Texas A&M Basketball: Postgame player grades vs Providence

Coaching

Head coach Billy Kennedy had a clear gameplan out of the gate. From the opening tip the Aggies made a concerted effort to get the ball inside to Davis and Williams. The shots didn’t fall early, but the strategy was sound. Credit is due to Kennedy for sticking to his guns and working through rotations as his team slowly found its shot again.

Kennedy understood the strength of his team and continued to pound the ball inside. Both of Providence’s big men, Nate Watson and Kalif Young found themselves in early foul trouble as they tried as best they could to slow down Davis and Williams in the paint.

The halftime adjustments seemed well-intentioned, but short-sighted. After going 0-for-4 from the field in the first half Starks took four shots in the first five minutes of the second half. It was as if Kennedy told him he needed to take over the game himself – a divergence from the recipe that had gotten Texas A&M back into the game up to that point.

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Kennedy let his players play, and the results were on par with the expectations this team brought into the season. The talent is there for Texas A&M, they just needed to get it together and play as a team. Over the last 10 minutes of their win over Providence, that’s what they did, and because they figured it out they get to keep dancing.