The final week of the regular season served as a reminder why No. 14-ranked Texas A&M is a threat to do damage in March.
After stopping then-No. 1 Auburn on March 4 to end a four-game losing streak, the Aggies finished with a 66-52 win Saturday at LSU to improve to 22-9 and earn the No. 5 seed for the Southeastern Conference tournament in Nashville.
There, they’ll start their quest for a tourney title in the second round Thursday afternoon against 13th-seeded Texas (18-14), which needs every win it can get to steal an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament or even the automatic bid that goes to the SEC tournament champion.
Texas A&M’s current path is a little reminiscent of last season, a late-year slump followed by better basketball. The only exception is that the team’s trajectory appears to be higher than last season, when the Aggies took top-seeded Houston to the limit in a second-round, overtime thriller in the NCAA Tournament before losing.
“We know what we’re capable of,” guard Zhuric Phelps said. “We stick together through the wins and losses.”
The Aggies are led by senior guard Wade Taylor IV, who averages 15.2 points per game and became the school’s all-time leading scorer on Saturday. His first point on Thursday will be the 2,000th of an excellent career. Phelps adds 14.3 ppg.
Texas A&M doesn’t shoot well but wins via toughness and good defense. It’s ranked 11th in Division I at an average of 36.5 rebounds a game while hounding opponents into a high turnover rate and boasting excellent rim protection. Pharrel Payne and Solomon Washington block more than a shot per game.
“We have to play incredibly physical, and I think we have to do a lot of the things that are not necessarily in the stat sheet for us to win,” coach Buzz Williams said.
While the Aggies try to improve their seeding for the NCAA field, their arch-rivals from Austin simply are trying to get in. Wednesday’s 79-72 opening-round win over Vanderbilt helps, but most pundits believe the Longhorns need to win Thursday’s game and perhaps a Friday date with fourth-seeded Tennessee to have a decent chance at getting onto the March dance floor.
The Longhorns got 19 points each from Tramon Mark and freshman Tre Johnson in passing their first SEC tourney test, but coach Rodney Terry knows the games will only get tougher.
“You’ve got to play with a lot of urgency, close halves,” he said. “In March, you’ve got to finish possessions, finish halves, finish games. Every night, you’re going to get a Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four-caliber team.”
Johnson, a 6-foot-6 freshman who probably is going to don an NBA uniform in another seven months, is averaging a team-high 20.2 ppg and hitting 39.5 percent of his 3-pointers. Arthur Kaluma adds 12.7 ppg and a team-high 7.8 rebounds, while Jordan Pope averages 11 ppg and Mark hits for 10.
The teams have split two meetings this year. Texas A&M took an 80-60 win at home on Jan. 4 behind 18 points from Phelps, and Texas earned a 70-69 decision on Jan. 25 on Mark’s layup with three seconds remaining.
–Field Level Media
