Oklahoma NCAA Basketball: Is Texas A&M a Good or Bad Sooner Sweet 16 Draw?
By Chip Rouse
For the second consecutive season, the Oklahoma NCAA basketball journey continues as one of 16 teams remaining on the road to college basketball’s Final Four.
The No. 2-seeded Sooners leave the friendly confines of Oklahoma City’s Chesapeake Energy Arena in the rear-view mirror and head out west to Anaheim, Calif., where they will match up with former Big 12 foe Texas A&M, the No. 3 seed in the West Region, in a Sweet 16 showdown.
The Aggies earned their way to Anaheim with an opening-round victory over Wisconsin-Green Bay and an unbelievable comeback and double-overtime triumph in the round of 32 over Northern Iowa.
Down by 12 points with just 44 seconds remaining in regulation, Texas A&M mounted an unprecedented turnaround, forcing the Panthers of Northern Iowa into back-to-back-to-back-to-back turnovers (count ’em, turnovers in four successive possessions), resulting in a dozen points and allowing the Aggies to tie the game at 71-all at the end of regulation.
It took a couple of overtime sessions, but Texas A&M finally prevailed in one of the most bizarre finishes in NCAA Tournament history.
What that means for Oklahoma is that it must now go up against the 3rd-seeded Aggies instead of having to face an 11 seed and Cinderella in Missouri Valley Tournament-champion Northern Iowa. Is that necessarily a bad thing for the Sooners?
I’m not sure that it is. While logic would lead us to conclude that you are better off facing a lower seed than a higher one in a one-and-done format like the NCAA Tournament, good mid-major teams like Wichita State, Gonzaga and Northern Iowa have a way of feeding off of their “Little Engine That Could” underdog status and rising to the occasion when they are told they don’t have a chance.
Along the same lines, good teams can get lulled into believing they are unbeatable and often don’t take teams outside of the Power 5 conferences as worthy opponents. I’m not suggesting that Oklahoma would take a team like Northern Iowa for granted, especially not at this stage in a national championship tournament, but history has proven that it does happen – and more times than you might think.
Oklahoma and Texas A&M played regularly when both were members of the Big 12. The Aggies left the Big 12 after the 2011 season to become a member of the Southeastern Conference.
The Sooners are 31-10 all-time against Texas A&M in basketball, but the two schools have not played each other since 2013.
Both teams have senior leadership in their starting units. The Sooners are a veteran squad (with four of the starters having started and played together in over 100 consecutive games) and a more explosive offensive team – and you would expect that when you have arguably the best player in the college game in Buddy Hield on your team. The Aggies have an advantage in size and length. They have a pair of backcourt players who stand 6-7.
Texas A&M is a hot team right now, which is exactly what you want in the postseason. The Aggies have come out on top in 10 of their last 11 games. They are led in the scoring column by 6-7 seniors Danuel House, who averages 15.8 points a game, and Jalen Jones, with a 15.4 scoring average.
The Aggies, led by SEC Coach of the Year Billy Kennedy, have won a school-record 28 games this season. Texas A&M has been to the Sweet 16 just two previous times in 13 NCAA appearances. Oklahoma is making its 10th appearance and second in as many seasons in the round of 16. The Sooners lost to Michigan State in the Sweet 16 last season.
For Oklahoma to win this game and advance to meet the winner of the other West Region semifinal game between No. 1 Oregon and No. 4 Duke, the Sooners need to get off to another strong start and not fall behind early, they must shoot the ball well – and not count on Buddy Hield bailing them out late – they must create transition baskets with their defense and they must get stops and not allow the Aggies to string together scoring runs of an 8-to-10-point differential.
Texas A&M will follow West Virginia’s game plan of denying Buddy Hield the ball (Hield only got off eight shots in the game and scored just six points in a two-point loss to West Virginia in the Big 12 Tournament).
Without the ball, the nation’s No. 2 scorer cannot beat you, and if you are making him work hard to get open and get looks at the basket, the idea is that you might wear down the Sooner superstar and make it more difficult for him to score.
Knowing that Hield is going to get plenty of defensive attention, the other OU scoring threats need to step up and make shots. The Aggies must also defend the three-point line and not let Hield, Isaiah Cousins, Jordan Woodard and even big-man Ryan Spangler get into a rhythm from three-point range. The Sooner have a couple of other good three-point shooters in reserves Dinjyil Walker and freshman Christian James who can burn you as well with the three ball.
My pick: I think this will be a close game, and we will probably see multiple lead swings. Texas A&M no doubt gained a ton of confidence that they can come back in any game after overcoming a 12-point deficit with under 45 seconds to go in the improbable double-overtime win over Northern Iowa.
More reason for Oklahoma not to get comfortable with any lead and be prepared and committed to keep attacking for the full 40 minutes. In the end, I’m picking the Sooners to win and advance. I believe OU has the experience edge and a better offensive arsenal that the Aggies, and if it comes down to free throws, OU has the advantage there, as well. Oklahoma 83, Texas A&M 77.