GETTING INSIDE
Texas A&M was on the verge of missing out on the NCAA Tournament rather than return for a fourth straight appearance. Twice.
A 3-7 start in Big 12 play was nearly disastrous, as was a first-round loss against Texas Tech in the conference tournament.
But the Aggies advanced, and oddly enough beat Brigham Young for the second straight year in the first round, before falling to Connecticut and finishing 24-10. It was the second straight year Texas A&M was bounced by a No. 1 seed after taking UCLA to the wire in 2008.
"We were winning games early," A&M coach Mark Turgeon said of his team's 14-1 start. "But we weren't very good. Our back was against the wall in the Big 12. We've got a lot of character. We've got a lot of fight. We've got a lot of determination. We're not always pretty."
In the end, the ragged way A&M sometimes played led to its downfall. The Aggies didn't always shoot the ball well, didn't even pass or dribble it well.
But to recover in the Big 12 and tie for fourth at 9-7 with a six-game winning streak to close the regular season, the toughness Turgeon mentioned had to come out. A&M often exerted that quality on the boards, and turned to center Chinemelu Elonu, who was one of the most improved players in the conference.
Along the perimeter, the Aggies were often spotty. Their best 3-point threat, senior Josh Carter, is incredibly streaky, though he led a balanced attack with a 14.1-point average. Derrick Roland provided solid defense in the backcourt, holding some of the Big 12's best scorers to off nights.
NOTES, QUOTESFINAL RECORD: 24-10, 9-7, tied fourth in the Big 12.
WHAT WENT RIGHT: When Texas A&M played well it often created opportunities off defensive pressure. G Derrick Roland was a lockdown defender who caused fits for some of the Big 12's top perimeter scorers. The Aggies also were capable of pounding the ball inside and also getting second-chance points from C Chinemelu Elonu and F Bryan Davis. It wasn't a pretty team, but the six-game win streak the Aggies fashioned to close Big 12 play got them a return engagement in the NCAA Tournament.
WHAT WENT WRONG: The Aggies did not possess a consistent go-to scorer. G Josh Carter came the closest, though he was a streaky shooter who went cold from behind the arc at times. The Aggies' floor play also wasn't smooth, leading to sloppy play they couldn't overcome at times. A 3-7 start in league play was unexpected after A&M carried a 14-1 non-conference record.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "We're pretty confident in our guys. We know whoever we play, we're going to play our hardest. We're going to scrap. We're going to do everything we need to do in order to win. We welcome anyone." -- Texas A&M guard Donald Sloan.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNELTHE GOOD NEWS: Texas A&M continues to maintain consistency under second-year coach Mark Turgeon. The NCAA Tournament appearance was the fourth straight for the Aggies, who continue to scratch and claw in the upper division of the Big 12 without the kind of blue-chip talent other programs possess. The six-game win streak A&M rolled off to close conference play is a sign of the grit both the Aggies, and their coach, exemplify.
THE BAD NEWS: Questions still exist whether Turgeon can continue to replicate the incredible success Billy Gillispie enjoyed during a three-year stint that stamped his ticket to a big-time program, Kentucky. The Aggies often looked disjointed and were prone to devastating funks that contributed to poor starts early on in Big 12 play, as well as in the NCAA Tournament loss to Connecticut. Turgeon knows what he's doing, but his ability to recruit to a level that allows high-majors to win remains a question.
KEY RETURNEES: Results offensively were rarely sensational for any of the Aggies, which made G Donald Sloan a key contributor after containing many of the Big 12's top scoring guards. C Chinemelu Elonu improved dramatically as a sophomore and will return as one of the Big 12's top big men. If he improves as a scorer, Elonu could dominate underneath because of his ability to rebound and alter shots.
ROSTER REPORT:
--G Josh Carter became the first player in Texas A&M history to play in four NCAA tournaments. He went 5-4 in those games, including losses in the last three seconds each of the first three years.
--F Bryan Davis keyed Texas A&M's first-round win against BYU at the NCAA Tournament, posting a season-high 21 points while grabbing nine rebounds.
--It's worth noting that when the NCAA established minimums for Academic Progress Rate, Texas A&M failed to meet the minimum score in 2004 and was stripped of a scholarship in 2004-05. The APR for the A&M program improved to a perfect score of 1,000 in 2007-08, and both seniors, Carter and G Bryson Graham, are on target to graduate.
Previous Report: 04/01/2009
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