Following a bye, Taylor & Co. face a pair of top-15 opponents in UK, LSU

Texas A&M head coach Joni Taylor joined us for Tuesday's edition of TexAgs Live after a bye weekend. After a competitive start to the season, Taylor & Co. are preparing to face No. 11 Kentucky on Thursday and No. 5 LSU on Sunday in Baton Rouge.

Key notes from Joni Taylor interview

• The bye has been good for a lot of reasons. We always end up having two bye at some point in our 16-game schedule. We've done that for years. What's unique about the bye this time around is that we had a Sunday off. Our byes in the past have been on a Thursday night.

• Having a Sunday off gives us a chance to get some work, so we've worked hard on Saturday and Sunday, and now we are on a regular schedule. It gave a chance to rest some of our players who need it, with some nagging injuries. During the season, you rarely get a chance to work on yourself. Everything is scout, prep, play. Scout, prep, play. Having the bye allowed for some continuity and some flow. It's us taking a step in the right direction and getting better.

• We had an early bye before, for us, it came at the perfect time, considering the grueling schedule we've had. We are fortunate and happy about where it fell. We know we have to bear down and go Thursday-Sunday, Thursday-Sunday-Monday in some cases. It's what the week does. It's what we are used to. We are used to having that kind of grind.

• I think Aicha Coulibaly had some timely plays in the fourth quarter on either side of the ball. I think it starts with her getting a steal. The person she was guarding in the backcourt slipped and fell, and she was able to capitalize and get a layup. That translated into another steal back-to-back.

• I had been telling AC over and over that, "It's going to open up for you.” They are going to try and keep you from getting the ball, but she just ignited us in that fourth quarter. AC knows that she is going to be the opponent's number one priority every game, it's about how you can make a play and how you can get involved. She will affect the game every time on either side of the ball. It will not come if you don't stay locked in, stay positive and stay focused.

• It has been a long time since we went one through 16, and we could say that every single night we got a challenge. It happens consistently in this league because of how talented the coaches and players are this year. In terms of talent and the number of teams ranked, we have had absolute dominance this year.

• It starts with Georgia Amoore. She's a point guard who came from Kentucky, and she's dynamic. She will be drafted this year. She is fun to watch. She is an electrifying player, but she creates opportunities and pays for her teammates. When we have to rotate and help situations, that's when she will find her spot and go through us. We have to make sure we are smart about the shots we are taking. Defensively, Kentucky’s guards will run you into the paint and trick you into thinking you have an open lane. Once we are in the paint, we need to be smart about shot selection.