Ahead of No. 12 Texas A&M’s (4-0) clash with Penn State (4-0) in the ESPN Invitational Tournament in Orlando, Florida, on Thanksgiving Day, the Aggies are already well positioned in the all-important KenPom rankings.
While the Nittany Lions are undefeated, this is an entirely different lineup compared to the hot-shooting team that caught A&M off guard in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in March, defeating the Aggies 79-59. However, defeating Penn State would set up a semifinal matchup with either Butler (3-1) or the 19th-ranked Florida Atlantic Owls (2-1), who made the Final Four last March.
As of Wednesday, the Aggies are ranked 18th in the newest KenPom Top 25, ranked one spot above Kentucky (19th) and below Mississippi State (17th) and Auburn (16th).
After earning back-to-back road wins over Ohio State and SMU, A&M defeated Oral Roberts, 74-66, behind senior forward Henry Coleman III’s third consecutive double-double, including 32 points and 25 rebounds in the span of four days against SMU and the Golden Eagles.
While starting forward, Julius Marbles’ absence due to an ongoing “University process” leaves a hole in the Aggies’ lineup; it will take a significant improvement from star junior guard Wade Taylor IV to increase his shooting percentage. At the same time, the team as a whole will need to improve drastically from beyond the arc.
Texas A&M will head to Orlando, Florida, for the annual ESPN Invitational Tournament, taking on Penn State (4-0) at 11 a.m. CT. The game is being carried by ESPN.
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