Despite solid starts for both teams, the stakes will be incrementally higher when No. 13 Texas A&M hosts rival Texas on Saturday afternoon in the teams’ Southeastern Conference opener in College Station, Texas.
The programs have not played since 2019 in a neutral site contest in Fort Worth and have not squared off on an on-campus court since the Aggies left the Big 12 Conference for the SEC after the 2011-12 season. Texas has won six of the last seven and 43 of the last 53 meetings dating back to the start of the 1989-90 season.
“Having a chance to have Texas and Texas A&M play again, it’s great for state of Texas,” Longhorns coach Rodney Terry said.
Both Texas A&M and Texas head to conference play with 11-2 records, but the journeys have been decidedly different. The Aggies have played eight opponents from power conferences (winning six) while Texas has feasted on mid-major teams outside of a neutral site win against Syracuse.
The Aggies carry a seven-game winning streak, with the most recent contest a 92-54 victory over Abilene Christian on Dec. 28. Wade Taylor IV scored 15 points and dished out 10 assists, C.J. Wilcher added 14 points and Zhuric Phelps had 12 points and 10 rebounds for Texas A&M, which led by 19 points at halftime and cruised in the second half.
Aggies coach Buzz Williams lauded his team’s growth over the arduous nonconference schedule.
“I have great belief and trust in who these players are as people,” Williams said. “We have learned the maturity that is required. Yes, you have to be talented and be somewhat injury-free, but maturity is paramount. It has forced us to grow up.”
Defense and rebounding have been the benchmarks for the Aggies’ early-season success. Texas A&M has limited all 13 opponents to below their current season-long field goal percentage and leads the nation in offensive rebounding, securing the 17.1 offensive boards per game.
“We’ve had a lot of tests and played a lot of great teams heading into this game against Texas,” Taylor said. “We are locked in and focused on this game.”
Winners of four in a row, Texas heads to the Brazos Valley after a workmanlike 77-53 win over Northwestern State on Sunday. Freshman Tre Johnson poured in 18 points in just 22 minutes in his return from a two-game absence due to a sore right hip.
Jordan Pope added 11 points and Arthur Kaluma recorded 13 rebounds for Texas, which was up by 19 points at halftime and by 30 with 13:50 to play before calling off the dogs.
Kadin Shedrick said the Longhorns’ focus in preparation for Texas A&M has been on defense and keeping the Aggies off the boards.
“We know this is big-boy basketball,” Shedrick said. “If you look up and down the whole SEC, just really good teams, really athletic teams, really physical teams. So we’ve got to raise our standard. We’ve got to be ready for that.”
The Longhorns will get a boost from Jayson Kent, who missed the first 12 games before knocking off some rust in the win over Northwestern State.
“That was the first real game all season long where we’ve had a full complement of guys that we feel that gives us a 10- or 11-man rotation that can play for us,” Terry said.
The teams will play again on Jan. 25 in Austin.
–Field Level Media
