Texas A&M looks to bounce back from its loss to No. 3 Gonzaga when it takes on Minnesota in the Vancouver Showcase on Sunday night.
The Aggies couldn’t hold off the Zags earlier in the week, suffering a 94-71 in Spokane after losing at home to UC Irvine in the prior game.
Meanwhile, Minnesota is off to a 2-0 start with victories over Nebraska Omaha and Utah.
Let’s run through what to watch for in this game.
Game Details
- Texas A&M (1-2) vs. Minnesota (2-0)
- Location: Vancouver Convention Centre – Vancouver, B.C.
- Game Date: Nov. 18
- Game Time: 10:30 p.m. EST
- Watch: ESPN2
Players to Watch
Savion Flagg (Texas A&M)
The 6-7 sophomore leads the Aggies in scoring with 17.7 points per game while shooting 51.2 percent from the floor.
Flagg has emerged as the team’s top playmaker through three games, and he’s also contributing on the defensive side of the court with 8.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals per contest.
TJ Starks (Texas A&M)
With Admon Gilder expected to be sidelined for at least the next two games, Starks will continue to be the most important player in the Aggies’ backcourt.
However, he’s struggled to find consistency on the offensive side of the court thus far in shooting just 31.4 percent from the field.
Starks is averaging 13.3 points per game, but his percentages – especially his 3 of 21 mark from 3-point range – must improve for Texas A&M to get back on track.
Jordan Murphy (Minnesota)
After averaging 16.8 points and 11.3 rebounds per game last season, it’s no surprise to see Murphy playing well through two games this year.
The 6-7 senior has back-to-back double-doubles to start the new campaign, including notching 11 points and 17 rebounds in the win over Utah.
Key Stats
It would be an understatement to say that Texas A&M has struggled to get going from 3-point land this season.
Billy Kennedy’s team is shooting just 22.6 percent through three games (336th nationally) and started off the year with an 8 of 38 showing in the win over Savannah State.
The Aggies’ effective field-goal percentage isn’t much better at 46.0 percent (265th nationally), which could be an issue when you consider that Minnesota ranks second in the country in that category at 64.8 percent.
If the Golden Gophers get off to a hot start, it may be difficult for the Aggies to catch up.
Game Outlook
- Spread: Minnesota -5
- Over/Under: 153.5
- KenPom Projection: Minnesota, 56 percent chance to win
- ESPN BPI Projection: Minnesota, 62.3 percent chance to win
We came into the season with the belief that Gilder would carry Texas A&M through the transition phase to a more up-tempo offense.
But without him on the court, it simply hasn’t been pretty for the majority of the time thus far.
Minnesota features good balance on offense, and there hasn’t been anything that has stood out about Texas A&M’s defense to this point.
Unless Starks can find more consistency from the perimeter in this game, it’s hard to see Kennedy’s team being efficient enough on offense to win this type of game.
The Gophers should prove to be just a step ahead in this matchup, even if it may be close due to the element of playing on a neutral court.
Season Prediction Record (straight up): 35-5
Game Prediction: Minnesota 80, Texas A&M 73
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