Tigers take on Texas A&M in SEC opener

By Hunt Palmer

The 18-game marathon begins for LSU on Saturday afternoon in the Lone Star State.

The Tigers and Texas A&M open league play with a 3:00 tipoff at reed Arena in College Station. While it feels like a do or die year for LSU’s program, Texas A&M is a program in transition.

Buzz Williams left Aggieland for Maryland in the offseason, and Bucky McMillan has taken over the reins of the program. He comes over from Samford where he won more than 20 games four seasons in a row.

Things were bumpy early for the Aggies who lost at Oklahoma State by 24 and then lost to Central Florida by eight in the early going. They rallied to annihilate Florida State by 36 and beat Pittsburgh by eight.

In a game against a common opponent, A&M was outlasted by SMU in overtime. The Tigers handled SMU in New Orleans. Both teams have tournament expectations, and Saturday’s game will be a jumping off point for one.

RUN AND GUN

In football terms, the transition from Williams and McMillan is like going from Bill Snyder to Chip Kelly. A&M has made the move from a physical rebounding team with little shooting to a fast break, three-point shooting blur.

The Aggies rank third nationally in points per game and first in the country in assists. They play the eighth most possessions per game and are top 20 in threes attempted. These guys get it and go.

LSU likes to play fast, but Matt McMahon’s team needs to be careful playing at A&M’s pace. Dedan Thomas Jr. will have the role of conductor. When you have numbers, go. When you don’t, slowing things down and making an average defensive Aggie group guard is the play.

Throw the ball down to Michael Nwoko and limit possessions. LSU has a better chance to with 75-72 than 91-88.

FREE FOR ALL

LSU has dominated from the free throw line in non-conference play. The Tigers are 7th in the country in free throws attempted. Texas A&M can play that game, too. They’re 14th.

Both of these teams are top 40 in the country in field goal percentage, so scoring points hasn’t been a problem. There just aren’t many places on the floor as efficient as the foul line. Guarding without fouling is paramount in this game.

D ON 3s

If LSU doesn’t guard the three point line, this game will get ugly. Texas Tech and Prairie View got hot. Texas A&M is sure going to try. Not only are they 16th nationally in threes attempted, they’re 29th in percentage which is great considering the volume. Only four teams in the country have scored more points from behind the arc.

That old saying, “live by the three, die by the three” applies here. When Oklahoma State crushed the Aggies in November, Texas A&M shot 9-for-35 (26%) from deep. In the loss to UCF, it was 9-for-29 (31%). At Florida State, a 36-point win, they made 15 of 34 shots from downtown for 44%.

Ruben Dominguez is a dead-eye shooter. He’s 45-for-96. That’s 47%. Find him. Rylen Griffin and Pop Isaacs are both better than 40%, too. The Aggies shoot threes on the catch, off the dribble, in transition and from the offensive glass. They can really get going if you let them.