Texas A&M- OU
The #10 Texas A&M Aggies travelled to Norman, OK to face the #17 Oklahoma Sooners who are coming off of their first loss of the season to #5 Alabama. Unfortunately for the Sooners, who went 13-0 to start the season, the sheer viciousness of the SEC this year has put them near the bottom of the conference after starting 0-2. The Aggies on the other hand have met this challenge head on by vanquishing their former Big 12 foes, Texas and Oklahoma, putting them tied for first place early into conference play.
This game was anticipated to be a matchup between two skilled guards who have led their teams in successful non-conference campaigns in freshman Jeremiah Fears of OU and Senior Wade Taylor IV of Texas A&M. However, during A&M’s win on Saturday (Jan. 4th) against Texas, Taylor IV exited in the second half with tightness in his knee which kept him out of this showdown with the Sooners. Additionally, after a superb non-conference run, Fears has hit a bit of a rut, struggling to score against Alabama until the game was already out of reach and receiving limited minutes in this game versus Texas A&M.
First Half
OU led for the vast majority of the game riding a carrier night from 5th year senior Brycen Goodline who put up 34 points on only 14 field goal attempts, going 9-11 from three point territory. Behind the dynamic offense from Goodline and Fears, OU was able to keep ahead of the Aggies who seemed out of stride without their floor general Taylor IV on the floor. For nearly four minutes early in the first half, the Aggies went scoreless which was capitalized on by OU as they ran out to a 12 point advantage with just over 11 minutes remaining in the first half.
From here the Aggies would battle to keep a conference contest from getting out of hand on the road which may be insurmountable in this conference. The Aggies received stabilizing performances from Junior forwards Solomon Washington and Pharrell Payne who would end the contest with 11 and 10 points respectively. The Aggies would go into the half down 39-30 and looking for a boost to overcome the apparent lull in their normally electric pace of play.
Second Half
The pace would not change much early in the second half as OU continued to penetrate and get open shots on the Aggies; apparent in their shooting percentages for the game at 54.3% FG and 58.3% from beyond the arc. This allowed OU to push the lead to 18 with 17 minutes left to play in the ball game. With the Aggies appearing to struggle getting stops and unable to rally for a run, it seemed as though OU had shaken off their juju from their first loss and were ready to reestablish themselves as a top caliber team in the SEC. However true that may be, it was a point that would not be proved in this game
A miraculous team rally which unfolded thanks to a career night from Texas A&M’s senior guard Zhuric Phelps who put up 34 points in the contest, 28 of which would come in the second half. The Aggies reassumed their usual aura of outcompeting their opponents, remaining disciplined through rut, and using the energy from Phelps’ second half onslaught to take the lead 74-72 on a made three point basket by Jace Carter with four minutes left during a defensive stand which would see the Aggies go on a 18-2 run during a five and a half minute stretch late in the second half.
Phelps in the Clutch
OU would not be put down easily though as they rallied down 77-72 with 2:49 left to. score six straight points, going up 78-77 with just a minute left in the game. Off of a rebound of a miss on the front end of a 1 and 1 by Fears, Phelps brought the ball up the floor and looked to head coach Buzz Williams to see if they would use their last timeout to draw something up. When William indicated to Phelps to play on, the senior guard probed the right side of the court and came off of a slip screen that forced Zurich’s defender to step on the foot of his teammate and hit the floor.
Phelps seemed almost shocked at such a wide open look on such a hot night, took a final dribble to gather and nailed a shot from the top of the key with just 19 seconds left in the game, putting the Aggies up 80-78. Oklahoma would call a timeout and try to work something up but it would fall through on a missed jumper from Duke Miles and the clock would eventually run out on OU’s chances.
Texas A&M Impressive through Adversity
Losing the leader of a team on the road against a ranked opponent in a treacherous conference is a terrible scenario for any team to go into. The ability to find a way to win is something that not many teams have, and even fewer who can do it without their leading offensive player. These Aggies have it. Coach Buzz Williams has a very mentally strong and capable team under him that may just make some big waves as their schedule pushes on. They will have another challenge this upcoming Saturday, January 11th, when the Crimson Tide of Alabama rolls through to College Station which will be available at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN
OU will be looking to correct this slide as they take on a physical Georgia team that has the size and confidence to play with just about anybody. The Sooners will travel to Athens, GA to play the bulldogs on Saturday January 11th at 5:00 p.m. CST. Coverage will be available on ESPN 2.
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