Powerful tests vs. Syracuse, No. 13 Kansas State ahead for Texas A&M

Back from the Bahamas, Texas A&M women's basketball returns to Reed Arena for the first time in 17 days when the Aggies host Syracuse on Wednesday night. Ahead of the SEC/ACC Challenge, head coach Joni Taylor joined TexAgs Live to preview the matchup with the Orange.

Key notes from Joni Taylor interview

• The Battle 4 Atlantis was a great experience for the team. We got there on a Wednesday and practiced on Thursday. Then we had a chance to experience Atlantis since it was the first time that some ladies had been. They got to take in the beauty of Nassau.
   
• We were 1-2 in the tournament. We lost to a really good Villanova team and a Ball State team. One thing we took away from it is that eight teams in the tournament could end up being in the NCAA Tournament. We were going to get tested. To come back after two losses and have the resolve to put together a win down two players, we are just in a position where every time we make a mistake, our opponent will capitalize. Our margin of error is small. We are looking to get back into it tomorrow.
   
• This is our scenario: We have 11 players. Vanessa Saidu is out, so we have 10 available players. Out of those, five of them don't practice. Three don't practice, and two don't because of injuries but are available during games. Continuity and flow are things that we are trying to work on. There are some flow things that we are working through. We are getting better at those things. Our resolve has been good. At the same time, our schedule is unforgiving. To ensure we are getting as healthy as possible, having this time off for some of our players is good for some of them.
   
• Syracuse is a quality team. They are just as big as we are. Hopefully, our prior games against other teams who have given pressure will benefit us. We have got to protect the paint and take care of the basketball, which is extremely important for us tomorrow.
   
• It's great to be home. We got to spend Thanksgiving here. We passed out food to over 2,000 people in this community who needed food for this Thanksgiving. We practiced and had a team dinner. We are excited to be back in front of the 12th Man and finish the holiday season playing at Reed Arena.