Texas A&M’s roster will look a little different as it opens up the 2018-19 season on Wednesday against Savannah State.
The Aggies are no longer built around dominant frontcourt players like Robert Williams and Tyler Davis, and instead, will lean on the guard duo of TJ Starks and Admon Gilder.
Billy Kennedy’s squad has advanced to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament two of the past three seasons, but getting there again will certainly be more of a challenge this year.
Meanwhile, Savannah State has consistently played faster than any team in the country, and Horace Broadnax should have the Tigers continuing that theme this season.
Let’s run through what to watch for entering this one.
Game Details
- Savannah State at Texas A&M
- Location: Reed Arena – College Station, TX
- Game Date: Nov. 7
- Game Time: 9:30 p.m. EST
- Watch: SEC Network+
Players to Watch
TJ Starks (Texas A&M)
The sophomore point guard emerged onto the scene last season while the Aggies were dealing with injuries and suspensions.
He averaged 9.9 points and 2.3 assists in 21.3 minutes per game, which included 15 starts down the stretch.
Texas A&M will run its offense through Starks and Gilder this season, so efficient point guard play will be invaluable.
Starks will need to improve his overall efficiency from the field after shooting 38.8 percent last season.
Josh Nebo (Texas A&M)
With Williams and Davis both out of the picture, the Aggies need Nebo and fellow transfer Christian Mekowulu to provide immediate contributions in the paint.
Nebo sat out last season after transferring over from Saint Francis, where he earned defensive player of the year honors in the Northeast Conference during the ’16-17 season.
He should offer good shot-blocking skills to go along with potential double-double opportunities each night, and his explosiveness on both sides of the court should help quite a bit.
Key Stats
Savannah State must replace all five starters from last season, so that’s an important tidbit heading into a matchup with a Texas A&M team that has to replace lots of production as well.
But this game will certainly be all about tempo, as Billy Kennedy wants the Aggies to play much faster given their strengths at guard.
To make that work, the team will need to improve in several key areas: 3-point shooting and free-throw shooting. The Aggies shot just 32.9 percent from beyond the arc and 66.1 percent from the charity stripe last season.
Of course, Savannah State’s incredibly fast offense is also worth noting, as the Tigers had an average offensive possession length of just 12.5 seconds last year.
Game Outlook
- KenPom Projection: Texas A&M, 99.6 percent chance to win
- ESPN BPI Projection: Texas A&M, 96.9 percent chance to win
There are unknowns in terms of how the Aggies will play without running everything through the lane, but that shouldn’t matter too much in this particular game.
The Tigers can score points in a hurry due to the up-tempo style, and that may be enough to at least make things interesting.
However, Texas A&M is the better team, and it should allow Kennedy to experiment with some things in his revamped offense.
Game Pick: Texas A&M
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