Texas A&M Basketball (7-4) has dealt with plenty of early-season adversity due to the prolonged absences concerning senior guard Tyrece Radford and senior forward Julius Marble, who has yet to play a game this season while dealing with a cryptic “University process.”
While the Aggies have lost four games, including two straight, it’s been one of the most demanding non-conference schedules in the country, coming off their nail-biting 70-66 loss to No. 4 Houston on Saturday afternoon.
However, junior guard Wade Taylor IV, who completely lived up to his Preseason SEC Player of the Year billing, scored 26 points in the second half, including six three-pointers to tie the game at 63 after trailing by 15 at halftime.
Due to the incredible effort, especially with Tyrece Radford sidelined due to a continued breathing issue, benefitted from the close loss, rising seven spots from No. 23 to No. 16 in the newest Net Rankings on Sunday. For a brief reminder, Texas A&M has lost to No. 15 Florida Atlantic, No.22 Virginia on the road, an 8-2 Memphis team that just defeated No. 13 Clemson, and, of course, the Houston Cougars, all Quad 1 matchups.
Most Quad 1 wins this season:
Purdue 5
Houston 4
Texas A&M 3
Wisconsin 3
Arizona 3
Kansas 3
Clemson 3— Joseph Duarte (@Joseph_Duarte) December 17, 2023
With three Quad 1 wins over Ohio State, SMU, and Iowa State, A&M has the most Quad 1 victories in the SEC and the third most in the country behind Houston (4) and Purdue (5). So, for those of you who were in a state of panic after Sunday’s loss, the Aggies are sitting in a great position ahead of SEC play and are well-prepared for the challenges ahead.
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