Texas A&M Basketball: Postgame player grades vs North Carolina
By Jeff Shull
Front Court
Tyler Davis was an absolute monster in the first half. The Aggies clearly wanted to utilize their advantage inside and the leader of this team got off to a hot start and never really cooled down. It seemed to fuel him on the defensive end — he finished with three blocks and each one was more emphatic than the last.
He needs to keep playing like this if the Aggies want to take this run farther than the team has ever been. This is the school’s fifth trip to the Sweet 16, and they are 0-4 in the four previous attempts to make a Regional Final.
FINAL STAT LINE: 7-for-9, 18 points, nine rebounds, one assist, one steal, three blocks
Although Robert Williams didn’t do much on the offensive end (eight points, one offensive rebound), he was a monster on the defensive glass and affected North Carolina’s ability to score inside.
Oh, and this happened in the second half…again:
One of the main points of emphasis coming into this game was the fact that UNC was the best offensive rebounding team in the nation. They love to throw up the three-point shot and clean them up when they miss. Williams didn’t let that happen while the Aggies built their massive lead.
FINAL STAT LINE: 3-for-3, eight points, 13 rebounds, one assist, two blocks
The DJ Hogg that was dismantling teams with his offensive arsenal in the beginning of the season came back in a major way in this game. He was on fire from deep and really helped keep the Tar Heel defense off balanced. He hit three triples in the game, which seems to be a magic number for the Ags.
They are 9-2 when Hogg hits at least three three-pointers.