3. Make your free throws
Along the lines of basketball fundamentals, the last key is the most glaring weakness of this team: free throws. As with the turnovers, a similar tendency of success can be linked to the Aggies’ free throw woes. Texas A&M is 7-5 this season when shooting 65 percent or worse from the free throw line and 9-3 when they exceed that ratio.
65 percent is substandard. 333 of 351 college basketball programs (including the Aggies) are shooting 65 percent or better from the charity stripe this season. With the amount of talent Texas A&M has on its roster they should be able to find a way to creep into the mid 70 percentages on their free throws, but settling for competent might be the best they can do for now.
The Aggies could have beaten Kentucky the first time around if they’d managed even 65 percent from the line. Texas A&M connected on 14-of-24 free throws in their one-point loss. That included a stretch in the final 5:30 of that game in which the Aggies connected on just two of eight free throws.
Next: Evaluating Aggies' 2018 recruiting class
While the a Texas A&M victory might surprise the common college basketball fan, this team is more than capable of defeating Kentucky and it wouldn’t take a miracle for them to accomplish that. All the Aggies have to do is play smart, sound basketball and the rest will work itself out.