News release from Texas A&M Athletics:
NORMAN, Okla. – The No. 10 Texas A&M men’s basketball team (12-2) renews its rivalry with the Oklahoma Sooners (13-1) as SEC opponents at 8 p.m. on Wednesday at the Lloyd Noble Center.
- The two teams met at least twice annually from 1997-2012 as members of the Big 12 Conference.
- Since Texas A&M left the Big 12 in 2012, the teams met three times at a neutral site – most recently in the Sweet 16 of the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
- OU owns a 31-11 advantage in the all-time series, but the Aggies lead 9-7 since 2007, which includes all three of Texas A&M’s wins in Norman.
- Fourth-year OU head coach Porter Moser served two stints on then-Texas A&M head coach Tony Barone’s Aggie hoops staff from 1991-95 and 1996-98.
STATISTICAL COMPARISON
Statistic |
Oklahoma |
Texas A&M |
FGM |
28.2 |
26.0 |
FGA |
58.1 |
59.9 |
FG% |
.485 |
.434 |
3PM |
9.1 |
6.8 |
3PA |
25.3 |
22 |
3P% |
.362 |
.308 |
FTM |
17.2 |
17.6 |
FTA |
21.3 |
25.1 |
FT% |
.809 |
.702 |
Off. Reb |
9.4 |
16.6 |
Def. Reb |
24.1 |
26.1 |
Rebounds |
33.4 |
42.8 |
Assists |
14.3 |
13.3 |
Steals |
9.4 |
8.0 |
Blocks |
2.1 |
4.6 |
Turnovers |
11.1 |
12.4 |
Points |
82.8 |
76.4 |
NEED-TO-KNOWS
STREAKING: The Aggies have won eight straight games, which matches the longest win streak of the Buzz Williams from 2021-22 (Last four non-conference /first four SEC game).
A win vs. Oklahoma would represent the longest streak since the 2015-16 SEC-Co-Champion squad had a 10-win streak (included first seven of SEC play).
TOP 10: At No. 10/9, the Aggies are in the AP and coaches top 10 rankings for the first time since late December in 2016 (No. 5 AP/No. 6 coaches).
RARE AIR: Wade Taylor IV is one of seven Power 5 conference players, and one of two SEC players (ARK’s Boogie Fland), averaging 15.0+ points while dishing out 60+ assists with fewer than 30 turnovers.
ON THE DEFENSE: Texas A&M has limited all 14 opponents to below their current season-long FG%. The Aggies have held seven opponents to 20 or fewer FGs.
Most impressively, three of the Aggies’ previous opponents are shooting better than 49% from the field for the season – Texas (.506), Ohio State (.495) and Texas Tech (.516). Those teams combined for a 37.7 FG% vs. the Aggies.
GLASS EATERS: Texas A&M pounds the offensive glass for a NCAA-best 16.6 offensive rebounds/G in 2024-25. The Aggies also sit atop KenPom’s offensive rebound % standings at 44.3%.
Twenty-six SEC players have reeled in 28+ offensive rebounds – the Aggies have four of them.
BOARDS ADVANTAGE: A&M has been out-rebounded just once this season and have won the rebound battle by at least six in 12 of 14 games. The Aggies own a 11.5/G rebound margin for the season (No. 5 nationally).
DOWNTOWN DEFENSE: Texas A&M has limited its opponents to 28.7% on 3-point tries. Among teams that have faced 340+ 3-point attempts, the Aggies rank No. 5 nationally in 3-point FG defense (OU ranks No. 2 at 27.4%).
BENCH IMPACT: On a team that is shooting 43.4% from the field (40.3% from its starters), the bench has been instrumental to its 12-2 record with a 48.3 FG% and an average of 31.9 points/game. Manny Obaseki is the team’s top bench scorer with 90 points.
Since the start of December, bench stalwart Pharrel Payne is shooting an NCAA-best 82.8% from the field (among players with at 25 FGA) while chipping in 10.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.