Mizzou faced a tough, hard-fought battle in their last game, Wednesday night at No. 4 Tennessee. However, in the end, the Volunteers pulled away, defending their home court and sending head coach Dennis Gates and the Tigers back home.
The Tigers dropped to 17-5 overall and 6-3 in the competitive SEC, both respectable records—identical to No. 10 Texas A&M, their next opponent.
Despite starting the year with a loss at unranked UCF, the Aggies have been strong on the road, winning all six away contests since that opener last November.
Recently, the Aggies are on a two-game winning streak and have won four of their last five. They’ve been a fairly inconsistent team, with some wins coming in dominant fashion while others have been uncomfortably close, with less competitive teams managing to stay within striking distance.
Texas A&M’s most significant wins have come against No. 13 Texas Tech, No. 7 Purdue, and No. 25 Ole Miss. However, they’ve also been upset by several unranked teams and handily defeated by multiple ranked teams within the SEC.
Their schedule only becomes more intense as the season progresses. After facing Mizzou, they will play No. 22 Mississippi State, No. 4 Tennessee, No. 6 Florida, and No. 1 Auburn— a challenging stretch of tough games to close out the regular season.
Head coach Buzz Williams, who joined from Virginia Tech in 2019, has built an incredible culture within the program after years of missing the NCAA Tournament and struggling to be competitive in the SEC.
Apart from his first season and the shortened 2020 COVID-19 season, Coach Williams has led the Aggies to more than 20 wins every year. With 17 wins already this season, he’s on track to reach that mark again.
Despite cracking the AP Top 10 multiple times and reaching as high as a 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament during two of Williams's seasons, Texas A&M has yet to make it past the second round in either appearance.
The Aggies rely heavily on two starters who nearly share the team lead in points by a wide margin.
Senior Wade Taylor IV, a Texas native who has played all four years for Texas A&M, has started every game since his freshman season.
Though his point total has dipped slightly, he has played a more complete game overall. In 30 minutes of play, he averages 15 points, more than 4 assists, and 3 rebounds per game.
He shoots 38% from the field and 35% from three, leading the team in shots per game. Defensively, he averages nearly 2 steals per game. On the downside, he also averages more than 2 turnovers per game.
Alongside Taylor IV is another Texas native, senior Zhuric Phelps. After playing solid basketball at SMU, Phelps has developed into a key contributor for Coach Buzz Williams and the rest of the roster.
Phelps averages just under 15 points per game, along with 5 rebounds and 2 steals. He shoots 37% from the field but under 30% from three. He can also be a liability with the ball at times, averaging over 3 turnovers per game, among the highest in the NCAA this season.
In the Aggies' losses to No. 14 Kentucky and No. 3 Alabama, Phelps turned the ball over four times in each game. He also shot 9-of-29 from the field in the game against the Crimson Tide.
Clearly, defending Taylor IV and Phelps strongly is key to securing a victory, and Mizzou has the defenders capable of accomplishing that.
The Tigers hope to secure a win at home after suffering a 79-60 blowout loss to the Aggies in their last meeting, last season.
Tip-off is set for 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at Mizzou Arena, where the Tigers have defended well all season.