Texas A&M is bracing for a major test with Ohio State arriving Friday night for a matchup of Top 25 teams in College Station.
Texas A&M (2-1) dropped from No. 13 to 23 in the Associated Press poll after a season-opening upset loss at UCF. The Aggies regrouped quickly over their past two games. The Aggies dispatched East Texas A&M and Lamar by 26 or more points heading into their first shot at a ranked opponent.
The 21st-ranked Buckeyes (2-0) are preparing to face a second ranked foe in three games to open this season and early returns indicate Ohio State can stick around as a challenger because of its perimeter shooting.
Texas A&M beat Ohio State last season 73-66 in Columbus, Ohio.
Ohio State beat then-No. 19 Texas 80-72 in Las Vegas on Nov. 4, which vaulted the Buckeyes into the Top 25. Ohio State backed that ranking up by handling Youngstown State 81-47 on Monday.
The Buckeyes showed off their balance and depth with five players scoring in double figures in that win, highlighted by Aaron Bradshaw and John Mobley Jr., who each had 16 points. Ohio State shot a staggering 45.5 percent from 3-point range and pressured the perimeter well on the opposite end, limiting Youngstown State to only 23.7 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Two areas where the Buckeyes know they must improve if they are to remain unbeaten are rebounding and turnovers.
Ohio State outrebounded the Penguins 41-29 overall, but gave up 13 offensive rebounds.
The Buckeyes also committed 15 turnovers in each of their first two games. More miscues could feed right into Texas A&M’s defense, which has recorded a combined 18 steals over its past two contests.
“Coach was harping on us limiting our turnovers and we just wanted to keep our edge,” Bradshaw said after the win over Youngstown State. “It’s just playing in big-time games, we knew the schedule when we were recruited and we’re super excited to go into that environment and play in games like this.”
A major factor in the Aggies’ quick turnaround from the negative result to open the season is the emergence of Zhuric Phelps in his first season at A&M.
Phelps has led Texas A&M in scoring in each of its past two wins and finished with 16 points in a 97-71 win over Lamar on Monday night.
Phelps’ ability to attack the rim complements his talents as a distributor as he had seven assists as well on Monday. He and Wade Taylor IV, who finished with 13 points, could prove to be a dynamic tandem.
Their efforts sparked improved shooting performances for the Aggies over their past two games. Texas A&M shot 55.2 percent overall against Lamar and 55.7 percent against East Texas A&M. They also shot 46.2 percent from 3-point range against Lamar.
“What I think will eventually transpire is (Phelps) is going to make the game easier for the other four guys on the floor,” said Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams, who picked up his 350th career win Monday. “… I think he has a very high ceiling and he’s a very good on-the-ball defender and I think that changes our team as well.”
