Texas A&M (9-2) has won five in a row after defeating No. 11 Purdue (8-3) in what should be considered a road game instead of a neutral-court matchup during Saturday’s Indy Classic.
Defeating the Boilermakers 70-66, A&M’s prolific defense never wilted. At the same time, the Aggies saw minor improvement from beyond the arc and enhanced play from junior big man Pharrel Payne, who finished with 16 points and nine rebounds in his best game with the program.
While A&M’s average offense can only improve heading into SEC play, if the defense continues to suffocate opponents and neutralize consistency from beyond the arc, the team can beat anyone on any given day.
The Aggies have won five consecutive games, and every victory has been against a major conference opponent, including Ohio State, Creighton, Rutgers, Wake Forest, Texas Tech, and now Purdue. If each team listed meets preseason expectations, we’re talking about four to five Quad 1 victories in nonconference play.
After the game, former Texas A&M star guard Quenton Jackson, currently on the Indiana Pacers’ 2024 roster, met the team in the locker room to congratulate the Aggies on the signature win. Here is Jackson’s post-game locker room speech:
Good dub boys đź‘Ť #GigEm pic.twitter.com/CquIKCSCee
— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) December 14, 2024
Texas A&M will return home to face Houston Christian at Reed Arena on Dec. 20 at 9:00 a.m. CST. The game can be watched on ESPN+/SECN+.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.