Texas A&M Basketball Preview Vs. Oklahoma

The regular season body of work is over for the Texas A&M Aggies and first-year head coach Bucky McMillan, and now all eyes are turned to Nashville where they will look to begin a conference tournament run against an old foe in the Oklahoma Sooners.

Currently sitting as a nine-seed, slated in the same regional bracket as the Arizona Wildcats, the Aggies are looking to move off that dreaded seeding, and play themselves into a seven-seed or better.

It won't be easy though, the Sooners are a frisky team who have found ways to win this season and are looking to play their own way into the NCAA Tournament, as they currently stand as one of the next four out.

Will the Aggies be recovered from their three-overtime game against the LSU Tigers and be prepared for the gauntlet of the SEC tournament?

Previewing Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma

Texas A&M Forward Rashaun Agee — Texas A&M Aggies forward Rashaun Agee (12) reacts after the game against the Ole Miss Rebels at Reed Arena. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

The Aggies currently rank as the number four scoring team in the country, averaging 88.2 points per game, led by forward Rashaun Agee who averages 14.2 points per game. Five other Aggies average 10 or more points per game, proving their offensive output is led by a team effort, rather than one individual's game.

The Sooners though, are also an effective scoring team, averaging 82.8 points per game, which ranks 32nd in the country. They are led by Nijel Pack and Xzayvier Brown, who average 16.3 and 15.6 each, respectively. Only two other Sooners on the roster average more than seven points a game.

While both teams are a force offensively, they also struggle on defensive as well, with both programs ranking below 200th in the country in opponents' points per game. For the Aggies, who rank 307th in opponents' points per game with 79.5, they struggle with limiting opposing teams to field goal attempts, allowing 61.9 per game, which ranks 329th.

For the Sooners, majority of their problems come from the first half, where they rank 311th in opponents first half points, allowing 37.7. That will be great news for McMillan and his team as the Aggies are the 18th best offense in the country to start the game, scoring 41 points in the first half.

It doesn't get any better in the second half either, as they are second in the country in points after halftime, averaging 46.3. If the Aggies can come out of the gate hot and take advantage of the Sooners' struggles, they should feel great about their chances in this one.

The Aggies and Sooners will tip-off on March 12 at 8:30 p.m. CT (game time subject to change)