Huskies vs Texas A&M
8:30pm ESPN2
Line: -3.5
About the Aggies
Record: 1-3
Head Coach: Billy Kennedy 7th year 137-101
The Aggies come in to the second game of the Vancouver Showcase after a close loss to Minnesota dropped them to 1-3. Those three losses have come in consecutive games to UCI, Gonzaga, and Minnesota after opening the year with a win against Savannah State. UCI scored late jumper in the final seconds to win by two before Gonzaga handed the Aggies a lopsided loss in Spokane.
For the Huskies this a chance to get some revenge on the SEC after being blown out by Auburn for the Dawgs only loss. UW opened the Vancouver Showcase by handling Santa Clara 82-68. The Huskies were led in that game by a strong defensive effort and an outstanding offensive performance from Jaylen Nowell who scored 32 points. It was a good showing for the Dawgs after struggling to put away San Diego last week.
This game will take more of the same for the Huskies to pull out a win. Despite the Aggies’ record they are an SEC team with plenty of talent. They are a strong rebounding team averaging over 45 total rebounds per game. UW will need to focus on clearing the glass to limit second chance opportunities. The Aggies have scored over 70 points in all but one of their games while UW has only passed that mark twice. The Huskies will need to be efficient on both sides of the court in order to control tempo; they were not able to accomplish this against Auburn and were ran out of the building.
Key Players:
Christian Mekowulu SR F 6’8 10pts 8.8reb 0.8 blk per game
Savion Flagg SO G 6’8 15.5 pts 8.8reb 1.8 ast per game
TJ Starks SO G 6’2 12.8 pts 4.5 reb 4.0 ast per game
Preview and Prediction:
The Huskies will need to pack in the zone in this game and not allow the Aggies to drive ot the rim. The insertion of Hameir Wright into the starting lineup should help as he is a better rim protector than Timmons. The Aggies shoot just 22% from three-point range hopefully the players remember their assignments and don’t over close on the perimeter. Offensively the Dawgs should look to get the ball down low to Dickerson and allow him to facilitate. Whether he is scoring down low or kicking it out to the perimeter this has been where the Huskies have had the most success in the half court. Ultimately, I think the Huskies come out on top in this one after Matisse Thybulle finally gets going on offense.
UW 82 TAM 71
