The outlook for Texas A&M to post a third consecutive basketball victory over an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent seems promising.
Lately, A&M has been very adept at getting “threes.”
The Aggies (7-2) aim to vanquish a third straight ACC foe on Sunday when they face SMU (8-1) at 4 p.m. CT at College Park Center in Arlington.
A&M hit 15 times from 3-point range in a 95-59 victory over Florida State. Then, the Aggies hit nine times behind the arc in an 81-73 victory over Pittsburgh.
The Aggies are averaging 11.8 treys per game, which is 10th in the nation.
Obviously, 3-point shooting has been a big part of A&M’s success, but it’s by no means the only factor.
A&M is also 10th in the nation in free throws per game, 18th in turnovers forced and 16th in scoring with a 92.2 average.
Guard Rubén Dominguez is fourth in the nation in 3-pointers per game. He leads A&M with a 15.9-point scoring average.
Forward Rashaun Agee, who averages 11.7 points, has posted back-to-back double-doubles. Guard Rylan Griffen and Marcus Hill are also averaging more than 10 points per game.
Yet, coach Bucky McMillan indicated his collection of first-year transfers is developing into a cohesive unit.
“You can just tell that we’re coming together,” McMillan said. “Not just on the court, gelling with each other strategy-wise and all that. Just becoming a team playing for Texas A&M. As you expect, the longer guys play together, the better they’re going to get with that. That’s what I feel this group has been able to do, and they’ve got to keep getting better with that.”
The Aggies may need to be better to get by SMU, which could be the best opponent for A&M to face thus far.
Guard Boopie Miller averages 20.8 points, and guard Jaron Pierre Jr. averages 17.8 to lead the Mustangs, who average 89.4 points.
SMU is facing its third consecutive SEC opponent. The Mustangs defeated Mississippi State, 87-81, in overtime last week. On Wednesday, they fell to undefeated Vanderbilt, 88-69.
McMillan projects SMU to reach the NCAA Tournament. Therefore, a win over the Mustangs could eventually become a Quadrant 1 victory. That would potentially boost A&M’s NCAA Tournament resume.
“We’ve got a great opportunity now if we play good basketball,” McMillan said. “I’d rather play good basketball and lose than we play bad basketball and somehow win. You’ve got to play good basketball because that’s going to pay off long term.”
