Aggies to have hands full with freshman Edwards
COLLEGE STATION — A day after the nation fills up on sweets, Texas A&M promises it is going to try and keep Georgia’s Anthony Edwards from his “sweet spots,” as A&M guard Jay Jay Chandler dubbed them.
“He knows his sweet spots on the court,” Chandler said of the dynamic freshman guard. “Then when everyone is (keying) on him, he gets his teammates involved, and they also help him find his sweet spots. He’s very smooth, and he does a little rocking to get into his shots.”
The Aggies (11-12, 5-6 SEC) hope Reed Arena is rocking at 2:30 p.m. Saturday when they host Georgia (12-12, 2-9) and Edwards, a potential top pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. A&M has lost two consecutive games for the first time since mid-January following a 78-61 home loss to Florida on Wednesday.
“They’re accepting of how narrow the path is for us to have a chance to win,” A&M first-year coach Buzz Williams said. “And to still have the toughness to follow that path — that’s real hard.”
The Aggies will spend Saturday trying to cut off Edwards’ path to the basket — or anywhere on the court. Edwards scored 29 points and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds in Georgia’s 63-48 victory over A&M on Feb. 1 in Athens, Ga.
The Bulldogs led 24-21 at halftime before opening the second half with a 15-6 burst, keyed by Edwards’ eight points. The game never was in doubt the rest of the way, and A&M had its three-game SEC road win streak snapped as Edwards scored 20 points in the final 20 minutes.
“We didn’t slow him down off the catch or off the bounce,” Williams said. “It was like we were at a different level, and not in a good way. One player can’t stop him, or any other elite level guard, because they’re so crafty with the ball, and they can gain space.”
Williams intends to
throw a couple of defenders at Edwards (6-5, 225), who followed his 29 points against A&M with 32 at Florida before scoring a combined 30 points against Alabama and South Carolina. Georgia has lost three consecutive games since handily defeating the Aggies and had lost four straight before its A&M win.
“How can the guy on the ball make him uncomfortable enough that he’s going in the direction of one of the two (defenders) in the gap?” Williams said of the Aggies’ game plan against Edwards. “Now that gap pressure, and because he’s uncomfortable with the ball pressure to some degree, makes him have to give it up.
“You can’t give a player who’s as talented as he is at scoring the ball vision because now he can score and make the game easier for (teammates). We did none of what I just said at Georgia, but I would think that’s the best approach.”
Edwards, who was 247Sports.com’s top-rated high school player a year ago, is averaging 21 points per game in conference contests. Sports Illustrated and NBAdraft.net project him as the No. 1 overall selection this summer, while NBC Sports and NBA Draft Room guess Edwards will go second.
“I’ve never worked in the NBA, but he is a topthree pick,” Williams said. “And we did not handle him at all well (at Georgia).”
Georgia coach Tom Crean said Edwards provides plenty of spark on the court, but even at 18 years old, he must better assert himself as a vocal leader, based on his talent.
“That higher level of energy, he’s one of those guys who has that,” Crean said. “But we don’t have it verbally as much as we (need).”
Crean figures developing that trait will come in handy for Edwards in running a team at the next level, even if that’s at age 19. As the Bulldogs’ disappointing season winds down, Edwards lately is learning all about losing with Georgia dropping seven of its past eight games.
Barring a miracle finish for the Bulldogs, one of the likely top three selections in the NBA draft this summer won’t compete in the NCAA Tournament.
“At the end of the day, we’ve got to coach ’em better,” Crean said.