No. 7 Texas A&M’s (20-6, 9-4 SEC) five-game conference winning streak ended on Tuesday night after falling to No. 22 Mississippi State 70-54 in what is considered the Aggies’ worst game of the season after shooting 35% from the field and committing 19 turnovers, culminating into a season-low 54 points.
Texas A&M’s offensive efficiency is now ranked 11th in the SEC, which has become a lagging issue under head coach Buzz Williams, who has relied on defense and rebounding to thwart opponents while keeping the scoring low. However, when turnovers enter the mix, the Aggies look like one of the worst teams in the conference that could lose any day of the week.
Yes, this sounds harsh, but Williams and his veteran know what led to past losing streaks that nearly kept the Aggies out of the NCAA Tournament the last two seasons. While Texas A&M is a lock for the big dance, the team must avoid a poor finish to the regular season to solidify a 2 or 3-seed in the tourney.
Before hosting No. 6 Tennessee for an early Saturday showdown in Reed Arena, ESPN’s Jeff Borzello released his latest college basketball power rankings. Unsurprisingly, the Aggies dropped four spots to No. 11 after Tuesday’s loss:
“Before Tuesday, A&M hadn’t had too many disastrous offensive performances this season. Scoring 54 points on 0.81 points per possession in a 16-point loss at Mississippi State starts to bring a few things to the forefront, though. The Aggies are now 11th in the SEC in offensive efficiency, 11th in 3-point percentage, 14th in 2-point percentage, and 16th in free throw percentage. Their offensive rebounding and defense is good enough to win games, but that offense can look quite ugly at time.”
Agreeing with Borzello’s fact-based statistical approach, Texas A&M’s offense won’t drastically improve this season. However, an increased focus on efficiency at the rim and more opportunities for forwards Pharrel Payne and Henry Coleman to replicate their previous performances are the key to getting back to form.
No. 7 Texas A&M will host No. 6 Tennessee in Reed Arena on Saturday, February 22nd, at 11:00 a.m. CT. The game will air on ESPN.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M drops to 11th in the latest SEC Basketball Power Rankings
