Manny Obaseki is ON FIRE: Junior scores 16 straight points for Texas A&M basketball

Manny Obaseki lights up Cornhuskers in first half; Power Texas A&M basketball to 58 points in first 20 minutes

While it may not be the defensive start Texas A&M basketball fans wanted to see, the offense for the Aggies has been of a near-NBA caliber in the first 20 minutes. The Aggies have jumped out to a 58-44 lead at the break, powered as always by their guards. However, instead of it being Radford and Taylor alone as it might have been early on in the season, it has been junior Manny Obaseki who has ignited the Aggies.

Obaseki's meteoric rise began against Georgia, when he was inserted into the starting lineup. A player who had been athletically explosive but had struggled scoring and defending suddenly looked like a guy who had found something on both ends of the floor. He has just grown and grown by leaps and bounds every game, and now has 19 points at the half, including this cold-blooded three pointer:

Over the last five minutes of the half, it was Obaseki who scored all 16 of the Aggie points. It wasn't just from beyond the three-point line, either, even though he was shooting a great percentage from downtown. Rather, his quick first step and ability to jump and hang resulted in highlight layups just like this one.

Obaseki's play remains a huge key for the Aggies in this first-round matchup, as it has been over this latter part of the season in general. At first, his ability to shoot and drive was a welcome option that helped open up guys like Boots and Wade; now, he's a guy who looks like he can even outshine those two players by himself!

Let's hope the Aggies can keep this up in the second half. I'd love to see a bit slower offensive pace from the Ags, given the score disparity, but if that compromises the shot-making, keep up the tempo.