FAYETTEVILLE — Texas A&M is the SEC’s worst-shooting basketball team at 40.1% on the season. But the Aggies do a good job of getting their misses.
Going into their game against the University of Arkansas tonight at Walton Arena, the Aggies are averaging 18.8 offensive rebounds to lead the nation.
Among SEC teams, the Aggies’ overall plus-10 rebounding margin ranks second behind Florida’s plus-10.9.
The Gators’ margin was helped in their 90-68 victory over Arkansas (9-7, 0-3) last Saturday when they won the rebounding battle 48-31.
When Texas A&M (10-6, 1-3) beat No. 8 Kentucky 97-92 in overtime at home last Saturday, the Aggies outrebounded the Wildcats 54-46 and had 25 offensive rebounds.
“It’s discouraging that we didn’t rebound,” Arkansas Coach Eric Musselman said on the Razorback Sports Network postgame radio show about Florida having 15 offensive rebounds. “We know Texas A&M is a phenomenal rebounding team.”
Aggies 6-7 senior Andersson Garcia plays off the bench, but he’s averaging 8.6 rebounds to lead the SEC. Nearly half of his rebounds — 4.2 per game — are on the offensive end.
Henry Coleman, a 6-8 senior in his third season at Texas A&M after transferring from Duke, is averaging 8.0 rebounds, including 3.1 offensive.
Aggies 6-5 junior guard Tyrece Radford is averaging 2.6 offensive rebounds among his total of 5.5.
By contrast, 6-10 sophomore Trevon Brazile is averaging 2.0 offensive rebounds to lead Arkansas.
“Radford is probably the No. 1 offensive rebounding guard in the entire country,” Musselman said on a video posted on Arkansas’ website.
Texas A&M is rebounding 44.7% of its missed shots to lead the SEC. Arkansas is rebounding 26.6% of its misses to rank last in the conference.
Six Aggies had at least five rebounds against Kentucky led by Radford (9 total and 5 offensive), 6-7 sophomore Solomon Washington (9 and 4), Garcia (8 and 4) and 6-10 senior Wildens Leveque (7 and 5).
Washington missed the previous two games — which Texas A&M lost to LSU and at No. 13 Auburn — with an undisclosed injury.
Junior guard Wade Taylor led the Aggies with 31 points against Kentucky and Radford scored 28, but Texas A&M Coach Buzz Williams had special praise for Washington.
“I thought Solo was probably the player of the game,” Williams said. “You can for sure have an argument that Solo is our best defender.
“I would say that’s what he cares the most about. He’s a strong athlete with size who can guard whoever you want him to guard, and he has a distinct presence on the glass on both ends of the floor.
“I thought his energy was tremendous.”
Radford agreed.
“[Washington’s] energy is everything,” Radford said. “It’s just that spark that we need, and I can say with that he leads the team.
“He’s bringing that energy day in and day out. … You don’t need a specific time for him to bring it, he just brings it. That’s the elite part of his game.”
Arkansas freshman guard Layden Blocker and sophomore guard Joseph Pinion brought some energy off the bench at Florida, scoring season-highs of 14 and 12 points, respectively.
Pinion hit 2 of 4 three-pointers, a huge lift from the perimeter considering Arkansas is 15 of 60 from beyond the arc in SEC games.
“Joseph Pinion gave us great energy,” Musselman said in the video posted by Arkansas. “He stretched the floor for us from three.”
Blocker hit 4 of 7 shots and 6 of 10 free throws and had 4 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 assist.
“Layden Blocker had a great overall game on both sides of the ball,” Musselman said in the Arkansas video. “He brought great, great energy and played with enthusiasm.
“So both those two guys [are] coming off really good games, and somehow we’ve got to figure out a way to get them involved in this game on Tuesday night as well.”
The Razorbacks have started poorly in SEC play the previous three years at 2-4 in 2021, 0-3 in 2022 and 1-5 in 2023. But they finished 13-4, 13-5 and 8-10 and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight in 2021 and 2022 and to the Sweet 16 last season.
“Of course, we all think we have a chance to turn this thing around,” Blocker said after the Florida game. “Coach tells us every day we’re not playing at our best, but we still have a chance to be great if we go to March and make something happen.
“We’ve got to keep getting better day by day.”
Arkansas has to win tonight to avoid its first 0-4 SEC start since 2009, when the Razorbacks finished 2-14.
“This group does not have the characteristics of our past four years,” Musselman said after the Florida game. “I mean, you can see that. We have a lot of holes in a lot of different areas.
“So our job as a staff will be to continue to do what we can, try to provide teaching points, to try to continue to give scouting reports that are effective.
“That’s what we’re supposed to do, is continue to try to get guys better and get the collective whole better.”
Of all the issues the Razorbacks are trying to fix, limiting Texas A&M’s offensive rebounds figures to be the biggest key tonight.
