Texas A&M (16-4, 6-1 SEC) sits atop the SEC standings through seven games after blowing out back-to-back conference opponents, including South Carolina on Saturday night, as reserve senior forward Zach Clemence scored a career-high 21 points off seven three-pointers in one of the more surprising performances of the season from one of head coach Bucky McMillan’s first transfer portal additions.
While Clemence was the star of the show, the Aggies hit 17 three-pointers as a team, which is a record for the program in conference games, while senior guard Rylan Griffen has continued to look like the team’s most reliable scorer and defender outside of senior forward Rashuan Agee after scoring 48 points over the last three games, including nine threes.
After losing transfer forward Mackenzie Mgbako for the year, Griffen has stepped up as the team’s third leading scorer behind sharpshooter Ruben Dominguez (12.9) and Rashaun Agee (13.7), and while the Aggie offense, which averages over 91 points per game, is certainly the team’s strength on its face, Texas A&M’s defense has vastly improved.
Thanks to TexAgs basketball insider Luke Evangelist, KenPom’s updated conference rankings show that the Aggie defense is currently the No. 1 unit and ranks in the top 5 in six defensive categories. Texas A&M rose to No. 31 in the KenPom rankings after defeating South Carolina.
The SEC is wide open after Florida’s home loss to Auburn, and while the Aggies can afford to lose one or two more games ahead of a highly challenging February slate, Bucky McMillan and his veteran team have much larger goals, and if the offense and defense continue play off one another, this team will be tough to beat no matter the environment.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M’s defense ranked No. 1 in the SEC per KenPom
Reporting by Cameron Ohnysty, Aggies Wire / Aggies Wire
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