Wednesday, January 22
Oxford, Miss.
8:00 PM
Texas A&M
at
Ole Miss
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F/C
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
Photo by: Craig Bisacre/Texas A&M Athletics
No. 13 Aggies Face Top 25 Road Challenge from No. 16 Ole Miss
Jan 21, 2025 | Men's Basketball
OXFORD – The No. 13 Texas A&M men's basketball team (14-4 overall, 3-2 vs. SEC) gears up for another ranked matchup with a road challenge from the No. 16 Ole Miss Rebels (15-3, 4-1) at the Pavilion at Ole Miss at 8 p.m. on Wednesday.
STATISTICAL COMPARISON
NEED-TO-KNOWS
BACK IN BUSINESS: Two-time first-team All-SEC pick Wade Taylor IV returned to the starting lineup vs. LSU after missing three straight games with an injury. He filled the box score with 12 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals in his return to action.
WHILE "4" WAS AWAY: Zhuric Phelps emerged as the SEC's top scorer in league games with a 22.0 average, which included a career-high 34-point outburst vs. the then-No. 17 Sooners in Norman (1/8).
Phelps is the only SEC player averaging more than 20.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in league play. In fact, he's one of just four SEC players averaging more than 15.0 points and 6.0 boards per SEC game.
PAYNE GAIN: Minnesota transfer Pharrel Payne is hitting an eye-catching 68.8 of his FGA for the season, but he has been on another level since the start of December. Payne has been bringing the pain with a 83.0 FG% (39-47) since 12/1, which leads the nation in that span of time (min. 30 FGA).
He's hitting 83.3% (20-24) in SEC games, which leads the league among players with at least 10 FGA.
FORMULA FOR SUCCESS: Texas A&M pounds the offensive glass for a NCAA-best 16.6 offensive rebounds/G, which helps the Aggies averages nearly six more field goal attempts per game than its opponents.
The Aggies also average 3.1 fewer turnovers, 6.4 more free throw attempts and 2.7 fewer personal fouls than their opponents.
LIMITING FGM: Texas A&M and Tennessee are the only SEC schools that haven't allowed more than 28 FGM in a game this season. The two teams are No. 1 and No. 2 among SEC schools in FGM defense at 20.8 (UT) and 21.5 (TAMU). Ole Miss is No. 3 at 22.2.G.
NO QUIT IN AGGIES: Texas A&M hoops has rallied from a 15-point or more deficit to at least a tie six times in the past two seasons, including twice already in 2024-25. (Comeback history on page 6)
EARNING TRIPS: Texas A&M has earned at least 20 trips to the FT line 14 times (11-3 record). The Aggies have earned 40+ FTA in three games, including 48 vs. Alabama (3rd-most in school history).
Texas A&M averages just 2.0 free throw MAKES fewer than its opponents' free throw ATTEMPTS per game (17.6 FTM to 19.6 FTA).
NOTING THE TRENDS
TV/RADIO
- The Aggies are 4-2 against AP Top 25 opponents this season with wins over Ohio State (then No. 21), Creighton (21), Purdue (11) and Oklahoma (17) and losses to Alabama (5) and Kentucky (8).
- Texas A&M holds a 12-5 advantage in the series with Ole Miss that dates back to the only non-SEC meeting between the teams at the 1972 All-College Tournament in Oklahoma City.
- Under Buzz Williams, the Aggies are 6-2 against Ole Miss, including a 3-1 record in Oxford.
- The Aggies took two of three from the Rebels last year with an 86-60 win in Oxford in the regular season finale (3/9) and an 80-71 triumph in the SEC Tournament five days later (3/14).
- The Aggies are 3-0 in 8 p.m. tip games this season after tallying a 5-2 record in late starts last season.
STATISTICAL COMPARISON
| Statistic | Ole Miss | OM Opp. | Texas A&M | A&M Opp. |
| FGM | 27.2 | 22.2 | 26.0 | 21.5 |
| FGA | 60.5 | 54.8 | 60.7 | 55.1 |
| FG% | .450 | .405 | .429 | .390 |
| 3PM | 9.1 | 7.2 | 6.8 | 8.1 |
| 3PA | 25.5 | 24.4 | 22.3 | 26.3 |
| 3P% | .355 | .293 | .304 | .307 |
| FTM | 15.3 | 14.1 | 17.6 | 14.7 |
| FTA | 21 | 20.3 | 26 | 19.6 |
| FT% | 0.73 | 0.691 | 0.677 | 0.753 |
| Off. Reb | 10.0 | 10.4 | 16.6 | 10.8 |
| Def. Reb | 24.8 | 26.3 | 24.8 | 22.1 |
| Rebounds | 34.8 | 36.7 | 41.4 | 32.9 |
| Assists | 15.7 | 12.6 | 12.5 | 13.8 |
| Steals | 10.2 | 5.7 | 8.3 | 7.5 |
| Blocks | 4.7 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 4.9 |
| Turnovers | 9.2 | 15.9 | 11.8 | 14.9 |
| Points | 78.8 | 65.7 | 76.4 | 65.8 |
NEED-TO-KNOWS
BACK IN BUSINESS: Two-time first-team All-SEC pick Wade Taylor IV returned to the starting lineup vs. LSU after missing three straight games with an injury. He filled the box score with 12 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals in his return to action.
WHILE "4" WAS AWAY: Zhuric Phelps emerged as the SEC's top scorer in league games with a 22.0 average, which included a career-high 34-point outburst vs. the then-No. 17 Sooners in Norman (1/8).
Phelps is the only SEC player averaging more than 20.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in league play. In fact, he's one of just four SEC players averaging more than 15.0 points and 6.0 boards per SEC game.
PAYNE GAIN: Minnesota transfer Pharrel Payne is hitting an eye-catching 68.8 of his FGA for the season, but he has been on another level since the start of December. Payne has been bringing the pain with a 83.0 FG% (39-47) since 12/1, which leads the nation in that span of time (min. 30 FGA).
He's hitting 83.3% (20-24) in SEC games, which leads the league among players with at least 10 FGA.
FORMULA FOR SUCCESS: Texas A&M pounds the offensive glass for a NCAA-best 16.6 offensive rebounds/G, which helps the Aggies averages nearly six more field goal attempts per game than its opponents.
The Aggies also average 3.1 fewer turnovers, 6.4 more free throw attempts and 2.7 fewer personal fouls than their opponents.
LIMITING FGM: Texas A&M and Tennessee are the only SEC schools that haven't allowed more than 28 FGM in a game this season. The two teams are No. 1 and No. 2 among SEC schools in FGM defense at 20.8 (UT) and 21.5 (TAMU). Ole Miss is No. 3 at 22.2.G.
NO QUIT IN AGGIES: Texas A&M hoops has rallied from a 15-point or more deficit to at least a tie six times in the past two seasons, including twice already in 2024-25. (Comeback history on page 6)
EARNING TRIPS: Texas A&M has earned at least 20 trips to the FT line 14 times (11-3 record). The Aggies have earned 40+ FTA in three games, including 48 vs. Alabama (3rd-most in school history).
Texas A&M averages just 2.0 free throw MAKES fewer than its opponents' free throw ATTEMPTS per game (17.6 FTM to 19.6 FTA).
NOTING THE TRENDS
- In his last 10 games, Minnesota transfer Pharrel Payne has averaged 11.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in just over 19:00 minutes/G. In his last five games (SEC play), he's averaged 13.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in less than 20:00 per game.
- Payne is tied with Alabama's Mark Sears for the SEC lead with an average of 8.6 FTA/G in league games, but he earns his FTA in 15.6 fewer minutes/G (19.6 to 35.2). Payne's 5.4 FTM/G ranks No. 2 in the SEC in conference games.
- Wade Taylor IV has hit double figures in points in 21 straight games.
- Taylor has 47 rebounds this season, but just a single offensive board.
- Taylor has made 50 of 56 FTA (.893).
- He averages a 2.39 assist/turnover ratio, well ahead of his career best of 1.49 in 2022-23.
- Zhuric Phelps has reached double-digit points in nine straight games and 14 of 17 as an Aggie. He has 5+ rebounds in seven straight games, including a season-high 10 vs. ACU (12/28).
- Phelps leads the SEC with a 22.0 scoring average in league games only.
- Phelps' career high of 34 vs. OU was the most points by an Aggie vs. an AP Top 25 team in a true road game since Jeff Overhouse scored 34 vs. No. 16 Oral Roberts in Tulsa on Dec. 23, 1972.
- Texas A&M has earned 40+ rebounds in 11 games, while just allowing 40+ opponent rebounds just three times. The Aggies rank No. 14 nationally in rebound margin at 8.5/G.
- In SEC play, the Aggies average 9.0 turnovers while forcing 16.0./G. Texas A&M leads the SEC in turnover margin at +7.0 in league games.
- In four starts in place of Taylor, Manny Obaseki averaged 7.8 points and 2.3 assists with an assist/turnover rate of 1.50.
- The Aggies have demonstrated uncommon depth: 11 players average at least 10 minutes, including five players with at least 20:00/G. Also, nine players average at least 4.0 points/G and eight Aggies average 3.0+ rebounds/G.
TV/RADIO
- The matchup airs on the Texas A&M Radio Network, locally on 1620 AM/94.5 FM or worldwide on the 12th Man Mobile App with Andrew Monaco and Dr. John Thornton describing the action. It is also available on SiriusXM on channels: 160 or 192.
- The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 with Tom Hart, Dane Bradshaw and Alyssa Lang providing the description.
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