No. 13 Texas A&M stoked to host Oral Roberts in front of the 12th Man

Home sweet home.

No. 13 Texas A&M's non-conference run continues on Friday when Oral Roberts (1-2) comes to Reed Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.

After playing back-to-back physical road tests, a return to College Station is a welcomed occasion. It's also rarer than ever before.

"We played eight games in November. Six of them are on the road," head coach Buzz Williams said. "We got home about 2:30 on (Wednesday) morning. We're excited to be able to play at home."

Friday represents A&M's second home game of the year. It will be their last until Dec. 6.

Over those 19 days between ORU and DePaul, A&M will play three ESPN Events Invitational contests in Kissimmee, FL, and another at Virginia in the ACC/SEC Challenge.

Needless to say, chances to play in front of the 12th Man are becoming more exciting.

"It's always good to be home and play in front of Reed. I've only played in front of them one time, so we're looking forward to Friday," transfer guard Jace Carter said. "It was crazy. It was something you dream of as a little kid... That's the most people I've played in front of."

As Williams has shown over his tenure, his teams typically improve drastically over each season.

Aggie fans can find even more excitement in the fact that, despite being 3-0, A&M still has plenty of room to improve.

They're intent on keeping that trend going this year.

"I think our team is aware of where we need to improve, but I also think the opponents that we're playing have tweaked what we have to emphasize, which means that's what we have to practice more," Williams said. "I think we're OK through three games, but tomorrow will be another challenge that has been different."

Three-point shooting has been a struggle. After shooting 32.6 percent from deep a year ago, A&M is shooting just 29.6 percent from deep through three games.

Some of that slower start can be credited to Wade Taylor IV's personal slump.

Despite averaging a team-high 17.3 points per game last season, the SEC's Preseason Player of the Year has made just five triples through three games. On Tuesday at SMU, Taylor was 0-for-7 from beyond the arc.

As his track record can attest, don't expect that trend to last.

"He's got such high expectations for everybody, and we're just happy that he's doing his job, but it means we have to do our job too," Carter said of Taylor. "We all trust in IV, and I think he's playing great."

Tyrece Radford has stepped up. As has Henry Coleman III.

"I just love how he has been playing," Williams said of Coleman. "I increased my dues to be a member of his fan club. It's just so fun to watch, and he's such an on-board, gentle person, but he's really, really intelligent. We won those two games in large part because of what he has done."

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Despite sporting lower numbers than usual early this season, Taylor IV still paces A&M with 52 total points and 10 steals.

Friday presents a perfect opportunity for Taylor and the offense as a whole to heat up.

NCAA Tournament darlings in 2021, Oral Roberts is off to a slow start. Under first-year head coach Russell Springmann, ORU's lone win came against Mid-America Christian by a mere five points.

Isaac McBride, a 6-foot-1 guard, leads ORU in scoring with 19.3 PPG. That includes 27 in Monday's loss to Missouri State. Fellow returner and Houston native DeShang Weaver averages 15.3.

But none of the Golden Eagles have seen a defensive attack like A&M's.

"I play aggressive, very on-the-ball, active," Carter said. "Buzz brings that out in everybody. He's very intense."

Behind that ever-present defense, A&M should confidently improve to 4-0. With an uptick in offensive production, A&M should confidently head to Florida.

But first, the Aggies get to showcase their capabilities for a home crowd.