The Texas A&M men’s basketball team will look to continue its strong play when it hosts the Prairie View A&M Panthers Saturday night at Reed Arena, after its shortest rest period between games this season.
The Aggies come into the contest with a perfect 4-0 in non-conference play and are searching for another win against a slumping Prairie View squad, that has lost by an average of 33 points per game in their three losses this season.
“We really need to start playing some consistent basketball,” said Prairie View A&M coach Jerome Francis Jr. “The name of the game is to put four quarters together, and we haven’t done that this season.”
Prairie View is lead by sophomore guard Phillip Scott, who is averaging eight points and four rebounds per game, and junior forward Marlon Bussy who is averaging 7.7 points and three rebounds per game.
A&M will prove to be Prairie View’s biggest test this season, as it looks to get on track during its fourth road game in five games.
Prairie View has had trouble this season down in the post area. Look for the Aggies to utilize freshman center Joseph Jones and sophomore forward Marlon Pompey early in the game to establish an inside presence.
In the Panthers’ last game, against Tulane University, they allowed the Green Wave to outscore them 48-10 in the paint en route to an 84-63 loss in New Orleans.
A&M on the other hand, has been riding its great defensive play of late and looks to add Prairie View to the list of teams that have come into Reed Arena this season and left with a loss.
“The guys know where I stand when it comes to defensive hustle,” said Aggie head coach Billy Gillispie. “I feel confident with the way these guys are playing right now; I trust Acie (Law IV), Antoine (Wright), Dominique (Kirk) or any of the other players to go out there and make things happen for us.”
While it’s still early in the season, the Aggies are playing some of their best defense of late, while forcing the opposing teams into quick decisions and turnovers. After Wednesday’s win against Oakland University, the Aggies have now stretched their average margin of victory to 35.5 points per game.
“Everyone knows where their position is on the floor,” said Aggie junior guard Antoine Wright. “We all know just how hard we hustle in practice, so we know what kind of effort each of us is going to give out on the court during the game.”
The defensive effort has been there for the Aggies so far this season, and so has the stellar play of late by the guard trio of Aggie freshman Kirk, Wright and sophomore Law who have all helped the Aggie offense to a superb start – look for all three players to play a key role in Saturday’s game.
Saturday’s game against Prairie View A&M will be the Aggies’ fifth home game in a row, as they will continue their 11-game home stand through Dec. 29.