Braden Smith is usually the one that "sticks it to the man," but that turned out to be Wade Taylor IV this time around.
Texas A&M basketball just wrapped up another AP top 25 win in what was essentially a road environment against the Purdue Boilermakers.
Both teams came into this one with an 8-2 record, but Texas A&M showed the basketball universe something that not a lot of other teams have.
Texas A&M leads college basketball in offensive rebounds
Both teams are going to need ice, and lots of it.
It was another physical game for the Texas A&M Aggies basketball team. Texas A&M outrebounded Purdue on the offensive glass, 14-8. This needed to be a trend for the Aggies if they wanted those second chance opportunities.
They got plenty of them, but they also had plenty of guys who did dirty work that didn't get involved in the box score as much.
Andersson Garcia diving to the floor shows a sign of playing for the brother next to you. He only had five points and two rebounds in 22 minutes of play, but he shows why his hustle is going to matter every night.
Pharrel Payne showed up on the box score with 16 points and nine rebounds. He showed why his thick body is really valuable on the glass. The defense overall was praised by college basketball reporter Jon Rothstein.
Texas A&M's defensive performance today against Purdue in Indianapolis was beyond elite.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) December 14, 2024
Aggies are so much better than they were in March when they took Houston to OT in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Have yet to lose this season at full strength. https://t.co/ffxlynKOYq
Usually it's Rothstein saying "death, taxes, Matt Painter," but he's soon going to have replace that name with Buzz Williams pretty soon.
The Aggies will get Houston Christian and Abilene Christian before heading into SEC play in 2025.