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Texas A&M basketball’s loss to Xavier by the numbers

By Jack Williams

Mar 31, 2022; New York, New York, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Buzz Williams speaks to his players on the court during the first half of the NIT college basketball finals against the Xavier Musketeers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 31, 2022; New York, New York, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Buzz Williams speaks to his players on the court during the first half of the NIT college basketball finals against the Xavier Musketeers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Texas A&M basketball team looked like it was ready to complete the perfect underdog story. After being snubbed from the NCAA Tournament, the Aggies went on to win four NIT Tournament games — each by a margin of at least 12 points.

Unfortunately, everything good comes to an end. For the Aggies, it was a heartbreaking end, emphasized by a single tweet.

https://twitter.com/aggiestoday/status/1509703115389419531?s=21

Regardless of the outcome, Buzz Williams and his team had an impressive run in the NIT Tournament. Heck, the last 15 games of the season showcased one of the best stretches of any team in college basketball at any point in the season.

But they just couldn’t close it out.

Here are some stats for the Texas A&M basketball fans who aren’t too sad to read them

Player Stats:

Quenton Jackson: 23 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 12-14 FT

Tyrece Radford: 15 points, 7 rebounds

Hassan Diarra: 12 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds

Texas A&M had plenty of their star players showing up, with big games from QUenton Jackson, Tyrece Radford, and Hassan Diarra. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough — perhaps this is due to an assist total that I will reference later.

The scoring for Texas A&M was solid with three players in double-figures and eight total scorers on the night.

Team Stats:

Texas A&M: 45.1% FG, 21-25 FT, 34 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals, 3 blocks, 13 turnovers

Xavier: 48.3% FG, 8-15 FT, 31 rebounds, 16 assists, 8 steals, 3 blocks, 11 turnovers

Unfortunately, the team stats don’t look great for Texas A&M but we’ll start on a positive note — the Aggies did win the rebounding battle. WIth Jack Nunge (7’0″) as Xavier’s top big, A&M couldn’t match this size. They managed to stay physical anyway.

Unfortunately, the Aggies didn’t succeed in a couple of other categories that would have helped. They turned the ball over 13 times and created just six assists on the night. On the other side of the ball, the Aggies allowed Xavier to create 16 turnovers and move the ball pretty well, only turning it over 11 times.

The Aggies also probably should have fouled Xavier more down low, as the Muskateers couldn’t hit a free throw if their lives depended on it. They made just over 50% of their shots from the charity stripe.

Next. Quenton Jackson will be an NBA Draft steal. dark

Unfortunately, A&M was one point away from a win and, quite literally, inches away from a shot dropping that would have given them that win.