Tag: Aggie Basketball

Former Texas A&M men’s basketball player becomes back-to-back national champion at UConn

Hassan Diarra officially hit the individual jackpot by parlaying a spot on the Aggies bench into becoming a back-to-back national champion.

On Monday night in Arizona, a former Texas A&M men’s basketball player officially hit the individual jackpot by parlaying a spot on the Aggies bench into becoming a back-to-back national champion.

After two seasons in College Station, guard Hassan Diarra entered the transfer portal in 2022 and eventually chose the University of Connecticut as his next home. Choosing to play for Dan Hurley and the Huskies was ultimately a wise one as Diarra won his second consecutive title earlier this week.

In 13 minutes of action, Diarra tallied 9 points on 4-of-6 field goal attempts and 1-of-2 from 3-point range with 2 rebounds. In a battle of top seeds, UConn beat Purdue 75-60.

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Despite being in his fourth collegiate season, Diarra has the option to return to school for one more year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It appears very likely that he joins his peer, women’s hoops star Paige Bueckers, in coming back for one more year with the Huskies.

Diarra’s most memorable moment in Aggieland came during the 2022 SEC Tournament second round when he hit an overtime game-winner against Florida.

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Best Photos: Texas A&M’s 100-95 loss in overtime to Houston – NCAA Tournament – Second Round

Here are the best photos from Texas A&M’s 100-95 overtime loss to Houston in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Texas A&M (21-15, 9-9 SEC) took No. 1 Houston (32-4, 15-3 Big 12) to the wire and then some before running out of magic late in the overtime.

This game will be fresh on the minds of Aggies fans for the next few years as one of the most nerve-racking games in recent history.  After a pretty tight game through early in the second half, Houston slowly started to pull away as the clock rolled into the one-minute mark. Then a little bit of the Olsen Magic found its way into FedEx Forum via smothering defense and a big three-point shot from Andersson Garcia to send the game into overtime.

However, once in overtime, the Aggies could not hit enough shots to take a lead. even after a poor showing on the offensive side, they were able to give themselves a fighting chance late. They played hard and never gave up, but this loss will keep them out of the Sweet Sixteen for yet another year.

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PREVIEW: Texas A&M men’s basketball team will attempt to shock the nation vs. top seed Houston in March Madness

“Wade is the best point guard in the country,” said Jace Carter. “We’re not going to look away from him. He’s our quarterback we roll with.”

The Texas A&M men’s basketball team faces another university from the Lone Star State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament South region on Sunday night in Memphis.

The No. 9 Aggies (21-14) will play No. 1 Houston (31-4), who narrowly defeated Texas A&M 70-66 earlier this season on Dec. 16 at the Toyota Center.

“It felt like playing last night in the Nebraska Super Bowl,” head coach Buzz Williams recalled Saturday about the December matchup. “When you have some prior information it’s helpful. We still try to maintain the same groove, rhythm, routine in prep.”

Senior forward Henry Coleman III believes the Aggies will present the Cougars with a new look on Sunday.

“Roles are a little bit different,” Coleman said. “Guys knew their roles, but we’re a little bit better.”

Junior guard Wade Taylor VI has been locked in throughout the postseason, scoring at least 20 points in each game, including a game-high 25 during a dominant first round win against Nebraska. Taylor’s teammates believe in him too.

“Wade is the best point guard in the country,” proclaimed junior guard Jace Carter. “We’re not going to look away from him. He’s our quarterback. We roll with him.”

Texas A&M plays Houston on Sunday at 7:40 p.m. CST on TNT.

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Texas A&M guards Wade Taylor IV, Manny Obaseki & Tyrece Radford reflect on Nebraska win in March Madness

“I feel like the circle and camaraderie that we have together plays a huge part on how we come out and perform each night, so credit them.”

Texas A&M‘s tremendous trio of guards, juniors Wade Taylor IV & Manny Obaseki, and senior Tyrece “Boots” Radford led the No. 9 Aggies to a dominant victory against No. 8 Nebraska in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night in Memphis.

Taylor tallied a game-high 25 points on 8-of-14 field goal attempts & 7-of-10 from 3-point range with 5 assists.

“It’s the consistency in our work. We work every day the same way no matter if we have a good game or a bad game,” Taylor explained. “My teammates have been phenomenal on both ends. I feel like the circle and camaraderie that we have together plays a huge part on how we come out and perform each night, so credit to them.”

Obaseki was unconscious in the final 5:20 of the first half, scoring 16 straight points to give the Aggies a 14-point halftime lead. He finished with 22 points on 8-of-17 shots, 3-of-5 from downtown & 3-of-5 from the free-throw line.

“I’m just thankful to my coaches and teammates for trusting in me,” Obaseki said. “They gave me the ball and allowed me to do my thing. I knew I had a mismatch all night and they allowed me to take advantage of that.”

Radford recorded a double-double with 20 points on 8-of-17 attempts & 3-of-5 from the charity stripe with 10 rebounds (5 offensive) and 5 assists.

“I don’t think we changed anything defensively, we just played with our HOH, hands on our head, because they have really good shooters and we just tried to prevent them from going off or getting hot,” Radford recalled. “We knew they were a good team that was going to make a couple of shots but all credit goes to the team just by staying in it.”

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Men’s basketball coach Buzz Williams explains how Texas A&M dominated Nebraska in NCAA Tournament

The No. 9 Aggies scored 98 points versus the No. 8 Cornhuskers, which is the most scored during the NCAA Tournament in program history.

The Texas A&M men’s basketball team dominated Nebraska on Friday night during the first round of the NCAA Tournament South region at FedEx Forum.

After the 15-point victory, head coach Buzz Williams spoke to the media in Memphis.

“I think we’re going in the right direction,” Williams said. “I think this is our 29th week and there has been a lot of volatility. Some of it we could’ve controlled better, some of it was out of our control. I think there has been great resolve and resiliency within the group. These three guys (Taylor, Radford & Obaseki) for sure, but even the guys that maybe wouldn’t have an opportunity to be here or come to the stage.

“They’ve had great belief and incredible ownership in what we do, how we do it and most importantly, why we do it. We understand that it’s a win-loss business but I want to make sure that I’m held accountable that the lives are judged in hopes that we are changing it for the better.”

The No. 9 Aggies (21-14) scored 98 points versus the No. 8 Cornhuskers, which is the most scored during the NCAA Tournament in program history.

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Best Photos: Texas A&M’s 98-83 win over Nebraska – NCAA Tournament – First Round

Here are the best photos from Texas A&M’s huge 93-83 win over Nebraska in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

A milestone has been reached as Coach Buzz Williams gets his first NCAA Tournament as the head coach of Texas A&M. The Aggies defeated Nebraska 98-83 behind star guard Wade Taylor IV’s 25 points, including 7 3-pointers. It’s a great story because this was the first season since Buzz took over, and it seemed like he was on the chopping block for most of the season.

Then, in typical Buzz Williams fashion, he gets his team back on track at just the right time to make a run and put them back in the conversation as one of the teams to beat.

Their handling of the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the first round has earned them a rematch against the No. 1 seed Houston Cougars. The game earlier this year was a hard- battle with Houston fought, squeaking out a four-point victory. However, this time, the Aggies will be better prepared, with Tyrece Radford available after missing the first game. Also, Manny Obaseki has come on as of late, scoring double-digits in multiple games at the back end of the season.

That game will take place on Sunday, March 24 in Memphis

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Texas A&M women’s basketball team’s comeback falls short vs. Nebraska in NCAA Tournament

The Aggies trailed Nebraska in nearly wire-to-wire fashion on Friday in Corvallis, Oregon, during the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Texas A&M women’s basketball team trailed Nebraska in nearly wire-to-wire fashion on Friday night in Corvallis, Oregon, during the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The No. 11 Aggies (19-13) faced a 10-point deficit entering the fourth quarter against the No. 6 Cornhuskers (23-11) but fought back to reclaim the lead. However, Texas A&M was unable to keep the advantage after regaining it and lost 61-59.

Senior guard Aicha Coulibaly made a free throw with 15 seconds remaining to give the Aggies a 59-58 lead, capping a 21-10 fourth quarter run. Nebraska scored the final 3 points of the contest from the charity stripe to survive and advance.

Coulibaly gave it her all in what was ultimately her final game for Texas A&M. She racked up a double-double with a game-high 26 points on 11-of-17 field goal attempts, 2-of-3 from 3-point range and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line. The sensational senior added 10 rebounds (5 offensive), 2 steals, 2 assists and 1 block.

The Cornhuskers will play No. 3 Oregon State in the round of 32 on Sunday.

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Texas A&M men’s basketball team begins March Madness with win vs. Nebraska in NCAA Tournament

Manny Obaseki was unconscious in the final 5:20 of the first half, scoring 16 straight points to give the Aggies a 14-point halftime lead.

The Texas A&M men’s basketball team is moving on to the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament.

The No. 9 Aggies (21-14) beat No. 8 Nebraska (23-11) by a final score of 98-83 in the first round of the South Region on Friday night at the FedEx Forum in Memphis. In their first March Madness appearance since 2014, the Cornhuskers (0-8) remain as the only Power Five conference program to never win an NCAA Tournament game.

The tremendous trio of guards, juniors Wade Taylor IV & Manny Obaseki, and senior Tyrece “Boots” Radford led Texas A&M to victory. Taylor tallied a game-high 25 points on 8-of-14 field goal attempts & 7-of-10 from 3-point range with 5 assists.

Obaseki was unconscious in the final 5:20 of the first half, scoring 16 straight points to give the Aggies a 14-point halftime lead. He finished with 22 points on 8-of-17 shots, 3-of-5 from downtown & 3-of-5 from the free-throw line. Radford recorded a double-double with 20 points on 8-of-17 attempts & 3-of-5 from the charity stripe with 10 rebounds (5 offensive) and 5 assists.

Texas A&M will play the winner of No. 1 Houston versus No. 16 Longwood on Sunday. The top seed Cougars narrowly defeated the Aggies 70-66 earlier this season on Dec. 16 at the Toyota Center.

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Texas A&M women’s basketball coach Joni Taylor previews matchup vs. Nebraska in NCAA Tournament

“They just have weapons all over the floor and it makes it hard to double because they can hit you from three,” Taylor proclaimed Thursday.

In the second of two installments of the Trev Alberts Invitational, the Texas A&M women’s basketball team faces Nebraska in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night.

The Aggies enter March Madness as the No. 11 seed in the Albany 1 Region versus the No. 6 Cornhuskers. Texas A&M is currently 19-12 overall and Nebraska enters the contest at 22-11. Aggies head coach Joni Taylor spoke to the media on Thursday to preview the matchup.

“They put five scorers on the floor,” Taylor said. “You look at their starters and four out of five make the all-tournament team in some way whether its freshman of the year, first team, all freshman team. They’re extremely talented, play with great pace and also slow you down, pound it inside. They just have weapons all over the floor and it makes it hard to double because they can hit you from three.

“They just stretch you defensively and then offensively they make it very hard as well. In my opinion from the film that I’ve watched, they are as good defensively as they are offensively and I don’t think they get enough credit for how good they are defensively.”

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PREVIEW: Texas A&M men’s basketball team faces Nebraska in first round of NCAA Tournament

In 1-of-2 installments of the Trev Alberts Invitational, the Aggies men face Nebraska in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday.

In the first of two installments of the Trev Alberts Invitational, the Texas A&M men’s basketball team faces Nebraska in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday.

The Aggies enter March Madness as the No. 9 seed in the South Region matched up with the No. 8 Cornhuskers. Texas A&M is currently 20-14 overall and was an even 9-9 in SEC play. Nebraska enters the contest at 23-10 overall with a 12-8 record in Big Ten action.

Whether the Aggies advance or not will largely be dependent on the performance of their starting backcourt, junior Wade Taylor IV and Tyrece “Boots” Radford. Senior forward Henry Coleman III enters the tourney with momentum as a new member of the 1,000 point club.

Whoever advances to the second round is likely going to match up with top seed Houston, who faces No. 16 Longwood in the opening round. The Cougars narrowly defeated Texas A&M 70-66 earlier this season on Dec. 16 at the Toyota Center.

The Aggies and Cornhuskers tip off from the FedEx Forum on Friday at 5:50 p.m. CST and the game will be broadcast on TNT.

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