Texas A&M Scouting Report

In a loaded Saturday slate, Purdue welcomes the Texas A&M Aggies to Gainbridge Fieldhouse at high noon. Both teams are ranked in the top 25 but achieve their success in different ways. There may not be a bigger discrepancy in playing style on Saturday between Purdue and Texas A&M.

For Purdue, expect elaborate sets and motions to setup Braden Smith in the pick and roll. They love to involve multiple players in the middle of the floor with various screens and dribble handoffs where they rely on Smith to make a lot of decisions.

On the other side, Texas A&M is up their with Houston as the most physical team in college basketball. They live on the offensive glass and aid that rebounding advantage with their play style. Expect a lot of isolation drives and with Purdue's struggles guarding the pick and pop, the Aggies could mix that in.

Texas A&M Offense

The Aggies have struggled shooting so far this season. They rank 290th in eFG%, including 30% from three as a team. Wade Taylor plays a huge role because of his ability for shooting explosions but can also be equally cold. The two other shooters are Hefner (#2) and Wilcher (#10) coming off the bench.

Despite the Aggies being ice cold to start the season, they still rank as a top 50 offense because they are the best offensive rebounding team and force their way to the free throw line. Everyone on the floor can drive the ball and their athleticism puts immense amount of pressure on the rim.

Texas A&M will use a lot of "simple" actions but they put athletes in space to draw help which opens the glass for put backs. After timeouts, they like to run actions that involve their shooters. With the success that Ole Miss had, I expect Texas A&M to use their athletic wings to set high ball screens before popping and looking to drive.

Texas A&M Defense

Purdue has played some pressure defenses in Marquette and Penn State, but while those teams focus on causing havoc and forcing turnovers, Texas A&M tries to pressure their opponent into being predictable. They play the no middle style of defense that relies on early rotations.

The Aggies like to play a 1-2-2 press that is designed to delay offenses but they will get aggressive if Purdue shows weaknesses. They are great at covering middle which leaves the sidelines as the weak spot.

In the half-court, they will switch a lot 1-4 in interchanges, screens, or handoffs. With their five man, they like to hedge ball screens. Getting the ball into the post will be difficult as A&M plays a hand and foot over the top and will double from the baseline if the ball gets to the post.

Key Players

#4 - Wade Taylor

Taylor is the Aggies' star and has been for the last 3 years. He prefers driving right and is willing to shoot from anywhere at anytime. When he blows by his defender and draws attention, he looks to setup his teammates. I think I would use Smith on Taylor because Taylor is the least physical Aggie.

#11 - Andersson Garcia

He is a defensive stalwart and does all the little stuff for A&M. His matchup with Cam Heide will be key in deciding who wins this game. Garcia is the more physical player but Heide's shooting and cutting could be a key component of Purdue's offense.

#1 - Zhuric Phelps

Phelps has gotten some national hype but has struggled to from the field. He is going to put his head down to drive, Purdue has to be great on the ball staying in front and looking to close gaps off bad shooters. Phelps could give Purdue a lot of trouble with his strength so I would give this matchup to Colvin.

How Does Purdue Win?

• Keep A&M out of the paint - Be great defending the ball and shrink the floor - make A&M shoot.

• Rebound the ball - Bigs have to fight for position on the weakside and the guards have to pursue the ball.

• Purdue's role players sustaining advantages - cutting and passing will be huge. A&M will force Smith and Kauffman-Renn to pass, the responsibility will be on the role players to take advantage.

• Play fast - Don't let A&M rebounding and the 1-2-2 press delay the game and force Purdue to play with a short shot clock.