Texas A&M at Kansas Preview: Step Up the Difficulty
The Kansas Jayhawks return home from a successful Thanksgiving week with an undefeated record, ready to face the Texas A&M Aggies in one of the marquee non-conference matchups on the schedule. It's the first of two home games before the Jayhawks travel out to the west coast for a game against the ranked Arizona Wildcats, and should be a good measuring stick for their progress this season.
Opponent Overview
Team: Texas A&M
Record: 4-2
Massey Rating: 73
Line: KU -10.5
Team Form
The Aggies are coached by first year head coach Joni Taylor, who was hired to Texas A&M after amassing a 140-75 record in seven season at fellow SEC school Georgia. While the record on the season is 4-2, Texas A&M has won every game where they were the "better" team by double digits, while dropping matchups against the 24th-rated Duke Blue Devils and 55th-rated Rice Owls.
The Aggies are coming off a season where they finished 4-12 in the SEC after a 10-2 non-conference record. According to Massey, they have the 57th rated offense and 48th rated defense against the 150th rated Strength of Schedule so far. On the season, the team is shooting 42.5% overall and 33.0% from three-point range, but only 56.9% from the free throw line. They average 64.3 points per game, 38.7 rebounds per game, 9.0 steals per game and 18.2 turnovers per game.
Players to Watch
Texas A&M's star so far this season has been true-freshman forward Janiah Barker, who leads the team in points scored (84, or 14.0 per game), total rebounds (45, or 7.5 per game) and steals (9, or 1.5 per game), and she is tied for the lead in blocks (7, or 1.2 per game). She is 34-82 (41.5%) from the field, including 3-9 (33.3%) from three-point range. However, she has only made 13-32 (40.6%) at the line so far this season. She also has struggled with ball security, turning it over 22 times this season, or 3.7 times per game.
Other key players for the Aggies include junior guard Sahara Jones who is the second leader scorer on the team with 59 points (9.8 per game), freshman guard Sydney Bowles, who is the main three-point shooter on the team and averages 40.6%, and sophomore guard Tineya Hylton, who leads the team in assists.
Matchups to Watch
It's hard to pinpoint exactly what this team does well, as they don't get to the line often, aren't shooting particularly well from the field, and don't do a great job of holding on to the ball. But they are pretty good overall from three-point range, shooting 33.0% as a team. They are a good passing team though, with an assist on 53.0% of their made baskets this season, and they hit the offensive glass well, getting an offensive rebound on 43.1% of their missed shots. With all of that in mind, it will be important to see how Taiyanna Jackson performs in the paint against Barker and graduate transfer forward Aaliyah Patty, who aren't particularly adept at passing back out for open baskets, but have made the most of passes into the paint this season.
On the perimeter, defense will be important, as the Jayhawks are one of the worst teams in terms of giving up 3-point attempts, even if their opponents aren't making them at a great clip. Holly Kersgieter and Zakiyah Franklin especially will likely be called on to find ways to shut down perimeter shooting.
Prediction
This is a Kansas team that was hungry for a step up in competition this offseason, and this game promises to deliver, even if it is only a mild step up from their prior opponents. But Kansas has a distinct advantage with Jackson on the inside, and she is coming off one of the best games of her career against Saint Mary's. At some point Kersgieter is going to get back her shooting touch, as she is a 36.5% career shooter and is only making 27.6% of her attempts this season. But Franklin and Tulsa transfer Wyvette Mayberry have shown the ability to pick up the slack in scoring while Kersgieter is able to still contribute defensively, and I expect that to continue at a minimum.
Kansas 72, Texas A&M 61
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