Tag: 2024 Texas A&M Basketball

‘It was emotional’: Texas A&M seniors Tyrece Radford & Henry Coleman react to NCAA Tournament bid

“It was a lot of emotion in the room… To see it pay off and for us to get that nine-seed, it really meant a lot to everyone in this room.”

The Texas A&M men’s basketball team is officially going dancing in March Madness at the NCAA Tournament.

The Aggies (20-14) are the No. 9 seed in the South Region and will play new athletic director Trev Alberts‘ former school, No. 8 Nebraska, in the first round on Friday.

After the selection show, Texas A&M players were not made available to the media but seniors, forward Henry Coleman III & guard Tyrece “Boots” Radford, spoke to 12th Man Productions about their instant reaction to the selection.

“It was a lot of emotion in the room,” Coleman said. “I think from every mom, dad, coach, to player, there was a ton of emotion in the room. Everyone has made sacrifices over this year of something whether if it be school, time away from kids or family, everyone has had to sacrifice. To see it pay off and for us to get that nine-seed, it really meant a lot to everyone in this room.”

Boots has had a challenging season on and off the court and was understandably emotional alongside his teammates when the Aggies were revealed.

“It was emotional,” Radford recalled. “A couple of my teammates were dropping tears and you could see the excitement on everybody’s face, just being ready to play.”

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Texas A&M guards Hayden Hefner & Jace Carter explain second half woes vs. Florida in SEC semifinals

Texas A&M was eliminated from the SEC Tournament on Saturday afternoon in the semifinals following a 95-90 loss against Florida. After the game, the media spoke to Aggies guards, senior Hayden Hefner and junior Jace Carter. The Gators outscored …

Texas A&M was eliminated from the SEC Tournament on Saturday afternoon in the semifinals following a 95-90 loss against Florida.

After the game, the media spoke to Aggies guards, senior Hayden Hefner and junior Jace Carter.

The Gators outscored Texas A&M in the second half 53-40 and Carter was asked by TexAgs about what was different in the final 20 minutes.

“I don’t think anything changed, I think our recipe is our recipe. I don’t think we changed up the way we were playing at that time in the game. I think they just made a lot of shots down the stretch,” Carter explained. “I don’t think it was an offensive problem, we scored 90 points. We just didn’t get stops, had a low amount of turkeys and they shot 50% from three, it was our defense.”

The Eagle asked Hefner about the Aggies’ stagnation in the second half versus Florida.

“When the whistle is getting blown a lot, it’s just hard maintaining a flow with what we’re trying to accomplish,” Hefner said. “We always try to reiterate to one another and the coaching staff is always talking to us about just staying in the moment and not letting that affect what we’re trying to accomplish.”

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Everything Buzz Williams, Wade Taylor IV and Tyrece Radford had to say after Texas A&M’s 85-69 win over No. 6 Tennessee

See what Texas A&M HC Buzz Williams, Wade Taylor IV, and Tyrece Redford had to say after the Aggie’s huge win over No. 6 Tennessee.

Texas A&M (15-8, 6-4 SEC) is now one of the hottest teams in the SEC after blowing out the visiting No. 6-ranked Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday night to the tune of 85-69, led guards Tyrece Radford (27 points) and Wade Taylor IV (25 points), who have played by far their best basketball at the most important time of the season.

While the Aggie’s defense was stifling, head coach Buzz Williams’ offensive adjustments led to shooting an impressive 46.7% from the field, including 39.3% from beyond the arc, hitting 11 3-pointers compared to their average six per game in SEC play entering the matchup.

While Radford and Taylor were borderline elite, forwards Solomon Washington (11 points, 7 rebounds) and Andersson Garcia (6 points, 17 rebounds) did all the dirty work inside, as Garcia’s incredible two-game stretch includes a gaudy 33 rebounds in the span of three days.

With the win, Texas A&M now holds a 5-4 Quad 1 record, and if Florida continues its winning ways, the Aggie’s recent victory over the Gators would turn into yet another Quad 1 win.

After the game, Buzz Williams, alongside Tyrece Radford and Wade Taylor IV, spoke to the media. At the same time, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes also provided his opinion on the Aggies making the NCAA Tournament.

Here is what they had to say.

Post Game Recap: Texas A&M destroys Missouri behind Tyrece Radford’s 22 points

Behind Tyrece Radford’s game high 22 points coupled with Andersson Garcia’s 16 rebounds, Texas A&M defeated Missouri on the road. 79-60

Texas A&M’s (14-8, 5-4 SEC) strong second-half run was more than enough to sweep the season series vs the hapless Missouri Tigers (8-15, 0-10 SEC) 79-60 on Wednesday night behind an even scoring effort and tremendous defense.

Sitting with an average record of 4-4 in SEC play, the Aggies made their way to Columbia to face the Missouri Tigers on Wednesday night, who have yet to earn a conference win in nine attempts this season. However, playing on the road in any SEC environment is never easy.

Look to start out hot and establish early momentum; A&M played as energized as ever behind an efficient offensive attack while shooting 43% from the field, coupled with their usual rebounding dominance (23-14 rebound advantage) in the first half. However, the Aggies’ tempo led to an impressive 16-0 run to finish the half, holding the Tigers’ with a nearly eight-minute scoring drought on the defensive end.

Attacking the paint at will, veteran guard Tyrece Radford, who was coming off his 26-point performance in last Saturday’s win vs. Florida, led the team with 10 first-half points. In comparison, senior forward Andersson Garcia’s All-SEC-like performance was the most impactful, netting 5 points and 11(!) rebounds, coupled with forward Henry Coleman’s efficient 8 points and 4 boards. Star point guard Wade Taylor IV was relatively quiet, recording six points and three assists on 2-6 shooting. Texas A&M led 38-25 at halftime.

Second Half:

With a double-digit lead providing a slight cushion, Missouri began to battle back, going on their own 7-2 run to open the half, while the Aggies started off sloppy, as the Tigers changed things up defensively in the paint. The Aggie’s offensive game plan changed as the lead dwindled: get fouled and make your free throws.

After Henry Coleman left the game due to an apparent midsection injury, Tyrece Radford took control. He drove to his left for a basket or got to the free throw line, scoring seven of A&M’s nine points to take a 56-45 lead with under ten minutes remaining. Under the radar, transfer guard Jace Carter was highly efficient, shooting 50% from the floor, including 2-4 from beyond the arc.

Getting everyone involved, the Aggie’s performance free throw line (15-19) paired with Wade Taylor’s late offensive output sealed the game, as the lead ballooned to 75-56 with more than a minute left. Shooting an SEC season-high 47.6% on the night after getting back in rhythm late, the storyline was still Andersson Garcia’s consistent toughness in nearly every metric, while the Aggies are now 11-1 this season in games where Tyrece Radford scores 20 points or more, scoring a game-high 22 points on the night.

No matter Missouri’s record, this was a significant road win for the Maroon & White, who are now tied for sixth with Florida in the SEC standings.

Note: Henry Coleman III left the game due to an apparent midsection injury

Below are the Aggies critical contributors from the game:

Wade Taylor IV:  18 points / 5 rebounds / 3 assists

Tyrece Radford:  22 points / 4 rebounds

Andersson Garcia:  7 points / 16 rebounds / 5 assists / 2 blocks / 1 steal

Jace Carter:  12 points / 5 rebounds / 2 assists

Missouri’s top contributors:

Tamar Bates: 20 points / 3 rebounds

Nick Honor: 19 points/ 2 assists

Noah Carter: 11 points / 4 rebounds / 2 assists

Next up, the 6th-ranked Tennesse Volunteers will visit the Aggies in College Station on Saturday night. The game will air on ESPN at 7:00 p.m. CT.

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Texas A&M Basketball interestingly positioned in CBS Sports’ newest bracket update

In CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jerry Palm’s newest bracket, Texas A&M is listed as a “first four” team.

Texas A&M (13-8, 4-4 SEC) got back on track after escaping the red-hot Florida Gators 68-67 on Saturday afternoon, as veteran guard Tyrece Radford’s game-high 26 points included the game-winning basket in one of his more memorable and passionate performances in his Aggie career.

Looking to finally find some momentum and create a lasting win streak in conference play, every game is now of the utmost importance, starting with Wednesday’s road trip against the Missouri Tigers, who have yet to win a game in SEC play.

Looking ahead to next month’s NCAA Tournament, Texas A&M’s current positioning has been scattered across the board, remaining on the periphery in multiple brackets, including CBS Sports’ newest bracket update.

According to CBS Sports “Bracketologist” Jerry Palm, the Aggies are listed as one of eight “first four” teams during the first two days of action, positioned as an 11-seed facing the 11-seeded Michigan State Spartans. Hypothetically, with a victory over the Spartans, A&M would face 5th-seeded Dayton in Brooklyn, New York.

Aggies’ head coach Buzz Williams isn’t on the hot seat, but to continue building toward a successful future, earning a second consecutive tournament bid is absolutely vital to avoiding a significant step backward.

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After a tumultuous week, Texas A&M guard Tyrece Radford leads the Aggies to a thrilling 67-66 win over Florida

Dealing with personal adversity this week, veteran Aggies point guard Tyrece Radford willed the Aggies to an exciting 67-66 win over Florida.

Texas A&M (13-8, 4-4 SEC) earned a much-needed 67-66 win over the visiting Florida Gators on Saturday afternoon, as one of the hottest teams in the country succumbed to a second-half Aggie surge, engineered by embattled veteran guard Tyrece Radford.

Radford, who scored a game-high 26 points (10-16, 2-3 3-Point), including the eventual game-winning shot with 35 seconds remaining, played like a man on a mission just a day after his arrest for an incident in December.

Looking to re-integrate himself as a dependable scoring option outside of star guard Wade Taylor IV, Radford’s 13 points in last Saturday’s loss to Ole Miss was as much of a wake-up call as ever.

Knowing that every game remaining on the Aggies’ conference schedule is a must-win from now on, Radford noted head coach Buzz Williams’s trust in his ability on the court and character through all the adversity he has dealt with the past two days.

“Buzz Williams believes in me. I believe in him. Buzz will be my guy for life. We believe in each other every day.”

This week, GigEm247’s Carter Karels and I conveyed the same message regarding Radford’s importance to Texas A&M’s offense not to waste Wade Taylor’s exceptional outings throughout the season and, most importantly, close games.

However, credit to Taylor’s 15 points coupled with forwards Soloman Washington’s (10 points, four rebounds) and Andersson Garcia’s (9 points, six rebounds) solid performances aided the Aggies late to overcome what was a 12-point deficit at the start of the second half.

“It was a team win, not just my big game. Everybody did a great job with what they’re supposed to do.”

Simply put, Stats do not lie, as the Aggies are now 10-1 when Radford scores at least 20 points in a game, and while Saturday’s production likely can’t be depended on week to week, this was indeed a solid rebound for a player with everything to prove.

With the win over the Gators, the Aggies now hold an impressive 5-4 Quad 1 record.

Texas A&M will be back on the road to take on the Missouri Tigers on Wed. Feb 7. at 8:00 pm CT

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Texas A&M Basketball stay put in newest ESPN Bracketology update

Looking to get back on track against the Florida Gators this Saturday, Texas A&M has stayed on the periphery in the newest bracket update.

Texas A&M (12-8, 3-4 SEC) is in usual midseason form, reeling after a disappointing loss to Ole Miss last Saturday to drop below .500 in conference play while receiving news on Friday afternoon that veteran point guard Tyrece “Boots” Radford was arrested from a charge dating back to last December.

Facing the ascending Florida Gators on Saturday afternoon inside Reed Arena, this is essentially a must-win for a team on the brink of following out of ESPN college basketball analyst Joe Lunardi’s bracket, currently sitting among seven teams “on the bubble,” staying back in said bracket after last weekend’s home loss to the Rebels.

Essentially wasting five of star guard Wade Taylor IV’s 30-plus point games this season, the Aggies are shooting hot an anemic 39% from the field, ranking 343rd nationally and 344th in 3-point field goal percentage at 26.7%. While it really can’t get any worse, it’s up to head coach Buzz Williams to either make changes to the lineup or adjust the offense accordingly to aid efficiency and prevent excessive 3-point attempts when the shots aren’t falling.

Texas A&M will host Florida inside Reed Arena on Saturday, Feb. 3. The game will air at 3:00 p.m. CT. and will air on ESPN2.

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