Anthony Collins can’t save Texas A&M from fourth straight SEC loss
If given the chance to pick which one of his players he’d like to have at the free throw line late in a game with the pressure on, Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy would undoubtedly choose senior Anthony Collins. Any coach would after looking at the numbers.
Prior to Wednesday’s game at Alabama, Collins had made 28 of his 30 free throw attempts this season, including eight of nine in the final two minutes of games. He is one of the best foul shooters in the country and wouldn’t you know it, he found himself toeing the line with two shots and two seconds remaining with his team down by one.
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Kennedy and the 15th-ranked Aggies couldn’t have possibly felt better about the situation. This was easy money and then Collins uncharacteristically missed the first attempt. No problem, a tie was still there for the taking. The Aggies could win in overtime. But Collins’ second attempt also bounced off the iron, allowing Alabama to escape with a 63-62 victory, it’s fourth win this season over a ranked opponent.
Texas A&M’s Anthony Collins misses late free throws, Alabama hangs on for the W #BuckleUp
Recap #LiveOn3340 at 10 pic.twitter.com/04vqgg59rS
— ABC 33/40 News (@abc3340) February 11, 2016
As Collins saw his second free throw bounce off the rim, he stepped back and bent at the waste not wanting to confront the reality that he somehow allowed a win to escape his grasp by failing to do one of the things he does best on the basketball court. Talk about a rough way to lose. There aren’t many tougher ways to drop a game.
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Now throw in the fact that it was the fourth consecutive SEC loss for the Aggies and the magnitude of those missed free throws is compounded. It’s suddenly easier to understand the pressure Collins must have felt standing on that line in a hostile arena with his teammates and coaches depending on his dependability.
Less than a minute earlier, Collins came through with a 3-pointer that kept his team in position to win by cutting the Alabame lead to one point. Collins scored 11 points and dished five assists in the game. Jalen Jones led the Aggies with 21 points.
Just two weeks ago Texas A&M was 17-2 and ranked in the top-five looking like a contender for No. 2 seed next month in the NCAA Tournament. Now the Aggies have to get over a crushing defeat and a losing streak with LSU and Kentucky coming in two of the next three games.
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[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo
