling card for this Aggie squad though is hands down their offensive rebounding as they lead the country pulling down nearly 16 offensive boards per game. When you really break it down it’s the only reason Texas A&M is a top-10 team right now. They rank dead last in the SEC in field goal percantage, but when you get multiple shots per possession it makes up for their poor shooting numbers. The really crazy thing is that their leading rebounder Andersson Garcia ranks 23rd in the SEC in rebounding which means it really is a team effort that has made the Aggies so dominant on the boards. Senior point guard Wade Taylor is the straw that stirs the drink for the Aggies as he leads the team in scoring and in assists, but SMU transfer Zhuric Phelps has been a good sidekick as he averages 14.4 points per game on the season.
Tennessee will need to be locked in to even have a chance tomorrow. Last year’s Tennessee squad got blitzed early by the Aggies down in College Station and never recovered in that game as they took a double-digit loss. Zakai Ziegler and Jahmai Mashack will need to step up as senior leaders tomorrow and make it known that this game is going to be tough and physical. This is going to be a disgusting grade-A slopfest and whichever teams mans up tomorrow will come out on top. I expect a few shoving matches, lots of free throws, and rebounds to be at a premium. Which brings me to my biggest key for Tennessee. The Vols can play their usual excellent half court defense all game, but if they are letting the Aggies do what they do on the offensive glass it’s not going to matter. Milicic, Okpara, Phillips, and all of the rest of the Volunteers will need to find a man to box out and limit the second chance oppurtunites as much as possible. If Tennessee can hold Texas A&M to less than 10 offensive rebounds I really like their chances to come out of Aggieland with a big time win. If they don’t it will be a repeat of last year’s trip to College Station.