Feb 18, 2025; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Texas A&M Aggies guard Wade Taylor IV (4) reacts during the second half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Humphrey Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
If you are searching for the textbook definition of a “barn burner,” look no further than this second round SEC tournament matchup between these top two Texas schools.
No. 14 Texas A&M fell to the Texas Longhorns for the second time this season in a shootout that took two overtimes to complete, with Texas eventually emerging victorious 94-89.
The two teams went back and forth in the first half, with the Longhorns pulling away 26-19 at one point and also limiting the Aggies’ offensive rebounding, but Texas A&M was able to keep the contest close up to the first half buzzer, 33-27.
Texas A&M Aggies guard Jace Carter (0) and Texas A&M Aggies guard Manny Obaseki (35) guard Texas Longhorns forward Devon Pryor (22) during their second round game of the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, March 13, 2025. / Nicole Hester / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Aggies came out hot in the second half, quickly taking the lead barely two minutes into the second half thanks to an impressive three-point shooting display by Andersson Garcia, a performance that the commentators likened to that of current NBA star Stephen Curry.
However, the Longhorns would again grab the lead back and this time would grow their lead to nine points in the contest, up 62-53 at one point.
And yet again, Texas A&M crawled back into the fight, using free throws, a couple of shots from beyond the arc, and their offensive rebounding ability that they seemed to have found again to cut the lead down, and a layup by Henry Coleman III with 30 seconds left tied up the game and sent it to overtime.
A pair of Wade Taylor free throws and a three by Manny Obaseki quickly put the Maroon and White ahead by five, but some sporadic free throws and a three from Texas tied the game right back up.
At one point late in the overtime, it seemed as if Wade Taylor had made a clutch three to shift the momentum permanently to the Aggies’ side, but it was erased by a timeout that was called by head coach Buzz Williams, leaving many Aggie fans in Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena puzzled and confused.
Pharrel Payne’s free throw would extend the Aggie lead by two, but a costly dunk was given up by the team with four seconds left in the first overtime, and a second overtime was required.
The two teams traded two-point shots to start the possessions, and more free throws from Wade Taylor would put the Aggies up by two, but Tramon Mark and Tre Johnson would each hit long threes to put the Longhorns ahead, a lead that they held until the final buzzer.
In his final SEC Tournament game, Wade Taylor led the Aggies with 29 points on 17-18 free throw shooting to not only eclipse 2,000 career points at Texas A&M, but become the all-time leading scorer in the SEC Tournament.
In the end, it seemed that turnovers did the Ags in, losing the battle 13-6.
The tough loss aside, the Aggies are still guaranteed a spot in the NCAA Tournament, and the team will now await to see what their final seeding is.
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