Texas A&M loses to MSU 67-59, falls to 1-4 in SEC

Oof.

In a game riddled with sloppy play, Texas A&M managed to out-ugly the Bulldogs of Mississippi State in a 67-59 slog. A 10-0 run at the opening tip plus tremendous performances by the duo of Tyler Davis and Robert Williams were overcome by—you guessed it—turnovers and an offensive strategy that left fans going ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

A&M now drops to 1-4 in the SEC, 9-7 overall, and a whole lot of questions with little to no answers. Here our takeaways from todays missed opportunity against MSU.

Offense is really, really hard.

During the first half, A&M pulled off one of the more impressive feats you’d ever witness in a basketball. No, it wasn’t a major scoring run. No, it wasn’t a highlight reel play. No, it wasn’t a made 3-pointer.

Indeed, the Aggies committed *Lebron James voice* not 3, not 4, not 5, not 6.

The Aggies committed 8 straight turnovers.

For 8 offensive possessions, Texas A&M dribbled to their side of the court and could not even get a shot off. For 8 straight possessions, any 5 guys pulled from the Rec Center could have fared better than the Aggie basketball. The ineptitude led to a 16-2 run by the Bulldogs.

Despite it all, the run did not bury the Aggies. In fact, A&M bounced back with a major advantage in the frontcourt and put themselves in multiple situations to grab a solid victory on the road.

Then Tyler Davis and Robert Williams got 4 fouls, and the wheels came off. With the best advantages on the bench, Mississippi State took control of the game and ran away towards the end.

A&M on offense continues to be Plan A: Feed Davis or Williams in the post. Plan B: Wait wut?

We’re 16 games into the season and a solution has yet to materialize. I’m guessing we won’t see one anytime soon.

This Robert Williams Amazingness Got Wasted

Where to go from here?

It’s been mentioned multiple times already that the goodwill of last season has already vanished. A conference championship and Sweet 16 appearance that are not even a year old already seem like a lifetime ago. We haven’t reached February and a NIT appearance looks dicey at this stage, let alone the NCAA Tournament.

Youth and backcourt depth will continue to be go-to excuses, but a solid core of talent still resides in this roster that’s capable of competing in the SEC. Losing four seniors from last year, plus JJ Caldwell not being allowed are setbacks, but not enough for a team to drop from conference championship contender to program rebuild.

Saying A&M’s season hangs by a thread would be putting it kindly. The thread may already be cut at this point. Tuesday’s home contest against Arkansas truly has the whole season on the line. Lose that and this season may be buried with more than half the conference schedule still left to play.

BTHO arkansas