Coming off a tough road loss to Arkansas on Wednesday, the Texas A&M men’s basketball team came back to a sold out Reed Arena and rose to the occasion—defeating No. 14 Iowa State 72-62. Here are a couple of things that we learned.
1. Danuel House proved his ability to close out a game.
The senior from Fresno put on an impressive display of scoring at the end of the second half, putting up 10 points in the final 4:08 of the game. After he sunk a deep three as the shot clock ran down, House became in total attack mode. From getting to the free throw line to finishing tough reverse layups, the Aggies gave House the ball and he delivered the goods to seal the victory.
2. Billy Kennedy shrinks his rotation in big games.
Only eight Aggies received minutes against a very skilled Iowa State team. Freshman guard Admon Gilder played the least amount of minutes with 12, while seniors Jalen Jones and Alex Caruso played the most, which shows which players Kennedy trusts to execute offensively and defensively.
3. Lack of 3-point shooting almost doomed A&M.
Shooting 1-for-14 from beyond the arc in the first half is not something that the Aggies need to continue. The senior trio of Collins, Jones and Caruso went 0-for-9 from three with Jones putting up a 0-for-5 performance himself. Luckily for the Aggies, Iowa State struggled from the 3-point line as well and also from the free throw line going 4-for-12 from the charity stripe.
4. The combination of Jalen Jones and Tyler Davis can be lethal.
Jones and Davis scored a combined 35 points and grabbed 20 rebounds on Saturday. Those two strengths provide a good balance with Jones having the ability to drive to the basket after receiving the basketball on the perimeter and Davis using his big frame to finish around the basket. This duo will need to continue to produce at a high level for the Aggies to beat quality teams like the Cyclones.
5. This team can go deep into March, possibly April.
The key component that Texas A&M has shown this season is their ability to play sound defense. Cyclone point guard Monte Morris had trouble throughout the game getting to the basket on Alex Caruso. If he happened to get past the senior, the defense would collapse the paint and dare the Cyclones to shoot perimeter shots. This type of defense is usually associated with a team poised to make a deep tournament run. Stay tuned.
