Fresh off a road loss to Virginia, No. 21 Texas A&M men’s basketball will look to bounce back at home against DePaul on Wednesday, Dec. 6.
The two ball clubs have faced off just twice, with A&M winning both. In their most recent matchup on Nov. 25, 2022, the Aggies won 82-66 behind then-senior guard Tyrece Radford’s career-high 31 points.
However, Radford’s been out of action since the second half of the Florida Atlantic matchup due to illness, and his absence was felt against Virginia.
The Aggies could’ve used his tough play and offensive production in their loss to the Cavaliers as all Virginia starters scored in double digits, while senior forward Henry Coleman III was the lone double-digit scorer for the Aggies.
Injuries aren’t the only thing that’s hampering A&M. They’ve been plagued by inconsistent shooting to begin the season, 27.3% from deep, and it has costed them seven spots in the most recent release of the AP poll.
It starts at the top, and junior G Wade Taylor IV has been uncharacteristically inconsistent. Though the Dallas native is averaging a career-high 18.6 points per game, his efficiency has dropped.
Notably, his 3-point shooting has dropped with a career-worst 25.5% from beyond the arc after averaging 35.6% last season.
His bread-and-butter, points from the charity stripe, have dropped as well. Just a year ago, Taylor was the best in the Southeastern Conference, leading in both free-throws attempted and free-throws made. However, it hasn’t come as easy as last season, averaging around three less free-throws and shooting around 10% less than last year at 77.7%.
However, despite the slumps, one thing has remained consistent: the rebounding of Coleman. The senior is having his best season so far, averaging 14.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game on 68.4% from the field, all career-highs. Through the injuries and inconsistent guard play, Coleman’s been the glue guy down low for the Aggies, especially in the absence of senior F Julius Marble.
Despite the shooting woes, the Aggies sit at a respectable record of 6-2. The same can’t be said for the DePaul Blue Demons.
The Big East foe has been one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country, ranked 49th in 3-point percentage with 37.8%.
Led by seniors G K.T. Raimey and F Jeremiah Oden, both who shoot over 45% from deep, it’s a wonder why the Blue Demons are only 1-6.
Moreso, they also deploy four players who are scoring double-digits per game, so DePaul’s issues aren’t offensively.
It lies in rebounding and defense.
As good and efficient as the DePaul offense may be, they also give up a lot of points on the other end. They rank near the bottom of the country in points allowed per game (78.6) as well as opponent field goal percentage (46.6%).
One look at the roster and it’s clear why DePaul’s defense has been struggling: they lack size. While the Blue Demons have tall scorers such as Oden, who stands at 6-foot-8, their tall players lack the weight. Many forwards and centers across the country sit well over 220 pounds at the minimum, yet DePaul’s players are either around 200 pounds or less.
The lack of weight down low has contributed to the absence of rebounding, as DePaul is one of the lowest ranked teams in rebounding with just 31.7 boards per game.
As the Aggies head back to Reed Arena for its first home defense of December, both teams will look to right the wrongs and get back into the win column.