Texas A&M (23-8, 15-3) capped off their regular season with one of their best, and most important victories of the season, defeating the No.2-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide 67-61 inside a sold-out Reed Arena to the tune of 12,989 Aggies in attendance. Behind a suffocating Aggie defense that held the Crimson Tide to just 7-36 (19.4%) from 3-point, Texas A&M earned their record 15th win in SEC play heading into the postseason.
The Aggies were provided with two outstanding performances from Wade Taylor IV, who scored a career-high 28 points, paired with Tyrece “Boots” Radfords’ 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. Dexter Dennis scored an effective 11 points and recorded 11 rebounds on the day, while all three players combined for 60 of the teams’ 67 points. Only shooting 34% from the field, Texas A&M’s continued success at the free-throw line proved to be the x-factor in securing the win, hitting 27-28 (96%) from the stripe including 26 made free throws from Taylor, Radford, and Dennis.
After the game, Head coach Buzz Williams spoke to the local media to reflect on the win, discuss Reed Arena’s impact on the day, and look forward to next week’s SEC Tournament, Here’s what Buzz had to say.