Category: NCAA Men’s Basketball

Texas A&M men’s basketball coach Buzz Williams admits that he does ‘not watch any games’

“Without being condescending, I have literally tried to live in the most narrow lane you can possibly imagine. Rarely look at my phone.”

The Texas A&M men’s basketball team has gotten off to an undefeated start through two games of SEC action and coach Buzz Williams is well aware of the debates that are beginning because of it.

“It is the first full week of conference play. If you were a fan, this would be fun. If you had a platform such as you guys or you were a media personality, like I am assuming some of you guys are, it is good fodder, it is good content. It is like, what about this and what about that and this coach and that player and what is next? What about what happened last week? That is what has created the exposure that this league has,” Williams explained Wednesday. “Without being condescending, I have literally tried to live in the most narrow lane you can possibly imagine. Rarely look at my phone. I do not watch any games. I am not talented enough to give away emotion and energy to something that does not impact us.

“Because when you are doing this for whatever, three hours tonight, shoot around this morning for an hour, film this morning before shootaround, chapel before film, travel here, all of the things that you are doing – when you give away time, energy, emotion over what is about to be one- and two-possession games for 10 consecutive weeks, I do not think you can lead from that. When you are trying as best as you can to be responsible and leading, on average, 20-year-olds who are completely bombarded, I just want to try to be the best example I can be. We are really thankful. We are glad that the bus ride, that the pizza will taste a little better. We are glad that it is only an hour home.

“But we are going to get home at whatever time, and literally, the preparation for Saturday’s game against another top 20 – this one, top five – team, starts as soon as I take a shower. I understand that is what comes with the job, so I do not want a portion of what I am saying to come across as if I am complaining. But thankful, OK, purge, cleanse. We have to figure out if we have a chance in another one- or two-possession game, if we can get it to that on Saturday.”

The No. 9 Aggies (13-2, 2-0 SEC) host No. 5 Alabama (13-2, 2-0) at Reed Arena on Saturday evening at 7 p.m. on ESPN.

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‘We tried real hard,’ Basketball coach Buzz Williams reflects on Aggies beating Oklahoma

“I do not think that they ever dropped their heads,” he said. “They were very accountable to one another and to what we were trying to do.”

After trailing by 18 points Wednesday night, the Texas A&M men’s basketball team fought back to beat Oklahoma on the road, which pleased head coach Buzz Williams.

“I just think we tried real hard. Oklahoma is so gifted offensively, and coach Moser is an offensive savant in regards to how he uses that talent. But there is always a lot of lipstick prior to the shot attempt that causes a lot of confusion, a lot of really gifted decision-makers with the ball. But the things that they are doing are really difficult to guard,” Williams explained. “In many respects, they beat us from start to finish. I do not know that you can give up 42 points from three with the 3-point field goal percentage being higher than the overall percentage and it not be 51-33. Actually, I would say that should be the line, 51-33, because everything that we were trying, they were taking advantage of and having near-perfect success.

“But I do think that the character of our guys and the relationships that they have with one another – they just hung around. I do not think that they ever dropped their heads. They were very accountable to one another and to what we were trying to do, and we were very fortunate to win.”

The No. 9 Aggies (13-2, 2-0 SEC) host No. 5 Alabama (13-2, 2-0) at Reed Arena on Saturday evening at 7 p.m. on ESPN.

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‘Zhu was tremendous,’ Coach Buzz Williams explains how Texas A&M won without Wade Taylor

“Zhu was tremendous. Zhu was really good on Saturday. But we can’t just give all of that to one player. Our group did a really good job.”

For only the second time in his historic Texas A&M career, senior point guard Wade Taylor IV missed a game Wednesday night due to injury.

However, the Aggies were still able to win at Oklahoma, thanks in large part to fellow senior PG, Zhuric Phelps.

“Statistically speaking, you could say that (Taylor) may be the best player (in Texas A&M history). There have been a lot of really good players. The game before Christmas was the first time that (Taylor) has ever missed the game, including the two practices prior, too. The same thing happened – I guess it would be Monday, Tuesday, entering today,” Aggies coach Buzz Williams recalled postgame. “He carries a lot for our team. He is incredibly gifted, but his IQ level as a player is probably at the same level or better than his talent. So not only did we miss his talent; we also missed his IQ. As best we could, our staff did a really good job of dispersing that burden and not putting it on one guy.

Latest 2025 NBA mock draft from ESPN has Kasparas Jakucionis as a top-5 pick

The freshman from Lithuania looks AMAZING.

While he wasn’t one of the most touted names before the NCAA season began, Illinois guard Kasparas Jakucionis is climbing up mock drafts.

Jakucionis, who previously played for Barcelona in Spain, is one of the best young guards in college basketball. He is averaging 16.4 points as well as 5.6 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game while shooting 41.4 percent on 3-pointers for Illinois.

With good positional size in the backcourt and also still a very young prospect, there is a lot to like about his game. Here is more from Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo (via ESPN):

“The 6-foot-6 Lithuanian is playing fantastic basketball, controlling games with outstanding pace as a scorer and passer, getting to spots on the floor and playing through contact or finishing skillfully around the basket while making high-level pick-and-roll reads and hitting 3-pointers off the dribble.

The 18-year-old has made significant strides physically over the past 18 months and is on an impressive trajectory, making the transition from Europe to college look easy. He has been showcasing his talent on one of the best teams in college basketball.”

Already very impressive in the pick and roll and able to create his own jumper on 3-pointers, the scoring upside is huge for the guard. Jakucionis scored at least 20 points in six consecutive games between November 25 and December 22.

He is averaging 1.4 unassisted 3-pointers per game, per CBB Analytics, which is the most among all freshman.

ESPN’s mock draft has Jakucionis going to the Hornets, but plenty of teams will have interest in his services if he keeps playing this well.

Meanwhile, for more prospect coverage, here is our latest NBA mock draft at For The Win.

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Mike Cronin roasts entire UCLA basketball team in blistering rant after Michigan loss

“It’s really hard to coach guys who are delusional.”

UCLA Bruins head coach Mike Cronin is completely over his team, and when given the chance to talk about it, he went IN.

Despite having a winning record, UCLA has lost three of its last four matchups, including a 19-point loss to No. 24 Michigan on Tuesday. Obviously, something like that might not sit well with a coach, and you expect a bit of frustration. But that’s not quite what happened with Bruins coach Mike Cronin.

In a postgame presser, he was perhaps a little too honest about his squad, and his energy was palpable as he unleashed a blistering rant. “We don’t play. We’re soft,” Cronin said. “So, don’t tell me you want to win…Every day, I have more passion and energy in practice…I mean, I don’t need to do anything else. I almost got 500 wins. I’m only 53…It’s a joke…It’s really hard to coach guys who are delusional.” YIKES.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEjmJ7aRLX_/?igsh=MW00enpkbHRhOXN4

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The Texas A&M men’s basketball team is ‘a very mature group’ per head coach Buzz Williams

“We have a group that has really good character, that’s important. When we’re together, our ideas have to be based on the truth,” Buzz said.

The Texas A&M men’s basketball team made a statement on Saturday night at Reed Arena, outscoring Texas by 20 points in the second half en route to an 80-60 victory in the conference opener.

Following the big win, Aggies coach Buzz Williams made his weekly appearance on “The Aggie Basketball Hour”

“The margins are just so thin. You always have to figure out a way to get better. We’re thankful for Saturday. There’s very little margin over the next nine weeks,” Williams said Monday. “We have a very mature group. We have a group that has really good character, and that’s important. When we’re together, our ideas have to be based on the truth.”

Next up for No. 9 Texas A&M (12-2, 1-0 SEC) is a road contest against the SEC’s other new addition, No. 16 Oklahoma (13-1, 0-1). Texas A&M faces off against the Sooners tonight at 8 p.m. from the Lloyd Noble Center on the SEC Network.

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Watch the No. 9 Texas A&M men’s basketball team assert its dominance against the Longhorns

The No. 9 Aggies face off against the No. 16 Oklahoma Sooners tonight at 8 p.m. from the Lloyd Noble Center on the SEC Network.

This past weekend, the Texas A&M men’s basketball team dominated the second half of its conference opener against Texas to win the return of the Lone Star Showdown on the hardwood.

The No. 9 Aggies (12-2, 1-0 SEC) were tied at 37 with the Longhorns (11-3, 0-1) at halftime on Saturday night at Reed Arena. Then, Texas A&M asserted its dominance by outscoring Texas 43-23 in the final 20 minutes of action to ultimately win 80-60.

“Their shots were at the rim,” Longhorns head coach Rodney Terry said postgame. “Our shots were perimeter shots. If we make some of those shots, it’s a different game.”

Next up for the Aggies is a road contest against the SEC’s other new addition, No. 16 Oklahoma (13-1, 0-1). Texas A&M faces off against the Sooners tonight at 8 p.m. from the Lloyd Noble Center on the SEC Network.

Relive the Aggies’ tremendous victory below in this highlight put together by the Texas A&M social media department:

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Men’s basketball coach Buzz Williams says that Texas A&M SG Hayden Hefner ‘is an assassin’

“You can’t judge a book by its cover. ‘H’ is an assassin. He’s going to do exactly what he’s supposed to do. I have great respect for him.”

It’s safe to say that Texas A&M men’s basketball head coach Buzz Williams is a member of the Hayden Hefner fan club.

In typical Buzz fashion, he was brutally honest about the graduate student shooting guard following an 80-60 victory versus Texas in the conference opener Saturday at Reed Arena.

“Probably the least talented player that played in the Lone Star Showdown, but it’s hard to grade guts,” Williams said of Hefner. “He’s got big guts.”

Then Monday, Williams provided massive praise for Hefner on “The Aggie Basketball Hour.”

“He’s not the same person from when he got here to today,” Williams explained. “You can’t judge a book by its cover. ‘H’ is an assassin. He’s going to do exactly what he’s supposed to do. I have great respect for him.”

The No. 9 Aggies face off against No. 16 Oklahoma tonight at 8 p.m. from the Lloyd Noble Center on the SEC Network.

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Huge second half leads No. 13 Texas A&M men’s basketball team past Longhorns in SEC opener

For the first time in nearly a decade, the Texas A&M men’s basketball team defeated its bitter rivals, the University of Texas, on Saturday.

For the first time in nearly a decade, the Texas A&M men’s basketball team has defeated its bitter rivals, the University of Texas.

The No. 13 Aggies (12-2, 1-0 SEC) beat the Longhorns (11-3, 0-1) by a final score of 80-60 on Saturday night at Reed Arena. Texas A&M outscored Texas 43-23 in the second half to win its conference opener at home.

This weekend’s Lone Star Showdown matchup was the first since December 2019. The victory is the Aggies‘ first against the Longhorns since November 2015.

Senior point guard Zhuric Phelps racked up a game-high 18 points on 6-of-8 field goal and free throw attempts, respectively. He added 7 rebounds (1 offensive), 4 assists and 1 steal.

Three other Texas A&M players scored in double-digits. Junior power forward Pharrel Payne recorded 15, senior PG Wade Taylor IV contributed 13 and senior shooting guard Manny Obaseki added 10.

Next up for the Aggies is a road contest against the SEC’s other new addition, No. 12 Oklahoma (13-1, 0-1). Texas A&M faces off against the Sooners at 8 p.m. Wednesday from the Lloyd Noble Center on the SEC Network.

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Texas A&M forward Henry Coleman III is excited for upcoming rivalry games in SEC schedule

“I think it emphasizes the game even more for both sides. Both teams are going to play even harder knowing the backstory behind a rivalry.”

Texas A&M power forward Henry Coleman III is pumped up for the beginning of SEC play.

The Aggies graduate student shared his excitement when speaking to the media on Friday afternoon.

“I think rivalries are good,” Coleman said. “They’re good for the people, they’re good for the sport, they’re good for the players, they’re good for the coaches. I think it allows two good teams to, whatever it is, — baseball, tennis, soccer, basketball — it just allows two teams to really go at it and have a little bit of background behind it. I think it just emphasizes the game even more for both sides.

“Both teams are going to play even harder knowing the backstory behind a rivalry. I think for us, we’re all excited. I know the coaches are excited, the players are very excited. We know we have a task at hand, we have to win the game. I think the guys and coaches have prepared us in the right way. We’re excited for (Saturday).”

Texas A&M hosts its bitter rival, the Texas Longhorns, tonight at Reed Arena to begin the conference schedule.

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