Texas A&M played one of its worst first halves all season against Arkansas Tuesday night, but followed it with arguably its brilliant remaining 20 minutes.
However, the Aggies fell up short 81-75. Here’s some analysis from sports editor Carter Karels for the remainder of the season.
What this means- The Aggies trailed by as much as 24 points in this game, and after a first half that comprised of 16 turnovers, it had the feel of an old fashion butt whippin’. But, behind 28 Danuel House points and relentlessness on the glass by Jalen Jones and Kourtney Roberson, A&M was able to fight back and cut it to 74-72. This willingness to fight back is a recurring theme for this ball club. Moreover, after losing to Alabama by 21 points on Jan. 6, A&M took No. 1 Kentucky to two overtimes before falling short, and continued to win six consecutive conference games. With three games remaining and an SEC tournament looming, a late push isn’t out of the picture just yet.
A look ahead- Auburn, Florida and Alabama remain on A&M’s schedule. The Aggies have played all three, boasting a 2-1 record. Yes, they lost big to Alabama. But, Jalen Jones – the leading scorer and rebounder at the time – sat out due to ankle injury, and House had not reached his full potential. Since that game, House has logged double-digit performances in all but one matchup, six 20-point games and an average of 18.2 points per game.
Prediction- Although a loss in a game as important as this can rattle a team, A&M has proved all year that it can get back on track. On Dec. 9, A&M lost to Baylor in a 77-63 fashion, and became the first SEC team to not grab an offensive rebound in 19 years. In their biggest game of the year against No. 1 Kentucky, A&M suffered a 16-for-30 free throw total. The free throw issue hasn’t been completely fixed, but against the Razorbacks, the Aggies shot 14-for-19 from the charity stripe, and outrebounded them 44 to 23. No matter how embarrassing or how important of a game the Aggies fail in, they always find a way to fix their problems. Based off that trend, they should win at least two of their next three and win a game or two in the SEC tournament, which would almost definitely earn them a spot in the dance. Whether they’ll be successful in the NCAA tournament still remains unclear, as the Aggies are still looking for a win over their first RPI top 50 team.