“You do not ever want to lose to your mirror opponent twice. They are coming with a little different attitude than they did the first game.”
After surpassing 1,000 career points Wednesday during a win at No. 16 Ole Miss, Texas A&M senior shooting guard Jace Carter brought two furry friends to media availability Friday afternoon.
He was accompanied by his two dogs: 3-year-old Layla, a pitbull & labrador mix, and Anella, a 4-month-old XL bully. Carter was asked about the challenge of playing a conference opponent for the second time ahead of a rematch versus Texas.
“They have familiarity with how you play. They know some of your tendencies compared to someone who is playing you for the first time,” Carter explained, “We beat them here, it is a rivalry game and you do not ever want to lose to your mirror opponent twice. They are coming with probably a little bit different attitude than they did the first game.
“We’re all dogs – literally.”
The No. 13 Aggies (15-4, 4-2 SEC) plays the Longhorns (13-6, 2-4) at the Moody Center today at 1:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
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“it’s the awareness of our group that that’s the recipe that we have to follow” Buzz Williams knows his team and they embrace who they are
The Texas A&M Aggie basketball team (12-2) has an identity, and it’s not always pretty, but it has them ranked in the top 10 in college basketball.
This experienced team has encountered almost every situation, proving that returning to their style of basketball brings success.
It’s almost impossible to go undefeated, and they will have to deal with those when they come. Coach Buzz routinely talks about how they are not the most talented cast across the board, but their acceptance of that makes them successful.
“We don’t have the best players we don’t have the best coaches but I think collectively that we’re aware of our limitations and accept those limitations”
“… I know that we’re probably going to have to try to bend the game or the possession in a way that at least gives us a 50/50 chance”
Jace Carter exemplifies this perfectly. When he moved to A&M last season, he was known as a dependable defender capable of hitting three-point shots. However, he faced challenges in finding his rhythm, which led to the addition of CJ Wilcher during the offseason. Rather than transferring, he persevered and developed into a reliable defender for his team.
“I don’t feel like we’re the prettiest team in the world uh we know play pretty but you know we we’re ranked the way we’re ranked, and our record is the way it is because of that that’s our identity so we don’t shy away from it at all”
Texas A&M will go on the road to face Oklahoma at Lloyd Noble Center on Jan. 8 at 8:00 p.m. CST. The game can be watched on SEC Network.
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ESPN Bracketology is still very confident in Texas A&M earning a single digit seed
No. 13 Texas A&M (0-1) entered Week 1 of the 2024-2025 college basketball season, facing one of the tougher opening-season challenges among the rest of the SEC against UCF.
The 13th-ranked Aggies were the superior team on paper despite missing veteran guard Zhuric Phelps, who transferred from SMU during the offseason, but that didn’t matter to the also undermanned home team, who took full advantage of A&M’s offensive ineptitude late in the second half.
Star point guard Wade Taylor IV was limited to 13 points and 4/15 from the field, while former Minnesota center Pharrel Payne, who led the Aggies with 15 points and six rebounds, fouled out late, resulting in an A&M going scoreless from the field in the find final three and half minutes of the game.
Losing 64-61 after failing to take the game into overtime, head coach Buzz Williams has plenty to fix before the Aggies host Texas A&M-Commerce on Friday afternoon.
After the loss, ESPN’s Bracketology update revealed that Texas A&M is projected as a 5-seed facing 12-seed Princeton in the Midwest (Indianapolis) Region. It’s way too early, but it proves that losing an opener, especially on the road, is just a blip on the radar with many opportunities to right the ship.
Texas A&M will head home, set to host Texas A&M-Commerce on Friday, Nov. 8th inside Reed Arena.
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Here’s everything players Coleman & Carter had to say ahead of Texas A&M basketball’s season opener vs. UCF
The Texas A&M basketball season will open on the road in Orlando when the Aggies take on UCF on Monday, Nov. 4, in Addition Financial Arena.
A veteran squad will hit the hardwood on Monday, and two players they will need a lot out of this year are Henry Coleman and Jace Carter. Both would say they could have played better last season and will step up to the challenge of a deep postseason run.
This will be the last bite of the apple for most of the current A&M roster under head coach Buzz Williams, and Coleman noted how well they have met the team’s expectations. Carter, who is from Florida, gave some insight into what it means to him to be playing back in his home state to start the season.
Ahead of Monday’s season opener vs. UCF, Coleman and Carter spoke to the media, previewing the roster and matchup before tipoff.
Below, you can watch the entire press conference.
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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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The Aggies will not be advancing to the finals of the SEC Tournament for the third year in a row after blowing a 18-point first half lead.
The Texas A&M men’s basketball team will not be advancing to the finals of the SEC Tournament for the third year in a row after blowing an 18-point first half lead against Florida.
The Aggies (20-14) were defeated 95-90 by the Gators (24-10) on Saturday afternoon at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Five Florida players scored at least 15 points, led by sophomore guard Denzel Aberdeen with a team-high 20 points on 6-of-9 field goal attempts, 4-of-5 from 3-point range and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. Aberdeen was the difference this weekend after scoring only 2 points during the Gators‘ 67-66 loss at Reed Arena on Feb. 3.
Aggies junior point guard Wade Taylor IV came out on a mission Saturday after tallying 32 points Friday during a victory versus Kentucky. Taylor scored 11-of-15 Texas A&M points to start the game against Florida on 4-of-5 shots and 3-of-3 from downtown.
At halftime, the Aggies led 50-42 and had 40 of their points come from three guards: Taylor (20), junior Manny Obaseki (12) and senior Tyrece “Boots” Radford (8).
Texas A&M’s floor general finished with a game-high 30 points (10-23 FG, 6-12 3PT, 4-4 FT). Eight-two points is the most scored in the SEC Tournament since Collin Sexton with Alabama in 2018.
The Gators went on a 24-8 run in the second half to take their first lead of the game at 72-70 with 7:37 left. Coach Buzz Williams joked with ESPN sideline reporter Marty Smith at intermission about getting him to suit up since most of the key Aggies were in foul trouble, which ultimately sparked Florida’s scoring streak.
The Gators will play Auburn on Sunday at 11 a.m. in the SEC Championship game on ESPN. Texas A&M will now await its NCAA Tournament fate, which will be revealed on Sunday night.
With two victories in a competitive conference tourney, the Aggies have likely locked up a March Madness berth.
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Photos: Here are some of the best photos from Saturday’s game against Alabama
Texas A&M (15-10, 6-6 SEC) fell on the road 100-75 to a hot No. 15 Alabama (18-7, 10-2 SEC) on Saturday.
Alabama was favored to win this game and they have been virtually unbeatable at home. So, this loss shouldn’t really hurt them that much in the long run. However, after losing to Vanderbilt and then getting blown out by Bama, fans are starting to feel like they did earlier in the year.
Poor shot selection and a horrible shooting percentage overall gave the Tide way too many opportunities to go on runs resulting in back-to-back threes often. The Aggies still have a chance to make the NCAA tournament but with only six games remainingonly six games remaining until the SEC tournament they have to figure out a way to win a majority of these games.
Texas A&M will be back at Reed Arena on February 20 at 6 p.m. to face the Arkansas Razorbacks
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Here’s what Texas A&M Head Coach Buzz Williams had to say after the road lost to No. 15 Alabama
Texas A&M (15-10, 6-6 SEC) fell on the road 100-75 to a hot No. 15 Alabama (18-7, 10-2 SEC) on Saturday.
Sometimes when a team is hot and you’re not you have to accept that loss and move on. Alabama came into this game as one of the top offensive teams in the nation, but also one of the worst defensive teams.
Unfortunately for the Aggies, they could not take advantage of the Tide on defensive, shooting 37% from the field and 17% from the three-point line. Alabama on the other hand shot a blistering 52% from the field and 43% from beyond the arc, include 18 3-pointers.
“Their offensive efficiency was too high they shot a lot of threes they made too many threes and then they offensive rebounded too many of the ones that they missed”
Below, you can watch the full post-game presser with Coach Buzz.
Texas A&M will be back at Reed Arena on February 20 at 6 p.m. to face the Arkansas Razorbacks
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Texas A&M hits a two-game skid after losing on the road to No. 15 Alabama
Texas A&M (15-10, 6-6 SEC) fell on the road 100-75 to a hot No. 15 Alabama (18-7, 10-2 SEC) on Saturday
The Aggies started off bucket for bucket with Alabama before the shooting issues reared their ugly head. A&M was able to get multiple looks near the basket but couldn’t seem to get those easy buckets near the rim. The Tide did what they do best: getting to the rim and knocking down threes. Thanks to Tyrece Radford, the Aggies didn’t let the game get too out of hand.
There would have been a better chance to put some pressure on Alabama, but in addition to missing the shots in the paint, they also went 2 for 10 from beyond the arc, with Wade Taylor hitting the only three-pointer for the Aggies in the half. With 1.1 seconds left, Taylor confusingly conceded that time, avoiding a last-second heave, and went to the locker room down 49-35.
Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports
The second half was more of the same, with Texas A&M making a small run only to commit turnovers or miss easy shots, allowing Alabama to go on unanswered runs. Radford was the only Aggie outside forward, Solomon Washington, who could get into scoring position and actually make a bucket.
As it’s been all season, offensive rebounding was the saving grace to keep A&M within comeback distance, but the three-point shot from the Tide was just too much to handle as they extended their lead to 67-50 halfway through the second half. The three-ball continued to fall, and A&M had no answer for the rest of the half. The Aggies drop to 6-6 in SEC play after their loss to Alabama on the road.
Some good news: Counting as a Quad 1 loss, Texas A&M, who was recently slated as a 9-seed in Joe Lunardi’s newest bracket update, will likely stay in place, but the six remaining games on their schedule become that much more important after two consecutive losses.
Below are the Aggies critical contributors from the game:
Texas A&M will be back at Reed Arena on February 20 at 6 p.m. to face the Arkansas Razorbacks
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Texas A&M will look to get back on track and earn another Quad 1 win on the road against No. 15 Alabama
Texas A&M (15-8, 6-4 SEC) will continue their road trip traveling to Tuscaloosa to face No. 15 Alabama (17-7, 9-2 SEC) on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT.
A&M did themselves no favors a few days ago when they fell to Vanderbilt in a disappointing loss. The Aggies didn’t play good basketball and failed to look like the team that beat top-ranked Tennessee just a few days earlier. It’s not time to panic, but the Aggies need to regroup fast before the season gets away from them.
Alabama is a dangerous team led by one of the top guards in the league Mark Sears who is averaging around 20 points a game. They are a highly athletic team that’s putting up close to 90 points per game while only allowing 77 points per game. Alabama is currently 5-1 in their last six games and are looking to add a Texas A&M win to their resume.
