Texas A&M Looking For More Than Just Conference Title In SEC Tournament

The Aggies will be looking to seek revenge en route to a hopeful SEC title after falling short in 2022.

Wade Taylor looked angry entering the second half of a regular-season matchup against then-No. 11 Tennessee at Reed Arena. Come to find out, he was. 

Taylor, a first-team All-SEC guard for the Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball team, said following a shot, a player from the Volunteers bench mentioned last season. From there, things became hostile en route to a five-point victory. 

“One of the dudes on the bench said, ‘Thanks for the ring last year in the tournament,’" Taylor said last month following the 68-63 win. “That kind of stuck with me the whole game. You’re still talking about last year?”

Yes, fans from Rocky Top are still bringing up last year's SEC Championship bout in Tampa, Fla. Fans from College Station have remained quiet, but they haven't forgotten the loss, either. 

A conference championship would have guaranteed the Aggies a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Instead, A&M was shafted from one of the 68 spots and forced to play its way through the NIT Tournament. 

There's no denying that the No. 18 Aggies (23-8) will make their long-awaited return to March Madness when the selection show begins Sunday. That's not good enough for players like Henry Coleman III and Taylor, who watched the Volunteers hoist a conference trophy around this time last March.  

Simply making the tournament was never the end goal for the Aggies. A No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament wasn't one, either. 

“Our mindset is winning the SEC tournament,” Julius Marble said Wednesday. “Those two days (without games) really help, and now we’re getting back to grind mode and working on us and what we need to do.”

Marble said the Aggies are playing for "revenge" after last season's fallout. Even though the senior forward was then a member of Michigan State's roster, he understands the sentiment after the heartbreak of A&M missing the postseason last spring. 

The Aggies climbed back into a postseason chatter last spring, winning five of their last six regular-season games before making a run in the conference tournament. A year later, the program set a record for the most conference wins (15) since 1923. 

A&M will take on 10th-seeded Arkansas, which beat seventh-seeded Auburn 76-73 in the second round Thursday evening, at 6 p.m. Friday at Bridgestone Arena. Should the Aggies prevail, they'll be set for a rematch Saturday against third-seeded Kentucky or sixth-seeded Vanderbilt. 

Most fans would prefer the former to keep the "revenge" mantra alive and well. The Aggies took down the Commodores at home in late January behind an 18-point performance from Coleman. The same can't be said for their matchup with the Wildcats, one of three SEC programs that bested Buzz Williams' squad during the regular season.

"They beat us, and I would like to see them again," said Marble. "That’s an opportunity you (usually) don’t have in the NCAA Tournament, but in league tournaments you do. You get to see a team again that might have beat you earlier in the season.”

A&M knows its place is secured for the tournament. Now comes seeding. Each victory pushes the program another step closer to an easier pathway toward Houston, home of the 2023 Final Four. 

For now, the Aggies' focus isn't on a road trip over to NRG Stadium, but rather an SEC Championship being achieved in the Music City. The only way to make it sweeter? A rematch against Tennessee in the finals for a showdown of the ages. 

But again, winning the title is more than enough. 

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