CJ Wilcher's 'assassin' status may be required to end A&M's SEC skid

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Earlier this week, Texas A&M basketball coach Buzz Williams told a remarkable tale of how guard CJ Wilcher was acquired from Nebraska through the transfer portal.

Major elements of the story included:

• An airplane malfunction.
• An unplanned landing in Omaha, Neb.
• A quickly arranged recruiting lunch with Wilcher.

But the most important part of the story is why A&M pursued Wilcher.

When watching video of Nebraska before an NCAA Tournament game, A&M coaches became of enthralled with Wilcher’s shooting ability they referred to him as “assassin.”

The No. 12 Aggies (20-8, 9-6) may need Wilcher’s shooting touch to help end a three-game Southeastern Conference basketball losing streak when they face No. 3 Florida (24-4, 11-4) Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. CT in Gainesville.

Wilcher has emerged as a much-needed perimeter threat to complement scoring leaders Wade Taylor IV and Zhuric Phelps.

Though only 10th on the team in minutes played, Wilcher now trails only Taylor with 38 baskets from 3-point range.

Zoe Kelton, TexAgs

CJ Wilcher is averaging 42.2 percent from 3-point range this season, which is the best among Aggies.

In the last four games, Wilcher has hit 10 treys and averaged eight points.

“I just come and try to do my job to the best of my ability every day,” Wilcher said. “How much am I going to play? Will my role get bigger? That’s not really up to me. I’ve just got to come ready to do the job whenever my name is called.”

His name might get called early and often vs. Florida.

The Aggies figure to need all the offense they can get to keep up with Gators, who are the 10th highest-scoring team in the nation with 83.6-point average.

Guard Walter Clayton Jr. averages 17.1 points and has hit 75 treys. Also, guards Alijah Martin and Will Richard are averaging 14.7 and 13.2 points, respectively.

Furthermore, Florida can be imposing inside with 6-foot-11 Alex Condon, 6-foot-10 Rueben Chinyelu and 6-foot-9 Thomas Haugh. The Gators are third in the nation in rebounding.

“I told our guys they are (ranked) one, two, three or four in every statistical category on both sides of the ball that impact winning — in the SEC or nationally,” Williams said. “They’re good enough to beat anybody in the country. They do play really fast. They shoot a lot of 3s. They make a lot of 3s. Their inside presence is tremendous.”

Of course, the Aggies, who continue to lead the nation in offensive rebounding, have an inside presence of their own.

Junior forward Pharrel Payne has become a more reliable offensive weapon. He’s averaging 11.2 points in SEC play. He had 23 points in a loss to Vanderbilt on Wednesday.

“I thought he was tremendous (vs. Vanderbilt),” Williams said. “It changes the dynamics of our team when we have a presence at the rim, offensively and defensively. It potentially makes it easier for some of the other guys that are on the floor.”

The Aggies will welcome anything that makes their task easier. Nothing has come easy in their three-game slump.

Despite that skid, the Aggies are still projected as a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

A victory in Gainesville, which would potentially be A&M's seventh Quadrant 1 win, might clinch that seed line.