Buzz 'Humbled' by Aggies' Turnaround

Texas A&M goes into regular-season finale with shot at 20 wins and breakeven SEC record

Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams never gave up on his team. Good thing, because neither did the Aggies.

The regular season winds down for Texas A&M with Saturday night’s visit by Mississippi State to Reed Arena. The Aggies (19-11, 8-9 SEC) have a chance to reach 20 victories and even up their league mark.

That’s notable, especially since the Aggies suffered through an eight-game conference losing streak that blew the wheels off a promising start.

As the losses piled up, Williams didn’t question his team’s resolve or will. If anything, he called out himself and his coaching shortcomings when trying to explain the slide.

The Aggies aren’t exactly on fire going into the SEC Tournament next week, but they have won three in a row and four of five. Wednesday night’s dominating 87-71 win at No. 25 Alabama was a callback to impressive wins that dotted the first two months of the season.

“Completely humbled and grateful for the resilience and the competitiveness that our group shows,” Williams said. “It’s been a lot of fun and it’s very memorable, and what is transpiring in the lives of our guys, I think, is changing their lives for the better.”

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Texas A&M vs Alabama

Texas A&M vs Alabama

Texas A&M vs Alabama

Texas A&M hadn’t beaten a ranked team in two years. The 87 points were the most against a ranked foe since 2017.

Quenton Jackson and Tyrece Radford and scored 28 and 22, respectively, giving the Aggies a pair of 20-point scorers for the first time this season. Texas A&M out-rebounded Alabama, the SEC’s third-best rebounding team, 33-24.

Williams noted that during the last few games of the losing streak, the Aggies were getting to the rim and not finishing. A few tweaks in practice to address that seem to have paid off.

The Aggies got to the rim about 50 percent of the team against the Crimson Tide and scored on better than 70 percent of those possessions, according to Williams. A&M was also first to the bonus in each half, further underscoring the team’s aggressiveness.

That progress isn’t lost on the players, who were hugging and celebrating in the final moments in Tuscaloosa.

“It means a lot just because of everything we’ve been through the past couple of weeks,” said Jackson, who’s scored in double figures in 12 consecutive games. “The way we’ve been able to persevere and make light of a bad situation, just shows how much this team loves to fight.

Texas A&M

Texas A&M

Texas A&M

“It’s real emotional when you put in so much work and so much effort in, and you can’t get rewarded for it. To finally be rewarded for our efforts is … it’s hard to speak about. It’s a feeling you get inside.”

The Aggies can finish the season on a high and perhaps carry that momentum to Tampa by beating Mississippi State. It’s quite the turnaround for a team that appeared dead in the water just a few short weeks ago.

“If you were to rewind seven weeks ago and to think that this would be the case, I think that speaks to the character and the fabric of who these guys are,” Williams said.

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