Houston vs Texas A&M Tactical Breakdown: 3 Ways the Cougars Can Beat the Aggies
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The Houston Cougars have come to be expected to be one of the best teams every time the NCAA Tournament rolls around, and they've unsurprisingly gotten off to the exact start after the First Round.
The Cougars did not earn one of the No. 1 seeds on the NCAA Tournament as they've done in previous years, but were still one of the high seeds starting the tournament as a No. 2 seed, setting up their first match-up against the No. 15 seed Idaho Vandals, which the Coogs cruised through, winning 78-47.
And now the Coogs head into the Second round with a ticket to the Sweet Sixteen waiting in the wings as Houston takes on the No. 10-seeded Texas A&M Aggies. The Aggies won't be an easy matchup as they upset No. 7-seeded Saint Mary's on Thursday, 63-50. With the matchup slated for Saturday, here are three ways the Coogs can take down the Aggies.
Withstand the Texas A&M Pressure
The Aggies are led by first-year head coach Bucky McMillan, who brings in an aggressive and pressurized style of basketball that has been the mode for plenty of the Aggies' wins this season, referred to as Bucky Ball.
In the Aggies' first round game against Saint Mary's, the Aggies were all over their opponents, forcing 18 turnovers on the night, the most Saint Mary's has given up all season long. Houston will have to deal with the pressure that starts from the opening tipoff.
Whichever one of Houston's three guards in the starting lineup, whether it be Kingston Flemings, Emanuel Sharp, or Milos Uzan, they have to be ready to break the Aggies press as soon as the ball is inbounded in order to get their offensive possession started.
Contain Rashaun Agee
The Cougars will have a slight advantage at the five-spot, with Rashaun Agee usually being Texas A&M's starting center. Agee comes in at six-foot-eight, while Houston's starting center, Chris Cenac Jr., is listed at six-foot-eleven.
Cenac Jr. dominated and feasted inside the paint in the Cougars First Round matchup as he ended the game with a resounding 18 rebounds, and his likely defensive assignment in Agee is the Aggies top scoring option as he comes off a 22-point and nine rebound game against Saint Mary's.
The battle between Cenac Jr. and Agee will likely be the focal point of the ballgame as the Aggies veteran may look to work around and against the Houston freshmen, and in some possessions, switches with defensive anchor Joseph Tugler, might be key in slowing down Agee.
Win the Rebound Battle
Both teams pride themselves on their ability to rebound the basketball, and making a point to be strong on the glass will make it become a central piece of the ballgame when the two Lone Star State programs meet on Saturday.
Houston won its rebounding battle against Idaho in convincing fashion, outrebounding its opponent 47 to 32 while finding extra possessions with eight offensive rebounds. The Aggies, on the other hand, lost the rebounding battle just slightly, being outrebounded 32 to 31.
The defensive glass will be big for both squads, looking to eliminate any second-chance points and turn their defense into offense, while the offensive glass will also be a key feature, as each team will be looking for extra possession in what should be a grind-it-out kind of game.
