johngateswhiteley
01-05-2007, 07:57 AM
http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=2720288&name=katz_andy
Why no love for A&M?
posted: Thursday, January 4, 2007
Texas A&M is rocking its competition. Actually, the Aggies are obliterating folks of late.
They pounded Grambling State 101-27 and it could have been a lot worse after a 65-13 halftime score. They also throttled Winthrop, 71-51, and won at Auburn by 29 points (87-58) on the same court where Pitt only won by eight and against the same team that Oklahoma State only beat by one on a neutral court in South Padre Island, Texas.
Senior Acie Law is averaging 15.1 points and 5.8 assists and has a nearly 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio (81-40). Junior Joseph Jones has been a solid 13-point, 5-rebound performer inside. Sophomore shooter Josh Carter is shooting 53.4 percent on 3s, having made 39 of 73, including 5 of 9 against Winthrop. Senior Antanas Kavaliauskas has raised his scoring average from 6.5 to 12.9 points a game and his rebounding from 3.4 to 5.7 boards a game from his junior to senior year, making him one of the most improved players in the Big 12.
So, on the eve of the Aggies' Big 12 opener Saturday against Kansas State, why is there no buzz nationally about A&M?
Well, it might have to do with the perception that the Aggies lost its two big "name" games -- at LSU (64-52) and against UCLA (in Anaheim, less than an hour away from Westwood). But that would be treating the Aggies a bit unfairly and judging them with more scrutiny than, say, Kansas.
In a number of conversations with Texas A&M coach Billy Gillispie on Wednesday, we went into the various reasons as to why the Aggies would be judged differently, and the answer at the end of the day is that they shouldn't be by any standards. The Aggies should be credited for playing the two games, and for going to Auburn. Texas A&M lost to UCLA by three points. The only other team that played the Bruins that well this season was Washington State. The LSU loss was, well, the first road game of the season and isn't that appalling since the Tigers may not lose more than one home game in Baton Rouge this season (Wichita State got them already).
"I think we're a decent team, much better than last year,'' Gillispie said. "We've still got a long way to go.''
The one thing you'll see from a Texas A&M team under Gillispie is respect • respect for each other and for the opponent. You don't have to worry about a bad loss for the Aggies, because they seem to drill every lower-level opponent. This is hardly a team that plays down to its competition. The offensive production of Kavaliasukas and the 3-point threat of Carter make this a much more offensively potent team than the past two seasons.
Gillispie, while not politicking, would like to know why the Aggies would be given a different set of rules for losing games that they should be celebrated for scheduling. And he's right. The trigger word here is perception, and the perception shouldn't be the Aggies aren't playing well or aren't a high-level team just because they lost the two most recognizable games on the nonconference schedule. If you want a few other scores to digest, just look at what the Aggies did to Saint Louis (69-33) and Fordham (84-61), or for that matter Idaho State (74-44), which nearly beat Marquette.
So, Gillispie is right. And for that reason the Aggies should be looked at as a serious deep-in-March contender.
Why no love for A&M?
posted: Thursday, January 4, 2007
Texas A&M is rocking its competition. Actually, the Aggies are obliterating folks of late.
They pounded Grambling State 101-27 and it could have been a lot worse after a 65-13 halftime score. They also throttled Winthrop, 71-51, and won at Auburn by 29 points (87-58) on the same court where Pitt only won by eight and against the same team that Oklahoma State only beat by one on a neutral court in South Padre Island, Texas.
Senior Acie Law is averaging 15.1 points and 5.8 assists and has a nearly 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio (81-40). Junior Joseph Jones has been a solid 13-point, 5-rebound performer inside. Sophomore shooter Josh Carter is shooting 53.4 percent on 3s, having made 39 of 73, including 5 of 9 against Winthrop. Senior Antanas Kavaliauskas has raised his scoring average from 6.5 to 12.9 points a game and his rebounding from 3.4 to 5.7 boards a game from his junior to senior year, making him one of the most improved players in the Big 12.
So, on the eve of the Aggies' Big 12 opener Saturday against Kansas State, why is there no buzz nationally about A&M?
Well, it might have to do with the perception that the Aggies lost its two big "name" games -- at LSU (64-52) and against UCLA (in Anaheim, less than an hour away from Westwood). But that would be treating the Aggies a bit unfairly and judging them with more scrutiny than, say, Kansas.
In a number of conversations with Texas A&M coach Billy Gillispie on Wednesday, we went into the various reasons as to why the Aggies would be judged differently, and the answer at the end of the day is that they shouldn't be by any standards. The Aggies should be credited for playing the two games, and for going to Auburn. Texas A&M lost to UCLA by three points. The only other team that played the Bruins that well this season was Washington State. The LSU loss was, well, the first road game of the season and isn't that appalling since the Tigers may not lose more than one home game in Baton Rouge this season (Wichita State got them already).
"I think we're a decent team, much better than last year,'' Gillispie said. "We've still got a long way to go.''
The one thing you'll see from a Texas A&M team under Gillispie is respect • respect for each other and for the opponent. You don't have to worry about a bad loss for the Aggies, because they seem to drill every lower-level opponent. This is hardly a team that plays down to its competition. The offensive production of Kavaliasukas and the 3-point threat of Carter make this a much more offensively potent team than the past two seasons.
Gillispie, while not politicking, would like to know why the Aggies would be given a different set of rules for losing games that they should be celebrated for scheduling. And he's right. The trigger word here is perception, and the perception shouldn't be the Aggies aren't playing well or aren't a high-level team just because they lost the two most recognizable games on the nonconference schedule. If you want a few other scores to digest, just look at what the Aggies did to Saint Louis (69-33) and Fordham (84-61), or for that matter Idaho State (74-44), which nearly beat Marquette.
So, Gillispie is right. And for that reason the Aggies should be looked at as a serious deep-in-March contender.