Vanderbilt will meet No. 12 Texas A&M for the first time this season when Commodores travel to College Station, Texas, for a Southeastern Conference game on Wednesday evening.
For Commodores, a victory would be a big step towards an NCAA tournament, something they haven’t achieved since 2017. Vanderbilt snapped a three-game losing line with a 77-72 victory over then. 24 Ole Miss on Saturday and will end the regular season with two of his three matches at home after Wednesday’s competition.
This is another sign that Commodores (18-9, 6-8) made a large rent in first-year coach Mark Byington, who joked about tournament calls after Saturday’s victory.
“I’m trying to stay away from it, but you can’t be naive and understand that the message will not come through the players,” Byington said. “I mean, I’m going down the street, I’m going to Starbucks and someone will scream at me, ‘You’re the last four in the (NCAA tournament)!’
Aggies (20-7, 9-5) lost their second straight game, 77-69 at home to the then no. 6 Tennessee on Saturday. Texas A&M is difficult to beat when it shoots well, which it did not when it went only 5 out of 30 (16.7 percent) from 3-point intervals on Saturday.
“We liked all our pictures behind the bow,” said Guard Zhuric Phelps. “We have to beat them down. It’s something to work with (Sunday).”
Unfortunately, it has been a persistent issue for A&M, which is ranked as 329th nationally in 3-point shooting (30.6 percent).
Wade Taylor IV leads Aggies in points average of 15 points per game, and Phelps (14.4) is the team’s only other double -digit goal scorer.
The aggies get many of their points by relentingly hitting the offensive glass and snaging 41.8 percent of available offensive returns, which are ranked first in the country, according to Kenpom.com.
In the meantime, Commodores is slightly thin in color, with 6-foot-7 Devin McGlockton (Team-High 7.9 Returns per Match) and 6-8 Jaylen Carey (5.8) are the two best options. But keeping the two on the floor has been a problem. McGlockton has been fouled by three last games; Carey has fouled by two.
Commodores have more scoring than Aggies, with Jason Edwards (17.3 PPG), McGlockton (10.9) and AJ Hoggard and Tyler Nickel (9.9 each) leading the way for Vanderbilt.
Edwards has made in double numbers in all but one game this season and has reached at least 20 eight times.
The aggies have practically dressed an NCAA tournament, regardless of the outcome Wednesday but will look to improve their sowing in that event as well as in the SEC tournament.
The four best seeds will receive double Byes in the 16-team conference tournament next month. The aggies are in a three -way tie for fourth place in the league with Tennessee and Missouri.
Texas A&M will not play Tennessee again during the regular season and then strike no. 15 Missouri 67-64 on February 8 in the only matchup between the teams.
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