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Texas A&M Basketball
ESPN's Jay Bilas says Texas A&M is capable of beating 'just about anybody'
January 15, 2024
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College basketball analyst at ESPN, Jay Bilas, had a front-row seat to the Aggies' upset of Kentucky on Saturday. Following A&M's victory, Bilas joined TexAgs Radio to share plenty of thoughts on Texas A&M and what Buzz Williams' squad is capable of.
Key notes from Jay Bilas interview
- That's who Tyrece Radford is. He is a left-handed driver. For him to shoot 50 percent across the board, outside of his free throws, when they had to have them, he made them. He has guts. He has been in and out of the lineup with injury. That looked like the old Tyrece Radford. That is a backcourt that compliments each other really well.
- Wade Taylor IV is a bucket-getter. He is not the most efficient shooter. When he gets hot, you can ride that wave all the way to the shore. Radford is a nice compliment to that because he is so tough and such a great rebounding guard. That was an impressive performance.
- I don’t think you will see that in every game. That is asking a lot, but it shows why a lot of us ranked Texas A&M inside the top 20 to start the year. They are capable of doing that. If you have bad shooting nights, you can have results you won't care for.
- Analytics tell you what you have done, not what you are capable of doing. You look at the body of work Texas A&M has put together, and there have been some really good things. There have been things that haven't been as good.
- That game shows you what they are capable of. I think Texas A&M is capable of beating just about anybody. Are they one of the five to ten best teams in the country? I wouldn't say that, but they are capable of beating those teams.
- People tend to forget that this time last year, Connecticut was the best team in the country, and they lost six of eight when they started the conference play. They ended up winning the national championship. It's a build-up until the end. This is basketball. Teams can lose games. That does not mean you are not capable. This sport is about being your best at the end of the year.
- I have never understood what the panic button means. When is the right time to panic? That doesn't help anything. At the end of every game, you can be excited or disappointed for a short period of time. You assess it. You look to where you can do better and get back to work.
- A&M is a team that has good habits. That is part of who they are. They made difficult shots, but the way they went about playing was more of who Texas A&M is versus games prior where they were out of character. LSU was totally out of character. Auburn, too. That did not look like the A&M team I had expected.
- We tend to overreact with top teams losing. Talent is more spread around now. Some people use the term parity. You are more capable on a given night to get beat. On the road this year, the top teams are more vulnerable. Unranked does not mean you suck.
- I know the old-school coaches don't like NIL because there are no rules, but what are the rules in regard to their salary and staff? I get coaches don't like players to transfer. At some point, we are going to be signing players to contracts. If the players leave, they have to owe you a buyout. It’s so simple. The NCAA does not want to do it.
- Reduce the size of Division I basketball, and that way, every good player will want to play at that level. You will have more talent spread out over fewer units. There would be fewer places to transfer. It would be an easier and cleaner enterprise.
- Conference contracts would be difficult to deal with, but there should just be a revenue share. Put all the money in a pot and hand it out equally. That way, everyone knows what they will get, and we will see who is more efficient. College football and basketball are the NFL and NBA, but the players go to class. That is the only difference.
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