Detmer wrote:

AF_Puma wrote:

The honest truth is that I don't know what to expect in this game. I was happy when I initially reviewed the stats for this team and I saw they had no predominate PG, which always causes us havoc, but then reading that they have six players 6'9" and are all very athletic, then I worry a bit more.

ESPN's take on the Aggies doesn't scare me, but that's one guy's opinion:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/clubhouse?teamId=245

I like one comment by ESPN's Andy Glockner about BYU:
"This would not be the best of draws for your team in Round 1."

Let's hope that is so. His review on the Cougars is much more uptempo than Tim Griffin's on the Aggies.

I just want one game...

Good chance that officiating has something to do with it. If the refs let their team play UNLV style defense (and basically rape our players) we are going to have a tough time. If the game is called a little tighter that'll be good news for the Cougars.

Detmer,

I'm sorry, I saw your name and saw you mentioning the "raping of players" and all I could think of was the last time our two schools met in the Holiday Bowl...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmbc7k299vk 65-14? Detmer separates both shoulders? Yikes!

I hope you know that I'm just joking and I know that game has absolutely nothing to do with this one. I have nothing but respect for BYU.

But in regards to this game here's how I see it from an Aggie point of view... We are an extremely hot and cold team as I'm sure many of you have already heard. I have seen a few mention A&M's lack of outside shooting. This is simply not true. One of the main differences from last year's Aggie team is not having Acie Law. His penetration created open shots all over the floor and Josh Carter benefited from this the most (He shot 50% from 3). This year teams that have stuck to Carter man to man have slowed him down. He's only shooting 36.8% this year from 3. If BYU utilizes a zone at all, the Aggie shooters will make the Cougs pay. In addition to Carter, Dominique Kirk (42.5% from 3) Donald Sloan (28.1% from 3) and even one of our big men Joseph Jones (40.0% from 3) can all stick the open outside shot which will be given to them if BYU decides to zone up. Alternatively, if the Cougs man up, I think our bigs will be too much to handle down low. If I were BYU I would run some junk defenses like a triangle and two (man up on Carter and Kirk) or a box and 1 (man up on Carter). To be sucessful on defense BYU will have to try and clog the paint, not allow any offensive rebounds, and try to get a hand up in the faces of Kirk and Carter on the outside.

For A&M on the defensive side, we are almost exclusively a man to man half court pressure D. We rotate 4 quality bigs who try and eat up the paint(6-9, 6-9, 6-10, and 7-0) so we have lots of fouls to give down low and we will generally use every one of them. Dominique Kirk is highly regarded on the defensive end and has been named to the All Big-12 defensive team each of the last 3 years. I assume he will be on Cummard, but I could be wrong about that. Teams that seem to expose A&M's D run lots of high screens and hit the open outside shots. The shots from 3 will be there for BYU, it will just be a matter of the Cougs dropping them in the bucket. We are a force on the defensive boards so if the shots aren't dropping it's going to severely limit the offensive possesions for the Cougs. I think if BYU can shoot above 35% from 3 and above 75% from the FT line (They will get PLENTY of chances from there)they have a great chance to win the game.

I look forward to a hard fought, injury free game, and wish you guys luck!

Gig Em!

rackem wrote:

A&M plays an up tempo game with shooters.

Really? That's the exact oppisite of what David Fox on Rivals.com is saying

David Fox - Rivals.com wrote:

BACKCOURT: Sloan is one of A&M's only perimeter scoring threats and he didn't average in double-digits. Kirk is a sure-handed guard who is one of the Big 12's best defenders. Needless to say the Aggies miss Acie Law IV.
FRONTCOURT: The Aggies' strength certainly lies in the frontcourt, where they can overpower opponents. Carter and Jones are the leaders there, but they struggled over the final third of the season. Jordan also has struggled with consistency.

ABYUFAN wrote:

I have BYU winning the first round game, and for good measure, I have them beating UCLA. Because I think UCLA is the second best team in the tourney, this year (behind UNC) I have the Cougs going all the way to the National Championship game - ultimately loosing to the Heels by 20.

I figure my brackets suck every year, why not be an unabashed homer?

p.s. I have no money on the line, its just pride!;)

And we could all use a little less of that.

txaggies03 wrote:

Detmer wrote:

AF_Puma wrote:

The honest truth is that I don't know what to expect in this game. I was happy when I initially reviewed the stats for this team and I saw they had no predominate PG, which always causes us havoc, but then reading that they have six players 6'9" and are all very athletic, then I worry a bit more.

ESPN's take on the Aggies doesn't scare me, but that's one guy's opinion:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/clubhouse?teamId=245

I like one comment by ESPN's Andy Glockner about BYU:
"This would not be the best of draws for your team in Round 1."

Let's hope that is so. His review on the Cougars is much more uptempo than Tim Griffin's on the Aggies.

I just want one game...

Good chance that officiating has something to do with it. If the refs let their team play UNLV style defense (and basically rape our players) we are going to have a tough time. If the game is called a little tighter that'll be good news for the Cougars.

Detmer,

I'm sorry, I saw your name and saw you mentioning the "raping of players" and all I could think of was the last time our two schools met in the Holiday Bowl...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmbc7k299vk 65-14? Detmer separates both shoulders? Yikes!

I hope you know that I'm just joking and I know that game has absolutely nothing to do with this one. I have nothing but respect for BYU.

But in regards to this game here's how I see it from an Aggie point of view... We are an extremely hot and cold team as I'm sure many of you have already heard. I have seen a few mention A&M's lack of outside shooting. This is simply not true. One of the main differences from last year's Aggie team is not having Acie Law. His penetration created open shots all over the floor and Josh Carter benefited from this the most (He shot 50% from 3). This year teams that have stuck to Carter man to man have slowed him down. He's only shooting 36.8% this year from 3. If BYU utilizes a zone at all, the Aggie shooters will make the Cougs pay. In addition to Carter, Dominique Kirk (42.5% from 3) Donald Sloan (28.1% from 3) and even one of our big men Joseph Jones (40.0% from 3) can all stick the open outside shot which will be given to them if BYU decides to zone up. Alternatively, if the Cougs man up, I think our bigs will be too much to handle down low. If I were BYU I would run some junk defenses like a triangle and two (man up on Carter and Kirk) or a box and 1 (man up on Carter). To be sucessful on defense BYU will have to try and clog the paint, not allow any offensive rebounds, and try to get a hand up in the faces of Kirk and Carter on the outside.

For A&M on the defensive side, we are almost exclusively a man to man half court pressure D. We rotate 4 quality bigs who try and eat up the paint(6-9, 6-9, 6-10, and 7-0) so we have lots of fouls to give down low and we will generally use every one of them. Dominique Kirk is highly regarded on the defensive end and has been named to the All Big-12 defensive team each of the last 3 years. I assume he will be on Cummard, but I could be wrong about that. Teams that seem to expose A&M's D run lots of high screens and hit the open outside shots. The shots from 3 will be there for BYU, it will just be a matter of the Cougs dropping them in the bucket. We are a force on the defensive boards so if the shots aren't dropping it's going to severely limit the offensive possesions for the Cougs. I think if BYU can shoot above 35% from 3 and above 75% from the FT line (They will get PLENTY of chances from there)they have a great chance to win the game.

I look forward to a hard fought, injury free game, and wish you guys luck!

Gig Em!

Welcome to the board and thanks for the insight. I take comfort in knowing that Rose does a good job at scouting. We'll be prepared, so as you point out I think it will depend whether our shots are falling.

Welcome to the board and thanks for the scouting report. BYU has 4 guys who can carry the team and when two of the 4 are hitting, BYU has won and when 3 or more are hitting, they blow out the other team.

Plaisted is a C/F who is put in the post and has some moves, but is not primetime contrary to what some might think. He has an awkward shot, but when it's falling, he can run up to 25 points before the game is over. He has no outside shot and gets all his points off of feeds or pluck. He is very athletic, but doesn't dominate anyone with his same skill level.

Cummard is POY in the MWC and is the heart of this team. He's a swingman that is very athletic, but is a bit on the light side so he can't make his defender back down on the block. He can hit the 3 and drive in the lane, but doesn't always tack advantage of his moves near the basket. He can play great defense, but will make silly fouls at the wrong time and end up on the bench more than on the court when he's needed most. If he is on and Plaisted is on, then BYU will win this game. They are really co-MVPs for the team this season.

Tavernari can be the key to this game. He plays forward and has improved more than anyone this season for BYU in defense and hustle. He can be deadly from the 3 and if his shots are on, he can run up to 20+ points before you know it. He's not the greatest defender and is a better rebounder now than before the season started. He can pick up the scoring slack for either Plaisted or Cummard, but if he is the only one hitting of the big three, then BYU is likely to lose.

Freddette is a true freshman guard who is streaky and can drive. He is also a decent point guard, though that isn't his position on the team. He's first off the bench, unless Plaisted is in foul trouble. He has the tools to be very special for BYU and can heat it up too. If he is hitting, it takes some of the pressure off of Tav and Cummard.

The starting guards, Burgess and Murdoch, are decent, but not great. They are smart and don't beat themselves. I wish they were quicker and more accurate from the floor, but if they are playing sound, they are not a weak link.

The team has decent, but not great, support off the bench, mostly for the front court with Miles and Collinsworth, who both are athletic, but still raw in getting the job done.

They can play zone and are very good at rotating and switching. They can play man as well, though the zone seems to work better. Cummard is the defensive stopper for BYU, and Rose, the coach, emphasis strong defense as well. But like any team, if the opponent is sinking their 3s, it doesn't bode well for BYU.

That's just a brief summary and perhaps some of my fellow fans can correct or add to my comments as necessary.

It should be a great game. I lived in DFW for a few years and have friends who went to aTm. I look forward to it.
txaggies03 wrote:

Detmer,

I'm sorry, I saw your name and saw you mentioning the "raping of players" and all I could think of was the last time our two schools met in the Holiday Bowl...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmbc7k299vk 65-14? Detmer separates both shoulders? Yikes!

I hope you know that I'm just joking and I know that game has absolutely nothing to do with this one. I have nothing but respect for BYU.

But in regards to this game here's how I see it from an Aggie point of view... We are an extremely hot and cold team as I'm sure many of you have already heard. I have seen a few mention A&M's lack of outside shooting. This is simply not true. One of the main differences from last year's Aggie team is not having Acie Law. His penetration created open shots all over the floor and Josh Carter benefited from this the most (He shot 50% from 3). This year teams that have stuck to Carter man to man have slowed him down. He's only shooting 36.8% this year from 3. If BYU utilizes a zone at all, the Aggie shooters will make the Cougs pay. In addition to Carter, Dominique Kirk (42.5% from 3) Donald Sloan (28.1% from 3) and even one of our big men Joseph Jones (40.0% from 3) can all stick the open outside shot which will be given to them if BYU decides to zone up. Alternatively, if the Cougs man up, I think our bigs will be too much to handle down low. If I were BYU I would run some junk defenses like a triangle and two (man up on Carter and Kirk) or a box and 1 (man up on Carter). To be sucessful on defense BYU will have to try and clog the paint, not allow any offensive rebounds, and try to get a hand up in the faces of Kirk and Carter on the outside.

For A&M on the defensive side, we are almost exclusively a man to man half court pressure D. We rotate 4 quality bigs who try and eat up the paint(6-9, 6-9, 6-10, and 7-0) so we have lots of fouls to give down low and we will generally use every one of them. Dominique Kirk is highly regarded on the defensive end and has been named to the All Big-12 defensive team each of the last 3 years. I assume he will be on Cummard, but I could be wrong about that. Teams that seem to expose A&M's D run lots of high screens and hit the open outside shots. The shots from 3 will be there for BYU, it will just be a matter of the Cougs dropping them in the bucket. We are a force on the defensive boards so if the shots aren't dropping it's going to severely limit the offensive possesions for the Cougs. I think if BYU can shoot above 35% from 3 and above 75% from the FT line (They will get PLENTY of chances from there)they have a great chance to win the game.

I look forward to a hard fought, injury free game, and wish you guys luck!

Gig Em!

stjohnsmythe,

Dave must be looking at #s that I can't read.
Both BYU and A&M shoot 46% from the field. A&M has 20 games where they have scored over 70 points. A&M averages .358 from the 3 point line and are .637 from the line. You gotta have shooters to put up those kind of numbers.
Just because Rivals say something, the #'s don't lie.

GO Cougs.