A&M numbers are numbing
Pitino says stats 'overpowering'
By Brian Bennett
[email protected]
The Courier-Journal
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Given one day to prepare for his second-round NCAA Tournament opponent, University of Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino planned to watch as much film as possible on Texas A&M.
He hoped the video would show some areas to exploit during today's South Regional game in Rupp Arena, because on paper the third-seeded Aggies appear devastating.
"They're the most overpowering team I've seen since I've been a coach, from a statistical standpoint," Pitino said.
Pick a category, and you're likely to find the Aggies (26-6) near the leaders in NCAA Division I. They're second in field-goal percentage defense (.372) and fifth in field-goal shooting (50.1 percent). They stop the three better than all but five teams (29.4 percent) and shoot it better than all but two (50.1 percent). They're also sixth in assists (18 per game) and fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.44).
"They have very few weaknesses, if any," U of L center David Padgett said. "That's why they've been in the top 10 all year and why everybody is saying they've got a legitimate shot to get to the Final Four."
If the No. 6-seeded Cardinals (24-9) want to get to the Sweet 16, they'll have to counter one of the most well-rounded teams in the tournament. That means they might have to play their best game of the season.
"You have to run your cuts to a 'T,' " sop re forward Terrence Williams said. "Cut off their big men to a 'T.' Bring your hands to the ball. You've got to do all the little things -- the things people tend to go away from -- to try to compete with them."
The Aggies have the nation's leading three-point shooter in sop re Josh Carter (51.6 percent). They have a pair of 6-foot-9, 250-pound forwards in Joseph Jones and Antanas Kavaliauskas, both of whom can rebound, score and put the ball on the floor. They have perhaps the nation's best point guard, and one of the best clutch players anywhere, in senior All-American Acie Law IV.
His last-minute heroics have become legendary in College Station. He has hit four three-pointers that have either tied or won games in the past six weeks.
His highlight might have come last month at Texas, when he drained a long three-pointer over Kevin Durant to force overtime, then made another one to send the game into a second overtime before the Aggies lost 98-96.
"In situations where we need to make a play, I know I need to be more aggressive and assert myself," Law said. "Not only just trying to get baskets, but putting pressure on defenses by getting into the lane."
Said teammate Jones: "He controls the game and does a good job getting everybody shots. Then when the time comes, he closes the game out for us."
The Cardinals also must be ready for a more rugged style than they're accustomed to. When asked to name the most physical team he saw this season, point guard Edgar Sosa answered Marquette.
"And Coach said they're like Marquette times 30," he said. "That's how physical A&M is. We just have to match their physicality and rebound the ball."
Marquette beat U of L in Freedom Hall and lost on Jerry Smith's last-second three-pointer in Milwaukee.
Pitino said his players won't wilt while being bumped on screens or pushed around in the paint.
"We have tough kids," he said. "When we have guys in our upper class, we'll hopefully be like them.
"But I think we'll be fine. We'll play as hard as we can play and understand that they're going to get some rebounds because they're a little more mature in some areas. We've got to do some things in other areas."
The Cards hope their pressure defense can work to their advantage, as it did in Thursday's 78-58 first-round rout of Stanford. They caused 21 turnovers in that game, converting them into 30 points.
The Aggies are a much better ballhandling team than Stanford, but in their six losses they averaged 15 turnovers compared with 11.9 in their victories.
"We haven't faced anybody who pressures the ball like them all season," Law said. "They force you to speed up and get out of your game. It's going to be a challenge for us."
U of L also figures to have a significant edge in depth. The Aggies typically use a seven-man rotation, while the Cards can go 10 or 11 deep now with the return of Juan Palacios. Texas A&M lost at least two starters to fouls in three of its losses.
The Cardinals' opponent is a statistical monster. Then again, if U of L can replicate its first-round performance, it can be scary, too.
"We have to be extremely prepared for this game," Padgett said. "But we're going to keep playing the way we have been. I don't think we need to go out there and do anything drastically different."
Brian Bennett can be reached at (502) 582-7177.
Not coach speak at all. The 13% difference betw FG% is the best in 20 yrs. If A&M plays their A game, then they will advance today. Jones has to stay out of foul trouble and Carter has to score better than he did in last game for that to happen. It will be tough with 90% of the fans rooting for Louisville, but the Aggies won at Kansas, so they can take something away from that victory and win again in the confines of Rupp.
Definitely "coach speak". Pitino is a master at it. I don't see any way that A&M wins this game.
LOL let us not forget that Acie Law and the aggies are the best team in history at racking up assists (just not on the road)
IMO texas a&m is overrated. lets see how the game vs louisville goes
they are not overrated but i'll be damned if i didnt see so many assists at home
Sweet 16, es.
Sosa went nutz, almost won the game by himself, then clanked/choked his 2 go-ahead FTs in last seconds. Aggies win.
http://www.ticketwood.com/ticketsear...earchID=554021
Suck it, .
Suck on that!
Jim! You going to San ANton?
The aggies have won 2 games without AK and Carter doing anything offensively. UL was a of a team and we still have room to improve. Sweet 16 es!!!!
all you haters out there... I sit here and I read this crap over and over again and think I know so much more about college b-ball than anyone... then I see I've missed only one game on my bracket and it proves it.
Yes!!!!
I applied for 6 tickets about 3 wks ago as a season ticket holder, on the chance that they get in South regional and to Sweet 16. It worked out perfectly, yes?
Did you actually get notification you got tickets? I heard they didn't have near enough to meet demand unless you're a big donor.
From my understanding, season ticket holders are guaranteed at least the amt of tickets that they have during the season. I have 4, and applied for 2 more, but I probably will not get all 6. Since the Alamo Dome holds 36,000 fans, I think that there will be enough for every season ticket holder to get their tickets.
I think the best part of all of this: the unsurprising disappearence of CaptMike...
I'd really love to talk to that guy right now... and then pee in his face.
Marist College.
That doesn't sound right Jim. They only got so many tickets for their allocation, and everyone else had to go outside the allocation and just buy from the Dome ticket office.
I think most people have gotten an email already letting them know if they didn't get tickets, so maybe you're in good shape.
If you end up with an extra I'd be interested in buying it from you.
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