Bucky McMillan and Texas A&M Basketball took care of business once again yesterday as they took down the South Carolina Gamecocks, 92-69. With the victory the Aggies improve to 16-4 overall, 6-1 in the SEC, and remain at 41 in the NET rankings. With the loss, the Gamecocks fall to 11-9 overall, 2-5 in the SEC, and fall to 92 in the NET rankings. Yesterday's victory, and Florida's home loss to Auburn, granted the Aggies sole possession of first place in the SEC regular season standings.
The Aggies put on a dominant shooting display yesterday making 17 from beyond the arc and shooting 44% from three-point land, while shooting 48% overall. Despite the slow start, the Aggies took control later in the first half and never looked back.
Texas A&M heads into week-long break with rout of Gamecocks
The Aggies did what they do best and distributed the ball incredibly well with 25 total assists and 4 players scoring 11 points or more. The star of the game was Zach Clemence. He had 21 points off 7-8 shooting from beyond the arc. Rylan Griffen continued his hot streak as well with 16 points of his own, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists to cap off an extremely well-rounded game. Pop Isaacs and Rashaun Agee both had 11 points and contributed well on both rebounds and assists.
The Aggies finally dominated the rebounding battle yesterday. This has been the biggest weakness of this team all year and they finally took care of business on the glass yesterday with 43 rebounds to the Gamecocks' 30. The Aggies didn't dominate the turnover battle like they usually do, only forcing 10 turnovers while giving up 9, but yesterday was a rare game where fouling, turnovers, and free throws did not make a large impact on the game.
South Carolina star Meechie Johnson had a fantastic game with 26 points on only 7-12 shooting, but when he missed, he got to the free throw line. Kobe Knox also stepped up to the plate with 18 points of his own. The problem for the Gamecocks was not enough players contributed. Only 6 players scored, with 3 of them accounting for 14 combined points. Shooting only 39% from the field and losing the rebounding battle the way they did is a recipe for disaster for any team.
The Aggies get a well-earned week off this week before getting into the heart of their conference schedule with a trip to Georgia next Saturday followed by a trip to Tuscaloosa and a home game against Florida. A win or two in this stretch would put the Aggies in excellent position for the home stretch of the season and could get them even better tournament seeding as they are currently sitting around an 8 or 9 seed. Check back next Friday for my full preview of the upcoming matchup against the Georgia Bulldogs.