The outcome of this contest was determined from the get-go. The Aggies pushed the pace early and were able to take advantage of the Islanders' weak transition defense. They exploited several matchups inside in transition. Early on, Justin Reynolds left the game with a hand injury.
The Islanders were able to create some turnovers and attack the basket. However, they often overdribbled into traffic, and made some poor passes. In particular, they made far too many post feeds into a sea of defenders. Also, the Islanders tended to turn the ball over way too frequently. For the Aggies, their offense came in spurts. Every time the Islanders went on a run, the Aggies would storm back into the game on points off of turnovers.
The Aggies big men outrebounded the Islanders' frontcourt in the first half. They possessed some nice set plays to free up jump shooters. They do have some weapons from beyond the arc, including Nathan Walkup and BJ Holmes who shot the ball well and were able to run around picks for open shots.
More impressive than their perimeter shooting was the athleticism of the Aggies' bigs- Middleton and Roberson. They really controlled the paint in the first half and rebounded the ball, particularly on the defensive end. They played tough defense on Bond, Reynolds, and Watt as well.
Player Evaluations
TAMCC:
Demond Watt- Watt was one of the few bright spots on this Islanders squad. He was physical on both ends of the floor and really asserted himself in the second half. He again displayed his drop step and quick slashing moves to the basket. Watt is fairly agile and able to get around most defenders, even when he is on the baseline. He shot a higher percentage from the line in this contest, and was able to get there often thanks to his aggressive basketball instincts. Overall, Watt looks like a borderline case for the Portsmouth Invitational. He is a bit undersized, and he has not demonstrated any midrange game. If he can improve on that and not turn the ball over as he did tonight, Watt might receive some looks.
Terrence Jones- Jones helped the Islanders stay in the game early by attacking the basket relentlessly. Not only did he display a decent handle when driving, he was also able to hit open bigs in the paint. Despite this, he turned the ball over far too often, and must work on this before he can be considered a pure point guard at the college level. Jones did not look to shoot much from the perimeter, but had a nice first step, which he exploited at every possible instance. Jones will have to improve his game in order to provide some stability for the Islanders because they turned the ball over far too frequently.
Texas A&M:
Kourtney Roberson- This freshman made an immediate impact on the floor today and could be one of the top youngsters in the Big 12. Roberson has a very strong physique and thus does not have the appearance of a typical freshman. He weighs 230 pounds, and is extremely physical inside- corralled rebounds and playing hard nosed man to man post defense. Given his strength, Roberson is able to contort his body on post ups and absorb contact inside. He was able to run with the Aggies when they pushed the tempo. Early on in his career, Roberson has the physical attributes of an NBA power forward. He needs to further develop his post game and continue to be assertive on the defensive end. But, he should receive looks from scouts almost immediately.
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