In the Players Era Festival tournament, Texas A&M found themselves in a slugfest against Oregon.
Charges, missed shots, turnovers all plagued the Aggies, especially in the second half.
Even so, the Aggies have something to look forward to on the hardwood—their new face from SMU.
Texas A&M basketball won just by getting Zhuric Phelps
Despite an 80-70 loss to Oregon in the tournament, the Aggies still got something to play for in the Players Era Tournament.
There was huge momentum from Oregon going on a 16-0 run in the second half of play.
Oregon would eventually get the edge by Texas A&M missing shots and Oregon grabbing rebounds and getting fouled.
Before that 16-0 run by the Ducks, the Aggies bench was all smiles when it was Zhuric Phelps hitting 4-9 from beyond the arc.
Phelps is exactly the kind of player that Buzz Wiliiams dreams of. He hits shots at a high clip, he rebounds, and he defends. College basketball insider Jon Rothstein talked about Phelps as an "underrated player."
Texas A&M's Zhuric Phelps is underrated nationally. Leading the Aggies in scoring (16 PPG) and also having an impact on D (2.7 SPG). Add Wade Taylor IV and Manny Obaseki and Buzz Williams has three quality veteran guards.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) November 19, 2024
Although this post was from last week, the numbers still aren't that far off.
SMU had a gem in Phelps, but he made the right decision to move on and make Texas A&M his home.
As for the team, the sloppiness has to be addressed by Williams. The Aggies lost against UCF after they went ice-cold in the closing moments of the contest.
This was a similar loss for the Aggies, except it came in a tournament against the much respected Dana Altman.
Their performances have been subpar to start, but with Williams' leadership, they will get better.
The good news is, they have Phelps to rely on barring any type of injury this season.