Opponent: yale (22-7)
Time: 6:25pm
Date: March 20th
Location: Ball Arena - Denver, Colorado
TV: TBS
Yale Quadrant Record: Q1 - (0-1), Q2 - (2-1), Q3 - (6-3), Q4 - (13-2)
Opponent NET: 72
Opponent KenPom: 73
Opponent Offensive / Defensive Rating: 59/117
Spread: Texas A&M -7.5
Stats: https://12thman.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
My fellow Ags, it's finally here. March Madness. The dance begins today. The most beautiful time of the year is here. Whether you're watching at work, smartly got the next two days off and watching from home, or you're in Denver, it's time to embrace the madness, it's time to ignore your loved ones, ignore your boss, all that matters right now is basketball. And what matters most is that at 6:25pm central time, that our Aggies are ready to BTHO yale.
What a season it's been, and although I could sit here and reflect about the big wins, taking down a number one team, the milestones, I'm not here for all that. We can reminisce later. I'm here to give you a Yale Preview and hopefully another preview in approximately 27 hours.
While Yale may have distinguished alumni such as world leaders and Supreme Court justices, what they don't have is a group of veteran, athletic, physical, and intense basketball players that are ready to step onto a court today like we do. We endured a gauntlet of a schedule, every week we faced tournament teams, future lottery picks, and all Americans. We are battle tested. We've been to this tournament before. We all are aware of the late season slump that we faced, but this is a team with a group of guys that have played so much ball together. Some of these guys have endured so much the past 3-4 years, and if I can guarantee one thing, it's that they are going to give it their all this weekend and play for one another like never before. This senior group is looking to make some history and put a stamp on the foundation they've built here under Buzz Williams.
The team lined up across the court are the Ivy League Champions. They put together a record of (22-7) and (13-1) in conference play. Aside from the Ivy Leagues, they played one quad I game and lost, they played 2 power 4 opponents and lost, and they also lost to UTEP, Delaware, Rhode Island, and the University of Illinois at Chicago. They played Purdue and Minnesota closed back in November, but they gave up 58 free throws in those 2 games. Yale has one player over 6'7 and he plays 20 minutes and averages 3 rebounds. We'll see how they handle one of the best rebounding teams in the country and one of the most physical teams in the country.
Yale is lead by a 3 headed monster with 6'6 guard #4 John Poulakidas who averages 19 points and 3 rebounds, their point guard #2 Bez Mbeng who averages 13, 5 and 5, and their big man 6'7 #42 Nick Townsend who averages 15 points, 7 boards, and 3 assists. While Poulakidas is their leading scorer, they like to run a lot of their offense through Townsend! He used his size against other Ivy League opponents, but we'll see how he competes in the paint against Coleman, Payne, and Garcia. He was held to 4 points against Minnesota and 12 against Purdue. This trio all average over 30 minutes per game. So expect their game plan to center around these guys. But playing heavy minutes against a defense like ours has to take its toll.
On our end offensively, we all know by now our struggles. We struggle shooting and it leads to prolonged scoring droughts. Many times this season we were close to putting teams away or staying in big games, but we'd eventually see a tagline "A&M scoreless in the past (insert time)" We really need to do a better job of putting points on the board. We've seen glimpses, we know Taylor can get hot quickly, we've seen games where Obaseki looks unstoppable, Phelps lights up the scoreboard, Payne can't be stopped in the paint, Garcia can play like Magic Johnson. There's so many facets to this offense that can take over a game, but the key thing is can multiple guys have a great day on the same day. Can we move the ball efficiently, can we take great looks, can we get to the free throw line.
We've seen our offense when it struggles, but we've faced some of the best defenses in the country with elite athleticism and size. Will Taylor, Phelps, and Obaseki be able to drive to the basket with efficiency, can we attract weak side help and feed Payne, Coleman, Garcia, or Solo near the rim or kick out to a wide open 3. Defensively can we slow down Poulakidas and Mbeng, can we limit passes down low to Townsend. I think we can get them into foul trouble early with our size and willingness to attack the paint.
X's and O's aside, what this game comes down to is the fact that we have a group of guys in maroon who have been playing this game for a awhile. Wade Taylor IV, Manny Obaseki, Henry Coleman, Anderson Garcia, Hayden Hefner, Jace Carter, Zhuric Phelps, and CJ Wilcher are all seniors. How do they want to go out and how do they want to be remembered. When that first ball is tipped tomorrow morning anything can happen.
Will Wade Taylor show the country why he has his jersey up in the rafters, will Payne, Phelps, and Wilcher show everyone that Buzz went after some game changers in the portal for this exact time of year, Will Obaseki play up to his March Manny status and recruiting prowess, Will Coleman pick up some double doubles and cement himself as one of the best big men in Aggie history, will Wilcher drop 4 or more threes in a game and send the arena into a frenzy, will Hefner make the haters eat crow and provide a momentum swinging 3 pointer or dunk, will Buzz make a statement by taking his 3rd school to the second weekend? This is March Madness, this is what kids dream about while shooting hoops in the driveway, this is what we as fans wait all year for. Fellow Ags, it's been a great year, but this won't be the last preview you get from Taylorswift13_ go to your closet, pick out those fancy dress shoes you last wore to a wedding or black tie event that haven't been worn in awhile, because folks, it's time to go dancing and BTHO those nerds from New Haven! GIVE ME THE AGGIES BY 30!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yale Statistical Leaders
Points
John Poulakidas - 19.2
Nick Townsend - 15.4
Bez Mbeng - 13.4
Rebounds
Nick Townsend - 7.2
Bez Mbeng - 5.5
Isaac Celisar - 5.1
Assists
Bez Mbeng - 5.6
Nick Townsend - 3.6
Isaac Celisar - 1.5
Steals
Bez Mbeng - 1.9
Nick Townsend - 0.7
John Poulakidas - 0.6
Blocks
Samson Aletan - 1.6
Casey Simmon - 0.6
Bez Mbeng - 0.4
Texas A&M Statistical Leaders
Points
Wade Taylor - 15.7
Zhuric Phelps - 14.1
Pharrel Payne - 9.4
Rebounds
Andersson Garcia - 6.2
Henry Coleman - 5.6
Soloman Washington - 5.2
Assists
Wade Taylor - 4.3
Zhuric Phelps - 2.2
Andersson Garcia - 1.6
Steals
Zhuric Phelps - 1.7
Wade Taylor - 1.3
Andersson Garcia - 1.0
Blocks
Soloman Washington - 1.1
Pharrel Payne - 1.1
Andersson Garcia - 0.7
Yale Roster: https://yalebulldogs.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster
Yale Schedule: https://yalebulldogs.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule
Yale Stats: https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/yalebulldogs.com/stats/mbball/2024/pdf/cume.pdf
Texas A&M Roster: https://12thman.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster
Texas A&M Schedule: https://12thman.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule
Texas A&M Stats: https://dxbhsrqyrr690.cloudfront.net/sidearm.nextgen.sites/tamu.sidearmsports.com/stats/mbball/2024/pdf/cume.pdf?t=1742443741007
Time: 6:25pm
Date: March 20th
Location: Ball Arena - Denver, Colorado
TV: TBS
Yale Quadrant Record: Q1 - (0-1), Q2 - (2-1), Q3 - (6-3), Q4 - (13-2)
Opponent NET: 72
Opponent KenPom: 73
Opponent Offensive / Defensive Rating: 59/117
Spread: Texas A&M -7.5
Stats: https://12thman.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
My fellow Ags, it's finally here. March Madness. The dance begins today. The most beautiful time of the year is here. Whether you're watching at work, smartly got the next two days off and watching from home, or you're in Denver, it's time to embrace the madness, it's time to ignore your loved ones, ignore your boss, all that matters right now is basketball. And what matters most is that at 6:25pm central time, that our Aggies are ready to BTHO yale.
What a season it's been, and although I could sit here and reflect about the big wins, taking down a number one team, the milestones, I'm not here for all that. We can reminisce later. I'm here to give you a Yale Preview and hopefully another preview in approximately 27 hours.
While Yale may have distinguished alumni such as world leaders and Supreme Court justices, what they don't have is a group of veteran, athletic, physical, and intense basketball players that are ready to step onto a court today like we do. We endured a gauntlet of a schedule, every week we faced tournament teams, future lottery picks, and all Americans. We are battle tested. We've been to this tournament before. We all are aware of the late season slump that we faced, but this is a team with a group of guys that have played so much ball together. Some of these guys have endured so much the past 3-4 years, and if I can guarantee one thing, it's that they are going to give it their all this weekend and play for one another like never before. This senior group is looking to make some history and put a stamp on the foundation they've built here under Buzz Williams.
The team lined up across the court are the Ivy League Champions. They put together a record of (22-7) and (13-1) in conference play. Aside from the Ivy Leagues, they played one quad I game and lost, they played 2 power 4 opponents and lost, and they also lost to UTEP, Delaware, Rhode Island, and the University of Illinois at Chicago. They played Purdue and Minnesota closed back in November, but they gave up 58 free throws in those 2 games. Yale has one player over 6'7 and he plays 20 minutes and averages 3 rebounds. We'll see how they handle one of the best rebounding teams in the country and one of the most physical teams in the country.
Yale is lead by a 3 headed monster with 6'6 guard #4 John Poulakidas who averages 19 points and 3 rebounds, their point guard #2 Bez Mbeng who averages 13, 5 and 5, and their big man 6'7 #42 Nick Townsend who averages 15 points, 7 boards, and 3 assists. While Poulakidas is their leading scorer, they like to run a lot of their offense through Townsend! He used his size against other Ivy League opponents, but we'll see how he competes in the paint against Coleman, Payne, and Garcia. He was held to 4 points against Minnesota and 12 against Purdue. This trio all average over 30 minutes per game. So expect their game plan to center around these guys. But playing heavy minutes against a defense like ours has to take its toll.
On our end offensively, we all know by now our struggles. We struggle shooting and it leads to prolonged scoring droughts. Many times this season we were close to putting teams away or staying in big games, but we'd eventually see a tagline "A&M scoreless in the past (insert time)" We really need to do a better job of putting points on the board. We've seen glimpses, we know Taylor can get hot quickly, we've seen games where Obaseki looks unstoppable, Phelps lights up the scoreboard, Payne can't be stopped in the paint, Garcia can play like Magic Johnson. There's so many facets to this offense that can take over a game, but the key thing is can multiple guys have a great day on the same day. Can we move the ball efficiently, can we take great looks, can we get to the free throw line.
We've seen our offense when it struggles, but we've faced some of the best defenses in the country with elite athleticism and size. Will Taylor, Phelps, and Obaseki be able to drive to the basket with efficiency, can we attract weak side help and feed Payne, Coleman, Garcia, or Solo near the rim or kick out to a wide open 3. Defensively can we slow down Poulakidas and Mbeng, can we limit passes down low to Townsend. I think we can get them into foul trouble early with our size and willingness to attack the paint.
X's and O's aside, what this game comes down to is the fact that we have a group of guys in maroon who have been playing this game for a awhile. Wade Taylor IV, Manny Obaseki, Henry Coleman, Anderson Garcia, Hayden Hefner, Jace Carter, Zhuric Phelps, and CJ Wilcher are all seniors. How do they want to go out and how do they want to be remembered. When that first ball is tipped tomorrow morning anything can happen.
Will Wade Taylor show the country why he has his jersey up in the rafters, will Payne, Phelps, and Wilcher show everyone that Buzz went after some game changers in the portal for this exact time of year, Will Obaseki play up to his March Manny status and recruiting prowess, Will Coleman pick up some double doubles and cement himself as one of the best big men in Aggie history, will Wilcher drop 4 or more threes in a game and send the arena into a frenzy, will Hefner make the haters eat crow and provide a momentum swinging 3 pointer or dunk, will Buzz make a statement by taking his 3rd school to the second weekend? This is March Madness, this is what kids dream about while shooting hoops in the driveway, this is what we as fans wait all year for. Fellow Ags, it's been a great year, but this won't be the last preview you get from Taylorswift13_ go to your closet, pick out those fancy dress shoes you last wore to a wedding or black tie event that haven't been worn in awhile, because folks, it's time to go dancing and BTHO those nerds from New Haven! GIVE ME THE AGGIES BY 30!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yale Statistical Leaders
Points
John Poulakidas - 19.2
Nick Townsend - 15.4
Bez Mbeng - 13.4
Rebounds
Nick Townsend - 7.2
Bez Mbeng - 5.5
Isaac Celisar - 5.1
Assists
Bez Mbeng - 5.6
Nick Townsend - 3.6
Isaac Celisar - 1.5
Steals
Bez Mbeng - 1.9
Nick Townsend - 0.7
John Poulakidas - 0.6
Blocks
Samson Aletan - 1.6
Casey Simmon - 0.6
Bez Mbeng - 0.4
Texas A&M Statistical Leaders
Points
Wade Taylor - 15.7
Zhuric Phelps - 14.1
Pharrel Payne - 9.4
Rebounds
Andersson Garcia - 6.2
Henry Coleman - 5.6
Soloman Washington - 5.2
Assists
Wade Taylor - 4.3
Zhuric Phelps - 2.2
Andersson Garcia - 1.6
Steals
Zhuric Phelps - 1.7
Wade Taylor - 1.3
Andersson Garcia - 1.0
Blocks
Soloman Washington - 1.1
Pharrel Payne - 1.1
Andersson Garcia - 0.7
Yale Roster: https://yalebulldogs.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster
Yale Schedule: https://yalebulldogs.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule
Yale Stats: https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/yalebulldogs.com/stats/mbball/2024/pdf/cume.pdf
Texas A&M Roster: https://12thman.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster
Texas A&M Schedule: https://12thman.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule
Texas A&M Stats: https://dxbhsrqyrr690.cloudfront.net/sidearm.nextgen.sites/tamu.sidearmsports.com/stats/mbball/2024/pdf/cume.pdf?t=1742443741007
