First March Madness win of the Buzz Williams era comes in convincing fashion
Just over a year after Texas A&M saw a first round NCAA Tournament exit at the hands of a hot-shooting Penn State team, the 9 seed Aggies exorcised that postseason demon with some hot shooting of their own, resulting in a 98-83 win over 8 seed Nebraska Cornhuskers. It marks the first NCAA Tournament win under head coach Buzz Williams, who was hired in 2019.
(9) TEXAS A&M DOMINATES IN ROUND ONE
The Aggies advance with an impressive win over (8) Nebraska 98-83 pic.twitter.com/FFGor91VDT
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 23, 2024
The game started out with both teams shooting lights out, with the Huskers and Aggies trading buckets at a blistering pace. But eventually that shooting cooled (at least for the Huskers), and Nebraska appeared outmatched as the Aggies continued the hot three-point shooting they flashed in the SEC Tournament, was very successful at dribble penetration and showed their usual rebounding prowess. After being down as many as seven points in the opening minutes, A&M went into halftime up by 14, and were never seriously challenged again. While the Huskers would make their fair share of shots, the seemed to have no answer for the Aggies offensive trio of Wade Taylor, Boots Radford and Manny Obaseki. The three combined for 67 of A&M’s 98 points. At no point in the second half did the Huskers get within single digits.
Obaseki, in particular, has been a big reason for A&M’s recent surge in offensive production (they’re 6-1 in that span). After scoring in double figures only four times in the Ags’ first 27 games, Obaseki has done so in each of the past seven games, averaging 16.7 points per game. His emergence as a third offensive weapon means that teams can not focus solely on guards Wade Taylor and Tyrece Radford, who have served as A&M’s 1/2 offensive punch all year long.
The Aggies move on to the second round of the tourney for the first time since 2018, where they await the winner of 16 seed Longwood and 1 seed Houston (with the Coogs obviously being the heavy favorite), with a Sweet 16 berth and a chance to play the next weekend in Dallas on the line. Houston and A&M played back in December, with the Coogs winning 70-66. But for now, the important thing is…