Texas A&M (21-8, 13-3 SEC) lost for the first time in almost a month after falling to Mississippi State 69-62 inside Humphrey Coliseum on Saturday afternoon, failing to hit a shot from the field for nearly 13 minutes in the second half in one of the team’s worst offensive performances all season long. On Tuesday night, the Aggies will stay in the Magnolia State to face the Ole Miss Rebels (11-18, 3-13 SEC), who are coming off just their 7th home win this season against LSU on Saturday.
Even though the offense struggled mightily, sophomore guard Wade Taylor IV scored 21 points for his 10th 20-point game, and 9th 20-plus points game this season, while Henry Coleman III and Andersson Garcia both scored 11 points in an otherwise forgettable afternoon from the floor. It was a general lack of energy and turnovers (16 on the night) that did the Aggies in, knowing that if just a few more shots were made in the second half against the Bulldogs, discussing their 14th win in SEC play would be the primary narrative.
Counting as a Quad 1 loss, Texas A&M actually rose in both the USA TODAY Coaches poll (No. 21 from No. 25) and AP Top 25 poll (No. 24 from No. 25), all while the Aggies are still in contention for an SEC regular season title if they can defeat Ole Miss on Tuesday night plus an Alabama loss to Auburn that following Wednesday.
On Monday, Head coach Buzz Williams sat down with the local media to reflect on Saturday’s loss, and preview the team’s matchup with the Ole Miss Rebels who is still a very tough opponent despite their lackluster record. Here is what Buzz had to say ahead of Tuesday’s showdown.
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