Texas A&M guard Wade Taylor IV named to the SEC All-Tournament team

After scoring 82 points in three games during the SEC Tournament, Aggie guard Wade Taylor IV was named the SEC All-Tournament team

Texas A&M didn’t get the result they wanted in the SEC Tournament after losing to Florida in the Semifinals on Saturday afternoon. Still, nevertheless, the Aggies’ two wins were enough to earn the program its second consecutive NCAA Tournament birth.

Star junior guard Wade Taylor IV was on fire during the SEC tournament last week. He led all scorers with 82 points and averaged over 25 points a game. His memorable play earned him an All-Tournament selection.

Taylor led the Aggies to win over Ole Miss and Kentucky, bolstering the team’s resume and helping A&M earn their No. 9 seed. They will face No. 8 seed Nebraska on March 22 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Deserving a ton of credit for turning the team around late into the year, head coach Buzz Williams has another chance to earn his first NCAA Tournament win sporting the Maroon & White.

 

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

Best Photos: Texas A&M’s 95-90 loss to Florida – SEC Tournament – Semifinals

Photos: Here are some of the best photos from Saturday’s game against Florida.

The Texas A&M men’s basketball team ran out of team letting a sizable lead slip away in their loss to Florida on Saturday afternoon.

For the first time in three seasons, the Aggies will not be in the SEC Championship game. They had a strong showing over the last six games with the team playing some of the best basketball we have seen this year.

Wade Taylor is rounding back into All-SEC form reached a milestone of 1,500 points. Solomon Washington and Manny Obaseki have stepped up as well over the past month giving them much more needed offense that’s been missing most of the year.

The Aggies will now have to wait until Sunday to see if they did enough to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

 

No. 13 Texas A&M takes second straight SEC series beating No. 21 Mississippi State twice on Saturday

The Aggies extend their winning streak to eight and notch their second consecutive SEC series win

No. 13 Texas A&M (25-2, 5-0 SEC) wins the series over No. 21 Mississippi State (20-6, 2-3 SEC), outscoring the Bulldogs 17-5 across two games on Saturday.

The Aggie continue their blazing hot start to the season, sweeping the double-header and extending their win streak to eight with a 5-0 start to SEC play. They have shown themselves to be a complete team from top to bottom. Coach Ford has a squad with a unique blend of speed and power that makes them a dangerous matchup.

Emiley Kennedy has been the Aggies’ ace on the mound and when they need an out, Ford has no issues putting her in the game. So far in SEC play she’s pitched two complete games and two shutouts with 23 strikeouts. Koko Wooley also had a day with some savvy baserunning, leading to three steals and recording three stolen bases.

Day one:

Texas A&M vs Mississippi State / Win / 9-0 (run-rule)

  • Total offense:  9 hits, 9 runs
  • Pitching: Emiley Kennedy W (13-1): 5.0 innings, 7 Ks, 94 pitches.

Texas A&M vs Mississippi State / Win / 8-5

  • Total offense:  10 hits, 8 runs
  • Pitching: Shaylee Ackerman W (5-1): 3.0 innings, 2 Ks, 54 pitches. Emily Leavitt: 2.0 innings, 2 K, 43 pitches. Brooke Vestal: 1.0 innings, 1 Ks, 24 pitches. Emiley Kennedy: 1.0 innings, 1 Ks, 27 pitches.

Texas A&M will wrap up the series when they Mississippi State in game three on March 17 at 11 a.m.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

Texas A&M defensive lineman flying under the radar is poised for a breakout year

Sophomore DJ Hicks has the opportunity to be a key contributor to the Aggie defense

With a change of the guard in Aggieland, Texas A&M has a wealth of players that will get a fresh look under the new coaching staff. Many questions must be answered leading up to the season opener against Notre Dame on August 31.

DJ Hicks is not a name unknown to Aggie fans, as he came into College Station as one of their top-rated recruits in the 2023 class. The five-star defensive lineman was ranked as one of the top linemen in the country, but due to how deep the Texas A&M D-line was last season, he only played sparingly during his freshman campaign.

SEC Unfiltered has been doing an underrated series for the conference and they did a film session on Hick to show his ability with the chance to have a huge sophomore season.

We’ll get to see Hicks in action during the Spring Game that will take place on April 20 at 1 p.m. CT.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

Best Photos: Texas A&M’s 97-87 win over Kentucky – SEC Tournament – Quarterfinals

Photos: Here are some of the best photos from Thursday’s game against Kentucky.

On Friday night, Texas A&M (20-13) laid the hammer down against the Kentucky Wildcats (23-9) in the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals, defeating the blue-blood program 97-87 to move on to the Semifinals.

The Aggies are trying to leave no doubt for the selection committee with a very impressive win over a Top 10 team and sweeping the Wildcats in the two games played between the teams. Wade Taylor had one of his better games in the last few weeks looking every bit like the pre-season SEC Player of the Year.

Taylor and Tyrece Radford combined for a dominant 55 points with Taylor going for a Texas A&M SEC Tournament record 32 points. Head coach Buzz Williams has his squad playing at a high level with an opportunity to make the SEC Championship game for the third consecutive year if they get past Florida on Saturday afternoon.

The Aggies will play Florida in a Semifinal matchup at 2:30 p.m. CT. on Saturday afternoon.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

 

SEC names Wade Taylor IV to the All-SEC first team

Texas A&M junior guard Wade Taylor IV earns All-SEC honors ahead of the SEC tournament

The Southeastern Conference announced their postseason awards on Monday, about a week and a half before the SEC tournament begins. Texas A&M junior guard Wade Taylor IV had an up-and-down end to the regular season, not earning SEC Player of the Year and losing out to Tennessee start Dalton Knecht. Taylor was put into several situations this year where he might have been pressing due to the lack of offensive output from the rest of the team.

Despite the struggles, Taylor and the Aggies ensured that he was still one of the better overall players in the conference. His efforts earned him an All-SEC first-team honor. The Aggies will need him to keep his All-SEC place as they head into the conference tournament, needing a deep run to leave no doubt when it comes time to pick who makes the NCAA Tournament.

Wade Taylor IV’s conference averages:

Points: 18.3

Assist: 3.7

Rebounds: 4.1

FG/3PT/FT – .351 / .318 / .839

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

SEC names Aggie guard Manny Obaseki Player of the Week

Texas A&M junior guard Manny Obaseki in named the SEC Player of the Week after a strong week of play

Texas A&M junior guard Manny Obaseki came into his own over the past few games. His emergence has taken a ton of pressure off Wade Taylor and Tyrece Radford with the ability to put up double-digit points. With the Aggies fighting for an NCAA tournament bid Obaseki adds another element to the offense that many teams have not seen on tape this season until now.

The SEC recognized the junior’s production after the big week by naming him SEC Player of the Week. Below is the excerpt from the release from the SEC officials:

Texas A&M guard Manny Obaseki, a 6-foot-4, 195-pound junior from Allen, Texas, averaged 21.0 points in wins over Mississippi State and at Ole Miss. He shot 57.7 percent (15-of-26) from the field, including 75 percent (6-of-8) from 3-point range on the week. In just his second game as a starter, Obaseki led the Aggies with 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting including a pair of 3-pointers against the Bulldogs. He then led the team again with a career-high 25 points in the win at Ole Miss. It marked his fourth consecutive game scoring in double figures.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

The Texas A&M softball team opens up SEC play with a series sweep over No. 22 South Carolina

The Aggies series win marks the first time since the 2017-18 they have won an opening conference series in consecutive years

Texas A&M (23-2, 3-0 SEC) completed the sweep of No. 22 South Carolina (18-5, 0-3 SEC) with a 2-1 victory in the final game on Sunday afternoon.

This marks the second sweep of a Top 25 team this season, with the first being No. 14 Oregon and now the Gamecocks. However, it did not come easy against Georgia, with both teams playing stellar defense and the pitchers giving the hitters fits. The stars of the weekend were Trinity Cannon and Emiley Kennedy, who both came up big three games where every hit and pitch counted.

Kennedy appeared in all three games, and through 13 innings, she struck out 15 batters, going 2-0 with one save. In the game she started, she produced her NCAA-leading sixth shutout in the opening game of the series. Cannon led the team in the following areas: Hits (3), Triples (1), Home runs (1), RBI (3), and SLG% (1.000). Her weekend was highlighted by a walk-off home run in the 10th inning of the second game to give the series victory to the Aggies.

day one:

Texas A&M vs South Carolina / Win / 3-0

  • Total offense:  5 hits, 3 runs
  • Pitching: Emiley Kennedy W (11-1): 7.0 innings, 10 Ks, 108 pitches.

day two:

Texas A&M vs South Carolina / Win / 2-1

  • Total offense:  8 hits, 5 runs
  • Pitching: Emiley Kennedy W (12-1): 5.0 innings, 4 Ks, 82 pitches. Emily Leavitt 1.0 innings, 1 K, 37 pitches. Brooke Vestal 4.0 innings, 6 Ks, 62
  • pitches.

day three:

Texas A&M vs South Carolina / Win / 2-1

  • Total offense:  5 hits, 2 runs
  • Pitching: Brooke Vestal W (2-0): 6.0 innings, 6 Ks, 76 pitches. Emiley Kennedy S (3) 1.0 innings, 1 K, 19 pitches

Texas A&M will be back in action for another SEC series when they head to Starkville to take on Mississippi State starting March 15 at 4 p.m.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

Texas A&M learns its seeding position in the SEC tournament

Texas A&M now knows who and when they will play in the SEC tournament

The stage is set, and Texas A&M will need to give their best performance starting on March 17, when they will be back in action to face Ole Miss in a rematch of their regular-season finale.

All 14 teams know who and what time they will play now that the brackets have been solidified for the SEC Tournament. A&M currently riding a three-game winning streak and most recently blowing out the Ole Miss Rebels 86-60 on the road. Coach Buzz Williams has the Aggies back on track with Manny Obaseki starting to emerge at a critical point of the season.

Texas A&M finished the regular season 9-9 in conference play and secured the seventh seed in the conference tournament where they will get a quick rematch against Ole Miss in the second round. A few strong wins can increase the hopes of the Maroon & White making the NCAA Tournament depending on where you get your bracket news the Aggies could be one of the next four out or not even on the bubble at all.

Either way, the Aggies just need to handle business next week and win as many games as possible to give them the opportunity for extra basketball once the SEC tournament is complete.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

Post Game: Texas A&M takes care of business on the road, demolishing OIe Miss

Texas A&M has won their third straight SEC win gaining much needed momentum as they head into the SEC Tournament

Texas A&M (18-13, 9-9 SEC) put on a dominant performance on the road, beating Ole Miss (20-11, 7-11 SEC) by 26 points, improving its resume as it heads into tournament season.

I don’t think Coach Buzz Williams could’ve asked for a better start to the game as the Aggies jumped out to a 14-0 lead, mainly off the hot hand of Manny Obaseki. The lineup with Obaseki, Wade Taylor, and Tyrece Radford to start the game proved to be an elite-level decision, putting an emphasis on attacking the basket early and often. The trio combined for 35 points and seven three-pointers.

Ole Miss tried to chip away at the lead slowly, getting within six points in the first half. However, the Aggie defense did what they do best and pestered the Rebels, which led to a scoreless two minutes for the home team. Obaseki led all scorers with 15 combined with Radford’s 12, as the Aggies took a 42-29 lead into the locker room and never looked back.

SECOND HALF:

Starting the second half at about the 16-minute mark, the Aggies hit back to back to back three-pointers to go up 20 with a score of 57-37. There was not much Ole Miss could do against an A&M team that has been on a mission to right the ship over the past few games.

The Rebels never got close again, as the Aggies pushed Ole Miss around the courts, out-rebounding them 50 to 21, and three Aggies hit double-digit rebounds. Obaseki had his best game of the season, and if he can keep this pace up, A&M will have that third scorer they have desperately been looking for.

With the big win, Texas A&M has now finished .500 in conference play and looks to be locked into the seventh spot in the SEC Tournament. Depending on what happens in the remaining SEC games today, the Aggie will likely get a quick rematch with Ole Miss.

Below are the Aggies critical contributors from the game:

Tyrece Radford:  19 points / 10 rebounds

Manny Obaseki:  25 points

Wade Taylor IV:  19 points / 5 rebounds / 7 assists

Ole Miss’s top contributors:

Jaylen Murray: 21 points / 3 assists

Jaemyn Brakefield:  10 points / 4 rebounds

Texas A&M will play next at the SEC tournament on Thursday, March 17, at 6 p.m. CT.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.