Aggies leaning on variety of scorers to continue gaining traction
A much-needed victory at LSU suggests Texas A&M may be gaining speed in the Southeastern Conference basketball race.
The key to A&M (11-7, 2-3) passing rivals in the standings remains Four on the floor.
That is, junior point guard Wade Taylor IV — commonly known as Four — who has scored 91 points in the last three games. He averages 19.5 points to rank second among SEC scorers.
“I don’t like playing without Four on the floor,” A&M coach Buzz Williams said. “Not just on offense. I’m not saying he’s the best defender of all time, but he has such a high IQ.”
He’ll be on the floor and leading the Aggies in a three-game Reed Arena homestand beginning Tuesday at 8 p.m. against Missouri (8-10, 0-5).
Though Taylor is among the most explosive scorers in the nation, the Aggies may have gained traction for an SEC rally with Taylor on the sidelines.
Last Saturday Taylor picked up two fouls early against LSU and spent most of the first half on the bench.
However, several others made key shots to keep the Aggies in contention. Manny Obaseki, Andersson Garcia, Jace Carter and Tyrece Radford all hit at least one 3-pointer to keep the Aggies within two points at halftime.
Taylor then scored 19 points in the second half to lead a 73-69 Aggie victory.
A&M has needed alternative scoring sources and may have found them.
“This season we’ve played multiple games without Henry (Coleman), multiple games without Solo (Solomon Washington), multiple games without Boots (Radford), the entire season without Ju (Julius Marble),” Williams said.
“We’ve adjusted, but never had to adjust specific to Four. That was the first time we were forced to do it and Mo hit a big 3, Andy hit two big 3’s, Jace hit a big 3.”
The Aggies are hopeful to continue getting point production from Radford, who averages 14.8 points, and Carter.
They’re also hopeful Coleman, who averages 11.3 points, can get back in the lineup full-time. He was sidelined in a recent loss to Arkansas and played just 10 minutes against LSU.
The Aggies figure to have plenty of scoring opportunities against Missouri, which is ranked 240th in the nation in scoring defense.
However, the Tigers can score a lot, too. Guards Sean East II, Tamar Bates, Nick Honor and forward Noah Carter all have in double figures.
Still, Missouri has lost eight of its last nine games, including a five-game skid to open SEC play.
Williams warned Missouri employs a different style of play that can cause problems.
“They’re so unique in how they play offensively,” he said. “They also do specific things defensively that require your time. I think that’s part of why they play the way they do on both sides of the ball. If you’re not careful you’ll spend all your time worrying about them instead of making sure you’re doing what you’re supposed to do.”
