Williams' philosophy remains consistent amid heightened expectations

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Under coach Buzz Williams, Texas A&M basketball has often been like an October in College Station.

The Aggies begin quite cold. Steadily warm up. Ultimately, they can be absolutely torrid.

But the NCAA Tournament selection committee typically gives them the cold shoulder.

Last season was a perfect example. The Aggies lost twice in November and were just 6-5 at Christmas.

But they started Southeastern Conference play with a five-game winning streak. They closed the SEC regular season by winning eight of nine, including victories over No. 11 Tennessee and No. 2 Alabama. They followed that up by reaching the final of the SEC’s postseason tournament.

Despite the strong finish, 25 victories and a top-20 ranking, the Aggies were given a disappointing No. 7 seed.

At least that was better than the previous season when A&M defeated No. 4 Auburn and No. 15 Arkansas en route to reaching the SEC Tournament final but were snubbed by the selection committee.

Williams’ philosophy in constructing a successful team often sacrifices victories in November and December for more impactful wins in February and March.

“Every coach has a different philosophy on what they want to do with their team in the summer and what they do in September and October,” Williams said at SEC Media Days on Wednesday. “I’m not saying ours is wrong, and I’m not judging others. I just think that we’re always behind. I think we’re behind for the right reasons. And I do think that we do probably win a game or two after Valentine’s Day that maybe we would not have expected to win based on non-conference results.”

Junior point guard Wade Taylor IV, who was named the Southeastern Conference preseason Player of the Year, doesn’t mind making the sacrifice. He doesn’t expect to make it this year, though.

“I think sacrifices are good sometimes. It depends on the situation,” Taylor said. “This year, we’re going in and trying to win everything we can. That’s in practice. That’s in film session. We’re just trying to win the game. I feel like once we take one step at a time, be where our feet are, everything else will take care of itself.”

With the nucleus of last year’s team returning and the addition of key transfers, Williams players are confident they can avoid a cold start and NCAA snubs.

“I think we’ve picked up key pieces, for one,” guard Tyreece Radford said. “For two, I think we will speak it into existence and get off to a hot start.

"I think it’s going to be something to watch. I think we’re going to get off to a hot start, and we’re going to maintain it. We have to continue to be everyday guys, for coach Buzz, just like he’s an everyday guy. And have that faith in one another.”

There’s a lot of faith in A&M nationally and in the SEC.

The Aggies are ranked No. 15 in the AP preseason poll. They’re picked second in the SEC preseason poll behind Tennessee.

Even legendary Kentucky coach John Calipari issued a warning about the Aggies.

“They’ve got a lot of guys back,” Calipari noted. “They were terrific last year. They are physical. They defend. They run good stuff. I would say coming back, A&M would be one of those one or two teams that should be favored.

“Let me say this with all due respect — A&M is terrific. I love what they do. But it’s so hard right now to project. It’s never been this hard. You can project anybody you want.

“But if you’re A&M and you’ve got people back … Buzz should be walking around with a smile. Like, ‘I’ve got everybody back, so let’s go. Let’s see what happens.’”

Good things should be expected at Reed Arena. A&M returns every key figure from last season’s 25-win team except Dexter Dennis, who’s now with the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks.

Taylor averaged 16.3 points and 3.9 assists last season. Radford averaged 13.3 points. Posts Julius Marble II and Henry Coleman III each averaged 9.

Manny Obaseki, Andersson Garcia and Solomon Washington were effective role players. They could all be more this season.

Significant contributions are anticipated from transfers Jace Carter (Illinois-Chicago), Eli Lawrence (Middle Tennessee), 6-foot-10 Wildens Leveque (Massachusetts) and incoming freshman Bryce Lindsay.

So, there are many reasons to expect the Aggies to come out blazing. And then here comes Williams with a fire hose.

“We do have a lot of returning players,” Williams said. “But we’re also arguably playing the toughest non-conference schedule that A&M’s ever played. We don’t have much wiggle room to give away possessions at any point. We play eight games in November, and five of them are on the road.”

A&M’s non-conference schedule includes four opponents — Penn State, Virginia, Memphis and Houston — that were in the NCAA Tournament.

“Hopefully, we’re a little ahead of schedule because of the returners,” Williams said. “But the process we have followed this summer and up to this point has been the same that we always do.”

Translation: The Aggies may start cold, but expect them to finish hot. Just like College Station in October.