No. 24 A&M looks to repeat bounce-back performances at Ole Miss
A repeat performance is needed as Texas A&M ventures back into Mississippi.
Obviously, the No. 24 Aggies (21-8, 13-3) don’t want to duplicate their disappointing 69-62 Southeastern Conference basketball loss at Mississippi State on Saturday.
But they do aim to repeat their response when facing Ole Miss (11-18, 3-13) on Tuesday at 8 p.m. CT.
The Aggies — who can clinch at least the No. 2-seed in the SEC postseason tournament with a win — rebounded from two previous SEC losses with emphatic victories.
A&M dominated Auburn, 79-63, on Jan. 25 after falling at Kentucky.
Similarly, the Aggies rebounded from a loss at Arkansas by trouncing Georgia, 82-57, on Feb. 4.
“I do think the response of our guys and our staff has been tremendous,” Texas A&M head coach Buzz Williams said on Monday. “I think the consistency of our response, regardless of the result, has been really good.
“Handling success — that response — has been just as good as the response when we lost.
“I think that’s hard to do to be able to be accountable and responsible the next day regardless of the result of the previous day. Hopefully, that comes to light again tomorrow.”
The Aggies appear to be heading to Oxford at a bad time.
Ole Miss reacted to the firing of head coach Kermit Davis, who has been replaced by interim Win Case, by defeating LSU, 82-69, behind a 23-point effort from forward Jaemyn Brakefield.
“They’re a dangerous team to play because they’re a very emotional team after all they’ve been through in the last days, particularly coming off their best performance of the year,” Williams said.
The Aggies, though, are likely more focused on getting back to their usual production.
Sophomore guard Wade Taylor IV scored 21 points in the loss to Mississippi State. It was his sixth consecutive outing with at least 18 points.
However, forwards Julius Marble II and Henry Coleman III uncharacteristically managed just one rebound each.
Perhaps even more surprising, guard Tyrece “Boots” Radford scored just four points. That ended a streak of 10 consecutive games in which Radford scored in double-figures. That consistency had been taken for granted.
“What becomes familiar becomes for granted,” Williams said.
He later added: “I anticipate Boots will be more than fine. He always has been.”
