Losing 89-84 in an exhibition loss to Texas Tech, Texas A&M and head coach Buzz Williams know what’s in store for the 2023-2024 season.
Texas A&M’s 2023-2024 basketball season doesn’t officially start until Nov. 6, but to continue raising funds for the many victims of the recent Hawaii wildfires, the Aggies, alongside Texas Tech, North Texas, and Sam Houston, took part in the Compete 4 Cause exhibition, as the games took place inside UNT’s Super Pit on Sunday afternoon.
Facing the Red Raiders, who are expected to compete with the likes of Kansas for the top spot in the Big 12 this season, head coach Buzz Williams strategically set out to challenge his 15th-ranked squad before the real games began, knowing that Texas Tech would bring the heat up and down the court.
In a back-and-forth high-scoring affair, the Aggies, led by preseason SEC Player of the Year guard Wade Taylor IV, fell to the Red Raiders 89-84 in a tight contest throughout, as Taylor led the team with 25 points, including 4-9 from 3-point. In comparison, Henry Colman III (16 points) and Tyrece “Boots” Radford (12 points) rounded out the scoring.
On the other side, Texas Tech guard Pop Issacs scored a game-high 30 points as the team went 14-34 from 3-point while edging the Aggies in field goal percentage 50%-46%.
Texas A&M did hold an 80-76 lead with just over three minutes, but after a 13-4 run to close things out, Texas Tech was just the better team on Sunday afternoon. Williams noted the intensity of the matchup, even in a game that doesn’t count in the regular season:
“I’ve never [played an exhibition game like this],” Williams stated. “This is my 30th year. My 17th as a head coach. We’ve never done it. And I don’t think that there’s a lot of coaches that want to do it for all of this. They don’t want to put themselves in harm’s way. But, I guess, in a demented way, I think it’s healthy because it makes you have to grow up before you have to grow up.”
While starting forward, Julius Marble’s “university process” is still in flux; the senior did not make the trip to Denton (TX), providing ample opportunity for sophomore forward Solomon Washington, who played 25 minutes but only managed one point and five rebounds. In comparison, senior forward Andersson Garcia netted seven points and nine rebounds in 26 minutes.
Regarding Dexter Dennis’s production, transfer guard Jace Carer started the game but fouled out, finishing with an impressive eight points on 3-5 shooting in 19 minutes. Hitting on an efficient 70% from the free throw line (22-33), it looks like their efficiency from the charity stripe has carried over from 2022, but as of now, this is a very small sample size.
The biggest takeaway from this exhibition battle is how well the Aggies were prepared against an established opponent despite the end result, as the defense was reportedly faster. At the same time, each starter, led by Taylor IV’s continued scoring dominance, was an expert in their role through years of experience in Williams’ system. Also, keep an eye on freshman guard Bryce Lindsay, who logged five points in five minutes but reportedly showed a ton of potential as an instant scoring threat.
Texas A&M will open the 2023-2024 season by hosting Texas A&M-Commerce on Monday, Nov. 6, where the game will air on SEC Network+.
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 Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.
