Texas A&M Basketball: 3 keys to upsetting Purdue Boilermakers in Indianapolis

Texas A&M Basketball has traveled quite a bit this season. So far, the Aggies have played five games away from their home arena, but only one was a true road game. That was the first game of the season against UCF.

When A&M takes on Purdue this weekend, the game will be played on a neutral court at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Although not a true road game for Texas A&M, Gainbridge Fieldhouse is roughly 70 minutes away from West Lafayette where Purdue is located. The stands will be filled with Boilermaker fans and the Aggies will have a tough test on their hands. Purdue is the best team A&M has on the non-con schedule, so this should be a good game. Even in the friendly confines of Indy, Texas A&M can still walk away with the win. Here are three keys to Texas A&M upsetting Purdue. 

1. Apply pressure/force turnovers

Texas A&M’s defense has been one of the bright spots for the Aggies this season. A&M is holding opposing teams to 64.9 points per game. One of the reasons for the defensive success has been the Aggie's ability to force turnovers. Texas A&M is forcing 14 turnovers per game which has led to roughly 16 points per game off turnovers. 

Purdue is one of the most efficient scoring teams this season, making 49.8 percent from the floor, so there most likely won’t be many missed shots for A&M’s defense to turn into points. But the Boilermakers have been turnover-prone this season, averaging 12 turnovers per game. This is where the Aggies can pick up extra scoring opportunities.

2. Dominate the glass 

One big advantage Texas A&M has over Purdue is its rebounding. The Aggies are one of the best rebounding teams in college basketball, averaging 43.1 rebounds per game. But the total number of rebounds per game doesn’t tell the whole story. A&M is good on the defensive glass but is great on the offensive boards. The Aggies are the nation's top offensive rebounding team with 17.2 per game. This is why Texas A&M keeps winning games despite only shooting 41 percent from the floor. 

Purdue is a solid rebounding team, but not nearly as good as Texas A&M. But Purdue doesn’t miss nearly as many shots, so there usually aren't as many opportunities on the glass. Even though Purdue isn’t an elite rebounding team, it does a great job of keeping opponents off the boards. This season Purdue is holding opposing teams to 31.1 rebounds per game, well below Texas A&M’s average. If the Boilermakers aren’t going to miss many shots, Texas A&M is going to need to grab every available rebound limiting any second-chance points. 

3. Make shots

This might be the biggest key for an Aggies win. Texas A&M is one of the worst shooting teams in college basketball this season. A&M has only made over 43 percent of its shots twice this season. Otherwise, the Aggies consistently shoot below 40 percent from the floor. As was said earlier, the Aggies can win games while shooting so poorly because of how great the team is at rebounding. But against a solid Purdue defense that has held some of the best offenses in college basketball to under 45 percent from the floor, the Aggies might need to start making some shots. 

Purdue will make shots, and Texas A&M will need to be able to make some as well, but that hasn't been easy this year. The rebounding and defense will only take you so far if your offense is struggling every game. A huge scoring game from Wade Taylor IV will do a lot for the Aggies in this matchup. The senior guard is averaging 16.1 points this season, but only making 38 percent from the floor. If he can clean up the shooting percentage a little and still score his season average, that just might give Texas A&M the boost it needs to take down Purdue.

The Aggies are a veteran team that has won many games over the past couple of seasons, but A&M has had to work hard to pick up many of those games. Making a few more shots will only make things easier.