If we've learned anything about the Texas A&M men's basketball team in the first eight games, it's that there is no shortage of players confidently willing to pull the trigger with time winding down and the game on the line.
It has to be one of the team's more favorable characteristics for coach Mark Turgeon, who prides himself on being able to call on any number of players to get the job done in any situation.
Sophomores Nathan Walkup and B.J. Holmes came to A&M as players known for being able to shoot the ball. Even though neither averages in double-figures for points per game, both have maintained their reputations.
Walkup has only played 8 minutes in each of the last two games, but he's made his last four shots. Two of those shots were 3-pointers in the final 20 seconds of games -- one to beat Arizona and the other to set up a last-second game-tying 3 by Holmes in Saturday's victory against Alabama.
Walkup's game-winner against the Wildcats accounted for his only points of the game, yet he shot the ball with confidence.
What's most impressive about Holmes, who has now made eight 3s in his last three games, is that he overcame a horrific start (1 of 15) this season. And again on Saturday, the long-range shot that sent the game into overtime came after he had missed his previous two attempts.
With opponents shadowing A&M leading scorer Josh Carter from sideline to sideline, having Holmes and Walkup step up early in the season will give Turgeon more options down the stretch of the Big 12 schedule.
Point guard Donald Sloan and forward Bryan Davis proved last season they could be go-to guys late in games, and teams will still have to respect them and Carter. That's why Holmes and Walkup are key to the remainder of the season.
If teams defend the Aggies as they should (covering the big three of Carter, Sloan and Davis), Holmes and Walkup will likely get more opportunities at the end of tight games.
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Saturday's two big 3s were especially gratifying because they came on the road, where set plays in close games are more difficult to run as time winds down and the fans get loud.
Another key to winning tight games is free throw shooting, and the Aggies are a combined 34 of 42 from the line in their two closest finishes. On the other hand, Arizona and Alabama combined to make 23 of 37 free throws against A&M. Both teams could have put the Aggies away if they would have converted at the line in the final minute.
Neither of the A&M's two games at home this week should come down to last-second heroics. Florida A&M, the Aggies' opponent Monday, is 2-7. SMU is 3-3 going into its Monday night game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and will visit Reed Arena on Wednesday.
On Saturday, though, a matchup against a currently undefeated LSU squad at Houston's Toyota Center will offer a tournament-like atmosphere.
The Tigers haven't faced a high-quality opponent yet, so it's difficult to tell if they've returned to the status they held before missing out on postseason play last season. But the Tigers are led by Tasmin Mitchell and Garrett Temple, who were on the LSU team that made the Final Four in 2006, and are coached by Trent Johnson, who took Stanford to the Sweet 16 last season.
Richard Croome's e-mail address is richard.croome@theeagle.com.
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