Texas A&M basketball came into Ole Miss knowing a dogfight was likely.
This was a game full of shooting woes and turnovers, leading to what was guaranteed to be a tough finish against Chris Beard and company.
With no answer for Sean Padulla, the Aggies looked dead in the water until the final minute of the ball game. It all started when the Aggies were down by eight points with 1:54 to go until magic happened.
Press defense and Manny Obaseki come through for Texas A&M basketball in a thrilling final minute
Ole Miss looked flustered at the press defense coming from the Aggies. Timeouts and turnovers followed for the Aggies to take advantage to steal a win on the road.
It was Zhuric Phelps who came through in clutch time for the Aggies when they faced the Sooners, but with Phelps shooting 0-5 from deep, and with Taylor IV having a rough game, it was Manny Obaseki who stepped up with potentially the most clutch shot of his life.
NO. 13 TEXAS A&M TAKES ITS FIRST LEAD ON ITS FINAL POSSESSION AND ESCAPES NO. 16 OLE MISS WITH A WIN‼️😱 @aggiembk pic.twitter.com/jMH6RA7HmA
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) January 23, 2025
The press defense in the end helped the Aggies get turnovers and points on the board. It was a missed free throw from the Rebels that put the Aggies in position to win the game. The Aggies went back on defense and forced a missed shot down low, followed by a scramble for the loose ball until the buzzer sounded.
This was one of the uglier games you'll see in the SEC— just like we predicted it would be. The Aggies didn't shoot that well from beyond the arc, shooting 29 percent from deep. It was the rebounding game that once again kept the Aggies in the game. The Ags out-rebounded the Rebels, 48-31.
If there's anything we've learned about this Aggies team, it's that you can't count them out until the buzzer sounds. This also ended up being a legacy game for Buzz Williams, who is acquitting himself well this season.
Per @tom_hart on the broadcast:
— Luke Evangelist (@lukeevangelist_) January 23, 2025
Buzz Williams has as many ranked road wins in his 6 seasons as the previous 37 seasons in Aggie basketball history.
Unbelievable stat.
Williams and company still have a lot to go through, but the toughness that this Aggie team has shown is in elite company with the best.