Michigan Basketball vs Texas A&M: 5 questions with an Aggies expert
Michigan basketball will take on Texas A&M Thursday in Los Angeles for a spot in the Elite 8. Here are five questions with an expert to get to know the Aggies.
The Michigan basketball team expected to be in the Sweet 16, what the Wolverines didn’t expect, was the fashion in which they got there. They also didn’t expect the opponent that will be waiting in Los Angeles Thursday.
Most pundits, yourself included, believed North Carolina would be the team waiting for Michigan basketball in the Sweet 16. Instead, it’s upstart Texas A&M, which blew the doors off against the Tar Heels, beating them by 20.
Obviously, at this stage of the tournament, every team is going to be good. And unless Michigan plays better than it did the first two rounds, especially on offense, it won’t matter who it plays.
Texas A&M, the seventh seed in the West Region, beat Providence and North Carolina to get to this point and like Michigan, is riding a wave of momentum. Awaiting the Aggies or Wolverines in the next round will be Florida State or Gonzaga, the ninth and fourth seeded teams in the region.
No matter how you slice it, the West is up for grabs and so is a spot in the Final Four. The four-team tournament to get that berth starts Thursday and Michigan’s first opponent, is Texas A&M. Here are five questions with an Aggies expert here at FanSided, to get some info on the Wolverines third-round opponent.
The following Q and A is with GigEmGazette expert Matthew Bartlett. He runs FanSided’s Texas A&M site and has agreed to share his knowledge with us:
1. Who are the main dudes for Texas A&M. If I didn’t know anything about them, who are the guys I need to know about?
The Aggies are led by three juniors (Tyler Davis, Admon Gilder, and DJ Hogg) and a potential NBA lottery pick in sophomore forward Robert Williams. They’ll play the bulk of the minutes for the Aggies against the Wolverines with freshman point guard TJ Starks rounding out the starting five.
2. What is their style of play? The Aggies seem like a defensive team? Is that their strength?
When this team is clicking they’re playing inside-out basketball. Their guard play is extremely suspect, meaning the focal point of their offensive attack rests on Tyler Davis at the rim with help from Robert Williams. Those two give Texas A&M a size advantage on just about everyone they play, and that duo is hard to stop when they’re playing well. They struggle with outside shooting, making winning the battle on the boards critical toward the Aggies’ success.
3. What are their weaknesses, how do the Aggies get beat?
Texas A&M gets beat when they settle for outside shots. Zone defenses have repeatedly flummoxed this team, which too often gets streaky from outside the paint. Keeping the Aggies off the boards neutralized their biggest advantage and makes them fallible.
4. What has been the key for the Aggies run in the tournament so far? Who has been their best player?
Robert Williams is finally playing like pro prospect he was supposed to be. He came one basket shy against UNC from posting back-to-back double-doubles and has had several highlight reel dunks and blocks. You could see the North Carolina players getting demoralized after they were turned away time and time again by his looming presence on the defensive glass. There are few players in this tournament that can match up with him.
5. What do the fans think about facing Michigan and how confident are they about getting a win?
At this point the Aggies’ worst enemy is themselves. This team was a trendy Final Four pick before the season for a reason. They have a veteran squad that’s went to the Sweet 16 two years ago and plenty of talent to make a run. Yet somehow they started 0-5 in conference play and went from No. 5 in the nation to the bottom of the SEC.
Next: 3 guys that got Michigan to the Sweet 16
If the Texas A&M team that showed up against North Carolina appears in Los Angeles, there isn’t anything stopping them. However, fans are still understandably skeptical about which team will appear when the ball is tipped.