Texas A&M Basketball: Why the Aggies should be concerned about Providence
By Ryan Shepard
Things have changed since the Aggies were last in the tournament. What should they know about the Friars heading into their matchup?
Fast Facts
Record: 21-13
Best Win: Villanova, 76-71
Worst Loss: UMass, 63-72
Strength of Schedule: 18th
Record Against Tournament Teams: 6-9
Providence will get to the line and slow the game down
The Friars have made their living at the line this season. Shooting 775 free throws this season, the Friars rank in the top thirty-five in the country in free throws made and attempted. The silver lining is that the Friars don’t particularly shoot well from the line. The Friars 70.9% free throw shooting percentage is 220th in the country.
The Friars are a smaller team
Within their rotation, there are only two Friars taller than 6-7. On the other end, the Aggies have a bunch of young men over 6-7. In fact, the Aggies top four rebounders are all 6-8 and taller. The Aggies, who have grabbed the 13th most rebounds in Division I this season, have a major height advantage and rebounding advantage that they need to use to their advantage to win.
The Friars are the more experienced team
The 2017-2018 Texas A&M Aggies are led by juniors Tyler Davis, DJ Hogg and Admon Gilder. While these three juniors have provided stellar leadership for this team this season, the trio has not experienced tournament play since their run to the Sweet Sixteen as freshmen. On the other end of the court, the Providence Friars are led by seniors, Rodney Bullock, Jalen Lindsey and Kyron Cartwright, who have experienced tournament play in each season they’ve been in college.
Get comfortable shooting inside the arc
The Providence Friars are not the best three-point shooting team in college basketball. Their 31% three-point shooting percentage ranked 10th in conference play and their 33% three-point shooting percentage throughout the season ranks 264th in the country.
Next: Top 100 impact players of the 2018 NCAA Tournament
With that being said, the Rhode Island squad doesn’t allow opponents to shoot the three ball well either. Opponents have shot 32% from beyond the arc against the Friars which is 28th best in the nation.