On Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Texas A&M went into a hostile "neutral" environment and took down No. 11 Purdue. Sitting at 9-2, Head coach Buzz Williams joined TexAgs Live to dive into how the Aggies pulled off another tightly-contested non-conference battle.
Key notes from Buzz Williams interview
- We are thankful. Over the last few weekends, our guys have been in two unique environments. They have been tremendous in playing for and with one another and communicating at a high level. The staff has been remarkable in planning and adjusting during the game. Our guys have executed at a high level, and we are very thankful for the results.
- We played Purdue in their event, basically. It is a Quad I-A game. We did it to raise money for our collective. We did the same thing against Texas Tech. The model has changed, and that has changed scheduling.
- Our schedule has forced us to have a rapid rate of growth. There is no margin. It is going to be a one-possession game, if you are even in the game at all. The eight days of Las Vegas, last weekend in Fort Worth, and the game in Indianapolis force you to grow up. It forces you to be mature in how you handle it. The physicality of these games forces you to be consistent in the weight room and training room.
- I have learned that you must understand the value of every single rep before you ever get to the game. The game begins before the ball is tipped off. Our guys have been really good in that regard.
- Our staff has only spoken the truth about what is required. Sometimes, coaches overcoach, get lost in the opponent, and forget to coach their own team. That is one thing I have tried to be aware of and sensitive to with our staff. I know Purdue is good, but we must be good, or it will not be a game. We better be getting better, too.
- Our guys have become more and more comfortable playing in tight ball games with four minutes left. Six of our eleven games have been tied at the last media timeout. It has been a one-possession game in three other games at the last media timeout. You have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. None of it is catching us off-guard. You have to have the wherewithal to do what is required to win by a possession. We won by two possessions on Saturday and last weekend in Fort Worth.
- A "skull" is the lowest level of a win. A double skull means you beat them pretty well. A triple skull means it wasn't even a game. A four-point game is a skull.
- I don't think that Pharrel Payne has played very well. He would say the same thing to you. He may be the best prospect on our team, but he has not even come close to his ceiling at any point since he has been here. He knows and understands that. He has been very diligent in his work. He has turned the ball over too much and hasn't had a great rebound rate on either end. He has shown glimpses of his talent.
- You could feel the tension in the game on Saturday. It felt like a game that would be on “ESPN Classics” next year. It was an unbelievable college basketball game. We never felt like we would be able to get away from them.
- We got a turkey coming out of every timeout of the second half. That was the game. I told our kids that it would be really hard to get one turkey, but if we didn't come out of the game with six, we would not be able to win. Whoever shot the most shots and free throws was going to win.
- What Payne did in that game was the difference. That was by far the highest point and rebound total that he has had.
- Henry Coleman III has been so good for us. He is not the prospect that Payne is, but his consistency and knowledge represent everything the way that you would want. His toughness is why he has been starting and playing more minutes. Coleman walked past me and didn't say anything after he got hit, which is uncharacteristic. I walked to him several minutes later and could tell he was not right.
- Payne was in at that time. When I subbed Coleman back in, and Payne came off, I told him he hadn't played well since he had been here, and we needed him to play well. You could argue that he was the best forward in the game on Saturday. His production changed our team. Can he do that every game? I don't know. What he did on Saturday was critically important.
- When we played Oregon, there was a lot of green and gold in the gym. When we played Creighton it was packed full of blue. The amount of red against Rutgers caught me off guard, too.
- We had not had any success at Dickies Arena before last weekend. That was the largest crowd in the arena's history against Texas Tech. It was 100 percent a road game, even though it won't count as one. I told the kids that it would work out because it would prepare us for the game in Indianapolis. It was an NBA arena that was 99 percent capacity for Purdue. What we did in Fort Worth was great preparation for that environment on Saturday.
- Kids always want to play in an NBA arena. It was an unbelievable facility. If you don't count the relatives, there were maybe 150 people there cheering for Texas A&M. It counts as neutral, but it was definitely a road game.
- Quenton Jackson being there was one of the cooler things that has happened since we have been here. I am awfully close to him. I talk to his mom all the time. My son talks to him all the time. He was here with us from the beginning and stayed through COVID-19. Look at how he carried that team through his last 15-18 games here. It speaks for itself.
- I thanked Q for allowing me to coach him the way I did and for allowing me to have the relationship I have with him. Quenton Jackson left a legacy here. The young guys in the locker room when he was here are paying it forward. It was very special to have him there with us.
