Tag: Arkansas Razorbacks basketball

Sooners absent from preseason AP Top 25, nine SEC teams featured

Oklahoma Sooners absent from preseason men’s basketball AP Top 25 poll.

Much of the dialogue surrounding Oklahoma and Texas’ move to the SEC centered on each school’s football program and the benefits it would receive. Oklahoma boasts a deep and well-rounded athletic program that would fit in with any conference landscape. OU men’s basketball will also get a bump as it enters the SEC.

Oklahoma’s move to the nation’s premiere basketball conference is set to begin in less than a month. The excitement for the season will soon reach a fever pitch.

On Monday, the preseason AP Top 25 debuted, and unsurprisingly, Porter Moser’s squad was left off.

The Sooners bring back a few players from last year’s team that just missed the NCAA Tournament. The Sooners retooled via the portal in a big way but still have a lot to prove on the hardwood.

Their new conference mates make up 36 percent of the top 25 as nine SEC teams made the poll.

The Sooners will take on eight of those nine schools at some point in their first year in the SEC. The only one they won’t play is the Tennessee Volunteers.

The Oklahoma Sooners will have an incredible challenge ahead of them as they attempt to brave the grind of the SEC schedule. Porter Moser is looking for his first trip to the NCAA tournament since arriving in 2021.

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Oklahoma men’s basketball announces SEC opponents for 2024-2025

The Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball program released their conference opponents for the 2024-2025 season and a blue blood is coming to Norman.

The 2024-2025 college basketball season is a pivotal one for the Oklahoma Sooners. Despite an improved season in 2023-2024, the Sooners failed to make the NCAA Tournament for the third season in a row.

They have to work to get back into March Madness against a whole new batch of opponents. On Monday, the OU men’s basketball program released its conference opponents for their maiden voyage in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag].

The Sooners will play home and home against former Big 12 counterparts Texas, Texas A&M and Missouri. The Sooners will go on the road to face Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia and Ole Miss. Making their way to the Lloyd Noble Center are Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.

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Social media reacts to Texas A&M basketball losing 78-71 to a depleted Arkansas team at home

Social media reacts to Texas A&M losing a must win game to Arkansas at Reed Arena

Texas A&M’s (15-11, 6-7 SEC) fell to the Arkansas Razorbacks (13-13, 4-9 SEC) for the second time in a need-to-win situation during his season.

Have the wheels fallen off? It’s hard to tell but it certainly feels like the Aggies are headed down the road of disappointment. I’ve never seen a team with just as many Quad 1 wins as Quad 3 losses in the same season. Even with this loss, A&M is clinging to a bubble spot because of the strength of their schedule.

However, time is running out and the resume is getting ugly as the season closes out. With five games left, Coach Buzz Williams must dig into his bag of tricks to get his offense back on track. Teams are starting to key in on the high pick and smothering the guards, immediately disrupting the flow of the play and resulting in Wade Taylor and Tyrece Radford having to create their own shots.

Normally, this isn’t an issue, but when they go 8 for 23 from the field, that usually breeds failure. Couple that with the team shooting below 65% from the free-throw line; it’s just a recipe for disaster.

The fan base and media contributors were equally stunned at another loss in a winnable game, and they flocked to social to share their reactions throughout the game.

Everything Carter and Lawrence had to say after Texas A&M’s home loss to Arkansas

Here’s what Texas A&M players Jace Carter & Eli Lawrence had to say after devastating loss to Arkansas

Texas A&M’s (15-11, 6-7 SEC) miserable SEC skid has continued, as the Arkansas Razorbacks (13-13, 4-9 SEC) have completed the sweep over the Maroon and White, taking game 2 in College Station 78-71.

Having dropped three games in a row now and their fifth Quad 3 loss the Aggies have some work to do to make sure they can reach their goal of making the NCAA Tournament. While the team is in a downward trend Coach Buzz Williams has instilled a culture of toughness and they never stop playing hard. Jace Carter and Eli Lawrence talked about how the game did not go their way but they will bounce back.

“It is over — now what? That is kind of how you have to look at it. None of us were raised to be woe is me. That is not how we were built.” – Carter

“I feel like we definitely played our game shots just ain’t really kind of fall out we 3 for 14 got to make free throws down the stretch definitely got to do that but we definitely played our game just got to be a little bit better” – Lawrence

Below, you can watch the full post-game presser with Jace Carter and Eli Lawrence.

Texas A&M will hit the road to face No. 5 Tennessee on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 7:00 p.m. CT. The game will air on ESPN.

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Everything Buzz Williams had to say after Texas A&M’s home loss to Arkansas

Here’s what Texas A&M Head Coach Buzz Williams had to say after devastating loss to Arkansas

Texas A&M’s (15-11, 6-7 SEC) miserable SEC skid has continued, as the Arkansas Razorbacks (13-13, 4-9 SEC) have completed the sweep over the Maroon and White, taking game 2 in College Station 78-71.

What a rollercoaster ride this Texas A&M basketball season has been to this point. The Aggies look exactly how they did at the beginning of the year, with their two top scorers having one of their worst combined shooting outputs of the season. Wade Taylor and Tyrece Radford couldn’t find the bucket tonight, only making eight buckets in 40 minutes. A&M is hanging on to a tournament bid by a thread, and this was really a must-win game to get them back on track.

Coach Buzz Williams started off the post-game exactly how it should have, with him taking responsibility for how the team has been playing for the past few weeks.

“At the end of the day I have to do better uh we did some good things the things that are really important to us we just didn’t do well enough, and the margin is invisible.”

Below, you can watch the full post-game presser with Coach Buzz.

Texas A&M will hit the road to face No. 5 Tennessee on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 7:00 p.m. CT. The game will air on ESPN.

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Post Game: Texas A&M falls to Arkansas at home, damaging its NCAA Tournament chances

Now losing three consecutive SEC contests, Texas A&M is on the brink of missing the NCAA Tournament after losing to Arkansas 78-71.

Texas A&M’s (15-11, 6-7 SEC) miserable SEC skid has continued, as the Arkansas Razorbacks (13-13, 4-9 SEC) have completed the sweep over the Maroon and White, taking game 2 in College Station 78-71, and further damaging the Aggies now-razor thin NCAA Tournament chances.

In one of the more painful viewing experiences from a coverage standpoint, Texas A&M’s once elite guard duo consisting of Wade Taylor IV and Tyrece Radford had reached an ugly level of inconsistency as of late. It continued against the Razorbacks, shooting a combined 8-23 from the field and 0-6 from beyond the arc for 23 points.

Failing to gain any rhythm in the first half, the Aggies trailed 35-31 after a small comeback to bring the game within 4, but even so, credit to Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman for keying in on Taylor and Radford early to virtually eliminate them from the offensive game plan.

The second half didn’t get better shooting-wise, as the Aggies at one point were 0-14 from the field until transfer guard Jace Carter (14 points), one of the few bright spots on the night, hit his third 3-pointer to keep his squad in reach, but A&M’s 12 turnovers on the night continued to kill any offensive momentum.

With four minutes remaining, Radford’s two consecutive layups provided a small opening for the Aggies to get within striking distance, leading to a potential three-point play by Wade Taylor. After Taylor missed the free throw, forward Andersson Garcia’s offensive rebound failed to produce points, and Radford’s 3-point miss led Razorbacks guard Tramon Mark sustaining yet another foul on his 3-point make.

Spoiling their last whiff of a potential comeback, Mark would score 9 of his game-high 26 points to finish the Aggies off in the final three minutes.

The Bottom line: While it seemed like Arkansas was getting a one-on-one and one opportunity on every possession, Texas A&M’s defense needed to prioritize Tramon Marks’ ability to hit open jumpers. Still, in one of their worst offensive showings of the season, A&M missed 14 shots at the stripe (25-39), ultimately losing them the game.

With a trip to No. 5 Tennessee on Saturday night, the Volunteers are seeking revenge after falling to the Aggies less than two weeks ago, while head coach Buzz Williams’ squad is now squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble with five more games to prove their worth.

Wade Taylor IV:  11 points / 2 rebounds / 9 assists

Tyrece Radford:  12 points / 8 rebounds

Henry Coleman III: 12 points / 6 rebounds

Andersson Garcia:  8 points / 15 rebounds

Arkansas top contributors:

Tramon Mark: 26 points / 6 rebounds

Makhi Mitchell: 22 points / 13 rebounds

Texas A&M will hit the road to face No. 5 Tennessee on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 7:00 p.m. CT. The game will air on ESPN.

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How to watch: Texas A&M vs. Arkansas basketball game

Texas A&M will look to get back on track at home when the face Arkansas for the second time this season

Texas A&M (15-10, 6-6 SEC) will be back at home to face Arkansas (12-13, 3-9 SEC) on Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT.

After the Aggies looked to have turned things around after a big win over a top-ten Tennessee team, they dropped a heartbreaker to Vanderbilt followed by a blowout loss to No. 15 Alabama. Coach Buzz Williams is usually pretty good at steering his team back on track after a tough loss and they need a strong showing in the last six-game stretch before tournament play starts.

Arkansas is on their own two-game losing streak, but they are catching an A&M that either bad skid or is about to have one of those patented Buzz-fueled end-of-season turnarounds. Either way they are on the outside looking in just trying to play spoiler for the remaining team on the schedule

The A&M SEC opponents are hosting Kentucky, Florida, and Tennessee at Reed Arena to highlight the home slate. The Aggies’ road foes include Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Missouri, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt.

Buzz Williams speaks ahead of Texas A&M vs. Arkansas

Here’s what Texas A&M Head Coach Buzz Williams had to say ahead of the game against Arkansas

Texas A&M (15-10, 6-6 SEC) will be back at home to face Arkansas (12-13, 3-9 SEC) on Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT.

The Aggies are at a crossroads after dropping consecutive SEC games. However, their tougher nonconference schedule this season is keeping them on the bubble with six Quad 1 wins keeping them afloat.

Tuesday will be a great chance to get back on track and get some revenge after losing to Arkansas earlier this season. Coach Buzz Williams already knows what they need to do to make sure they are getting back to the win column.

“I would say that that whether it’s three or zero or 12 or four all the different varieties of ball guards they have they’re all really good at getting downhill and we have to keep them out of the paint and we have to defend without fouling.”

Below, you can watch the full presser Q&A with Coach Buzz Williams.

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Junior guard Wade Taylor IV cements himself in Texas A&M record books with historic performance

The Aggies lost a heartbreaker 78-77 at Arkansas on Tuesday night but junior guard Wade Taylor IV made history with a career-high 41 points.

Following an overtime upset win against No. 6 Kentucky last Saturday at Reed Arena, the Texas A&M men’s basketball team lost a heartbreaker 78-77 at Arkansas on Tuesday night.

The Aggies (10-7, 1-3 SEC) nearly overcame a 14-point halftime deficit but ultimately fell short versus the Razorbacks (10-7, 1-3). While the loss may be frustrating for many reasons, history should remember the game in a positive light.

Texas A&M junior guard Wade Taylor IV had a very impressive individual performance. The 6-foot, 175-pound floor general racked up a career-high 41 points with 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 assist. In 39 minutes, he shot 13-of-32 from the field, 5-of-14 from 3-point range and 10-of-13 from the free-throw line.

The junior guard out of Lancaster High School in Dallas cemented himself in Aggies history on Tuesday. Taylor’s 41 points are the most tallied by an Aggie against an SEC opponent since Texas A&M joined the conference in 2012.

NBA All-Star Stephon Marbury’s dad Don was the last Aggie to score 41 points, doing so against Baylor on Jan. 5, 1985. Elston Turner Jr., son of longtime NBA player and assistant coach Elston Turner Sr., was the last Texas A&M hooper to score 40, achieving the feat on Jan. 12, 2013 at Kentucky.

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Best Photos: Texas A&M 78-77 road loss to Arkansas

Photos: Here are some of the best photos from Tuesday’s game against the Arkansas Razorbacks

Texas A&M (10-7, 1-3 SEC) dropped their 3rd SEC game in a last-second 78-77 loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks (10-7, 1-3 SEC) at Bud Walton Arena on Tuesday.

Poor shooting and shaky defense put the Aggies in a hole early, which ultimately led to their third SEC loss this season; even with all the problems, Wade Taylor IV put on his cape and went to work in the second half to give A&M an honest shot at winning just their second game against Arkansas on the road in 17 tries.

The win over Kentucky looks more like an outlier than the norm. It’s a great picture of what they could become, but until there is some consistency in a positive way, we can expect more of the same.

Texas A&M will return on the road when they travel to Baton Rouge to take on LSU on January 20 at 3:00 pm CT.

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