No. 13 Texas A&M looks to take another step forward in its preparation for the impending Southeastern Conference campaign when it hosts Abilene Christian on Saturday afternoon in College Station, Texas.
The Aggies (10-2) have won six straight games, with five of those victories over power conference opponents and four of those on a neutral floor.
Texas A&M enters Saturday’s game following a 77-45 victory over Houston Christian at home on Dec. 20. The Aggies rested leading scorer Wade Taylor IV (16 points per game) after he was injured against Purdue on Dec. 14. They got a game-high 19 points from Hayden Hefner, who made his fifth start.
It was the first time in Taylor’s career he missed a game, which caused serious consternation for A&M coach Buzz Williams.
“He’s never missed a practice,” Williams said of Taylor. “I didn’t like it at all. Very uncomfortable. We’re very reliant on his talent, for sure. His leadership is as good as I’ve been around in my career.”
The Aggies, perhaps because of Taylor’s absence, had a slow start in their win over Houston Christian, carrying a 35-23 lead into halftime. A&M found its stride in the second half, shooting 54.8 percent from the field, 42.9 percent from 3-point range and grabbing 26 rebounds.
“It speaks to our maturity to how we responded in the second half just coming out there strong, playing hard and playing together,” said Aggies guard Manny Obaseki, who finished with 13 points and a game-high four assists.
Williams purposely stacked his team’s schedule with games against tough opposition. Texas A&M is one of seven D1 teams with at least five NET Quad 1 or Quad 2 victories on its NCAA Tournament resume.
A huge measure of the Aggies’ success comes from their work on the offensive glass. A&M leads the nation in offensive rebounds, averaging 17.2 per game.
“It’s been an evolution,” Williams said about his team’s ability to create second and third chances for its offense. “I don’t necessarily think that we’re doing anything different than other coaches. Just to be forthright, I would say it’s been the niche that we’ve been able to create that gives us a chance to have a chance.”
This is the final nonconference game for the Aggies, who open the SEC gauntlet on Jan. 4 at home against rival Texas.
The Wildcats (8-5) are coming off a 69-65 win at home over Texas Southern. Leonardo Bettiol led Abilene Christian with 22 points while Quion Williams added 21 that included the final points on a pair of last-second free throws as the Wildcats bounced back from a tough loss at East Texas A&M three days earlier.
“I kept telling our guys, ‘Did we get better? Did we learn from that game?’ And we did,” Abilene Christian coach Brette Tanner said. “We fought through. I’m really proud of the guys for finding a way to step up and win.”
The Wildcats have won four of their past six contests. Their only game against a power conference team was an 88-57 setback at Baylor on Dec. 9.
Texas A&M has won all seven games in the all-time series with Abilene Christian, most recently a 77-58 victory in November 2022.
–Field Level Media
