Buzz Williams is looking to challenge his team early and often next season
While all eyes are on Texas A&M Football’s first season under head coach Mike Elko, Aggie Basketball should be one of the better teams in the country ahead of Buzz Williams’ sixth season at the helm.
Bringing back more than 80% of the 2023 roster that made it to the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament before falling to top-seeded Houston in overtime, Williams has continued to add veteran players through the transfer portal, filling out both the back and frontcourt depth.
Led by star point guard Wade Taylor IV, the loss of versatile guard Tyrece “Boots” Radford hurts, but the addition of SMU slasher Zhuric Phelps should help quell his three-year production. However, the ongoing development of incoming junior forward Solomon Washington should excite every Aggie fan heading into the season.
With an already challenging nonconference schedule, CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein has reported that Texas A&M and Texas Tech are finalizing a deal to play each other in a neutral site in Fort Worth’s Dickies Arean on Sunday, December 8, as the former Big 12 foes would meet for the first time since the 2011-2012 season.
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Texas A&M will take on the UCF Knights in a home-and-home matchup next season!
Texas A&M basketball will continue under head coach Buzz Williams, who is entering his fifth season at the helm with plenty of talent at his disposal, led by senior guard Wade Taylor IV, who led the Aggies in nearly every category last season.
This offseason, Williams has impressed with his utilization of the transfer portal, adding three veterans with plenty to offer on both sides of the ball, including former SMU guard Zhuric Phelps, who will look to help replace the paint production that veteran guard Tyrece Radford provided during his lengthy career with the program.
After playing one of the toughest schedules in the country last season, Williams is looking to up the ante in 2024, already set to compete in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, and, according to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein, the Aggies will also face a home-and-home matchup with the always competitive UFC Knights.
During UCF’s first season in the Big 12, the Knights finished 17-16 and received an invitation to the NIT but failed to win a game. However, head coach Johnny Dawkins has proven his worth going into his ninth season with the program.
NEWS: Texas A&M and UCF will begin a home-and-home series on November 4th — the opening night of the 2024-25 season — in Orlando, according to a source.
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Former SMU guard Zhuric Phelps is headed to Texas A&M for the 2024-2025 season!
Texas A&M head basketball coach Buzz Williams has surprised a bulk of the Aggie fan base this offseason with increased utilization of the transfer portal, already adding former Nebraska sharpshooter CJ Welcher and former Minnesota forward Pharrel Payne, who averaged 10 points and six rebounds during his final season with the Gophers.
After it was announced last week that Williams would host former SMU guard, Zhuric Phelps, the veteran guard is now headed to College Station for a final collegiate season, committing to the program on Monday afternoon. Phelps joins a loaded Aggies backcourt with Wade Taylor IV and Manny Obaseki returning to the lineup.
Phelps’s skillset is on defense. He is one of the best on-ball defenders in the country and averaged 14.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and two steals in 2023. However, he only shot 38% from the field and, worse, a career-low 21.6% from beyond the arc.
As one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the country last season, this obviously doesn’t help this issue, but hopefully, Phelps can continue improving his jump shot and become a solid midrange scorer.
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Texas A&M guard Wade Taylor IV officially announced his return for the 2024-2025 season!
We’re now nearly a full month into the offseason for Texas A&M basketball, as head coach Buzz Williams’s primary task is to retain the key players on the roster while adding veteran talent at both guard and forward after the departure of veteran Tyrece Radford, coupled with the recent news regarding senior Julius Marbles’ legal issues.
However, the biggest task that remained above everything else was keeping star point guard Wade Taylor IV in College Station for one more season, as the Aggies’ second-round exit against Houston in the NCAA Tournament has fueled the incoming senior after losing by just five points in overtime mostly due to the 16 missed free throws on the night.
“No place like Aggieland! Thankful to be here👍🏾 Let’s continue to chase greatness”
Named preseason SEC Player of the Year, Taylor met his hefty expectations while coming on strong during the season’s final stretch, averaging 19.1 points and four assists while shooting 36% from the field but 32.5% from beyond the arc.
As a team, A&M shot a dismal 29% from beyond the arc, leading to Monday morning’s news that Williams has added former Nebraska guard C.J. Wilcher from the transfer portal, who led the Cornhuskers in 3-point percentage (39%).
Wade Taylor’s return preserves Texas A&M’s contender status for next season and keeps one of the better locker room leaders with the program for another go-around.
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Texas A&M’s tournament run may be over, but Andersson Garcia’s game tying 3-pointer will forever live in out memories.
Texas A&M’s (21-15) 2023-2024 season ended after falling to the No. 1-seed Houston Cougars on Sunday night, failing to complete what looked to be an epic comeback after taking the game to overtime.
With just 1:20 left in regulation, the Aggies battled back from their 82-71 deficit on the backs of Tyrece Radford, Wade Taylor IV, Manny Obaseki, and, most importantly, senior forward Andersson Garcia, who would go on to have his “one shining moment” at the buzzer.
Down 86-83 with 1.2 seconds on the clock, head coach Buzz Williams drew up a play that no one saw coming, as Radford inbounded to Garcia, who had only attempted 19 3-pointers on the year, quickly picked up the bounce pass at the top of the key, shooting what would become the most memorable shot in his playing career.
Fading away like a kid in his driveway shouting, “Kobe!” Garcia tied the game, causing an eruption from the crowd. He immediately placed his hands over his face, cemented on the ground while being tackled by his Aggie teammates in the process.
Sending the game into overtime, Houston, led by elite point guard Jamal Shead (21 points, ten assists) and Emmanuel Sharp (30 points, 7-10 3-point), continued to make shots while the Aggies failed to take advantage of the moment, eventually falling 100-95.
In contrast, a wave of disappointment briefly took over the A&M sideline. Still, despite the loss to one of the best teams in the country, Andersson Garcia’s Texas A&M career won’t just be remembered for setting the new program rebounding record.
While the Aggies can undoubtedly learn from the defeat, primarily caused by the 16 missed free throws coupled with a bad shooting night from Wade Taylor IV, the NCAA Tournament is beautiful and cruel. After falling in the first round last season, almost defeating a championship favorite is undoubtedly a step in the right direction heading into next season.
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Texas A&M’s season comes to an end after a hard-fought battle against Houston that ended in an overtime loss
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.
The first half was as intense as expected, with neither team being able to run away with the game. There were 11 lead changes and seven ties early, but few issues on the Aggie side ball were apparent that never gave A&M to retake the lead after Houston went up by seven about halfway through the half. However, Tyrece Radford and Manny Obaseki did what they do best: getting to the rim and combining for 19 points.
A&M has been getting to the charity stripe but only made 50% of their free throws and 1-6 from the three-point line. Houston did just enough to stay ahead, but with Wade Taylor held to only one point through the first 20 minutes, the Cougars only took a five-point lead into halftime, up 43-38.
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
second half:
After scoring the first points of the second half, the Aggies started to struggle on both ends of the court. Houston was able to extend their lead to nine, which caused Buzz Williams to call a timeout. For most of the half, Houston stayed a step ahead of A&M, which had a nine-point lead until late in the half.
The Aggies just couldn’t cut into the lead enough as the Cougars regularly hit a second-chance shot or knocked down a timely three-point shot. Then, with under a minute left, A&M started chipping away while playing the trap and foul game. With just seconds left on the clock, the Aggies pulled within three after Wade knocked down all three free throws after being fouled.
With 10.1 seconds, Taylor got two chances and missed both; however, 1.2 seconds remained. Radford was about to find an unlikely hero open at the three-point line, and with time expiring, Andersson Garcia knocked down a three to send the game into overtime.
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
overtime:
Ultimately, A&M ran out of gas in overtime and could not hit a few clutch shots late. The Aggie gave Houston all they could handle, but they fell 100-95 in the tournament’s best game to this point. They gave it all, but the defeat will leave them out of the Sweet Sixteen for the sixth straight year.
In the end, an inconsistent Wade Taylor and 16 missed free throws lost the game, but this is why they call it March Madness.
Below are the Aggies critical contributors from the game:
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“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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“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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Ahead of Texas A&M’s round of 32 matchup vs. No. 1-seed Houston, the Cougars head coach knows Aggies will be a tough out
9-seed Texas A&M’s 98-83 win over the 8-seed Nebraska Cornhuskers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night wasn’t a fluke by any means. Just hours after the Aggies’ resounding victory, No. 1-seed Houston destroyed 16-seed Longwood, setting up a round-of-32 rematch between both programs.
A&M’s ascendance from losing five consecutive conference games to reeling off five straight wins to finish off the regular season is built around the guard play of the team’s elite trio, led by Wade Taylor IV and Tyrece Radford. In comparison, junior guard Manny Obaseki’s 128 points in the Aggies’ last seven games have singlehandedly changed the program’s identity for the better.
Knowing what’s in front of them ahead of Sunday night’s matchup, Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson wasn’t shy in expressing just how much of a challenge Texas A&M presents.
“If you look at the SEC right now, probably the best team in the SEC right now is Texas A&M. They’re a team that can get to the Final Four. They’re that good.”
Look, I know that this may sound like, as former Alabama head coach Nick Saban used to say, “rat poison,” but remember that the Aggies, without Tyrece Radford coupled with Obaseki’s lack of playing time, nearly beat the Cougars on the road behind Wade Taylor IV’s 34 points, losing 70-66 back in December.
While the SEC has performed poorly in the NCAA Tournament this year, Texas A&M, Tennesee, and Alabama are the last three programs remaining after two days of play.
Where does Texas A&M hold an advantage on paper? Rebounding. Averaging 42 rebounds per game, only second in the country to Arizona, A&M’s forward rotation of Solomon Washington, Andersson Garcia, Henry Coleman, and Wildens Leveque will need to make an impact early and often.
The match between 9-seed Texas A&M and 1-seed Houston is set for 7:40 p.m. CT and will air on TNT on Sunday, March 24.
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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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