In their 23rd meeting in the series, Texas A&M (23-8, 15-3 SEC) faced the No.2-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (26-5, 16-2 SEC) inside a packed, and very loud Reed Arena on Saturday afternoon in their regular season finale ahead of next week’s pivotal SEC Tournament.
After clinching the SEC regular season title on Wednesday night, both programs came into the contest playing for seeding in the NCAA Tournament, including the potential No.1 overall seed for the Tide with a win, and for the Aggies, moving up from their currently projected 7 seed, according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi. Behind Wade Taylor IV’s career-high 28 points and an imposing defensive effort, Texas A&M closed out their regular season with their biggest win of the year after downing the Crimson Tide 67-61 in front of 12,989 screaming Aggies, earning their record 15th win in SEC play.
In combination with Taylor’s 28 points, Tyrece “Boots’ Radford scored 21 of his own, including 7 rebounds and 4 assists in one of his best games of the season, which is clearly a great sign heading mid-March. Dexter Dennis also provided 11 points and 7 rebounds in his return from injury, as all three Aggies starters combined for 60 of the team’s 67 points on the night. Texas A&M’s performance at the free throw line (27-28, 96.4%) once again saved them in the final minutes, as Taylor (10-10), Dennis (6-6), and Radford (10-10) were unbelievably efficient at the stripe. Outrebounded 43-34, Texas A&M stepped up on defense to limit the Tide from the perimeter with just 19.4% (7-36) from three.
For Alabama, the controversial star forward Brandon Miller led the team with a 19-point, 10 rebounds double-double before fouling out in the final minutes, while senior guard Jhavon Quinerly recorded 12 points and shot 5-11 from the field.
First and foremost, the 12th Man showed up in droves on Saturday afternoon, resulting in a highly energized yet focused Aggie squad against one of the more intimidating opponents college basketball has to offer. Sophomore guard Wade Taylor IV started the game off with a smooth floater in the paint to score the first points of the game and take a 2-0 lead, which quickly turned into a 9-3 lead off of a 4 for 8 shooting performance before the first media timeout at the 15:55 mark.
Defense and points in the paint took precedence early, as Texas A&M locked down on the perimeter while forcing five Crimson Tide turnovers in the midst of a 7-0 Aggie run, Texas A&M would slowly increase their lead to 24-13 at the 8:19 mark behind a nice blend of transition offense and six points from senior guard Tyrece Radford. Texas A&M’s defense continued to confuse and frustrate Alabama throughout the first half, as the Tide shot 1-16 (6.3%) from 3-point range, and were 4-25 from the field (16.0%) in an utterly disastrous showing on the road with just 2:18 left in the half.
The Aggies would go on to score 8 more points, including four points from the free-throw line, as Alabama’s Brandon Miller hit only the second 3-pointer of the game for the Tide to bring them within 10, Texas A&M went into halftime with an impressive 32-22 halftime lead while neutralizing one of the best offensive teams in the country.
Texas A&M leaders at the half: Wade Taylor IV (11 points, 3 rebounds), Tyrece Radford (10 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists). Team: 35.5% from the field. 12.5% (1-3) from 3-point, 9-9 from the free throw line. 18 points in the paint, and 20 rebounds.
Alabama leaders at the half: Brandon Miller (10 points, 5 rebounds). Team: 20.7% from the field, 10.5% from 3-point (2-19), 8-9 from the free throw line. 8 points in the paint, and 23 rebounds.
HALFTIME: Texas A&M: 32. Alabama: 22
Needing to increase their offensive output despite Alabama’s first-half struggles from the field, more was needed to prevent the Tide from charging back. Wade Taylor IV’s third foul with 17:18 remaining raised the question of how long Head coach Buzz Williams’ aggressive defensive strategy should continue early in the second half. Aggies guard Dexter Dennis, who returned from his 1 game injury-related absence, scored the first four points for the Maroon and White (2 free throws, layup), but Alabama would soar back utilizing their length inside on an 8-2 run to bring the game back to single digits at 36-30 with 14:00 remaining.
As CBS broadcaster and former Villanova Head coach Jay Wright almost went full cornball stating “the tide may be…”. Wade Taylor IV and Tyrece Radford hit back-to-back 3-pointers for the Aggies to erupt Reed Arena, but Wright may have been right all along as Alabama stole back momentum once again with two 3-pointers within a 14-6 run of their own to make is 42-40 with 10:55 left.
In order to stem the Tide (we can do this all day), utilizing the free throw line became crucial as building any consistency on offense became implausible, unless you’re Wade Taylor IV, that is. The mid-range floater extraordinaire became the offensive focal point to hit, yes, two floaters in what had quickly become a back-and-forth contest to give the Aggies a 49-47 lead with 7:00 left in the game. As the volume in Reed Arena reached new levels, the Aggies began to wilt after multiple turnovers on offense, eventually converting into Alabama points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer from guard Jahvon Quinerly with 4:36 remaining.
Wade Taylor IV struck net once again on an incredible running 3-pointer to tie things up at 54, then Brandon Millers’ charge on forward Andersson Garcia turned into two free throws from Tyrece Radford to bring the Aggies back in front 56-54. Wade Taylor’s valourous performance continued after a foul on his 3-point shot attempt led to three made free throws and an official career-high 26 points on the day. After fouling Dexter Dennis on the rebound attempt, Alabama’s Brandon Miller recorded his 5th foul and final foul, greatly increasing Texas A&M’s chances with just two minutes left in the game.
The final minutes of the contest encapsulated the Aggies’ season in a nutshell. Alabama’s Jahvon Qunierly hit a layup to bring the Tide back within 2 at 61-59 and after a missed Wade Taylor 3-pointer, Andersson Garcia made the biggest “Andy play” of the season, stealing the inbounds pass to force Alabama to foul, resulting in six free throws from Taylor and Tyrece Radford as the clock hit double zeros, defeating the No.2 team in the country 67-61, while Crimson Tide Head coach Nate Oats has not beaten Texas A&M in his career with the program.
With the win, expect the Aggies to take a step up, or two, in the NCAA Tournament seeding ahead of next week’s SEC tourney, where the Aggies will have a double-bye due to their second-place finish in the conference. What a win, and what a day inside Reed Arena ahead of what could be a very special postseason for the hardest-working team in the entire college basketball landscape. Gig ‘Em.
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