The Missouri men’s basketball team, currently on a five-game losing streak in conference play, faces a challenging matchup against Texas A&M. Despite preseason low rankings, the Tigers have struggled to prove the polls wrong, sitting tied for 13th place with Vanderbilt in the SEC.
Texas A&M’s junior guard, Wade Taylor IV, has been recognized on various national watchlists, including the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 and Lute Olson Mid-season National Player of the Year Award watchlists. Taylor is considered the media’s pick for conference player of the year and is the second-highest scorer in the SEC.
Notably, Taylor excels as a playmaker, showcasing scoring, driving, and playmaking abilities on the court. He is a prolific 3-point shooter, tying with Alabama’s Mark Sears for the fourth-most made 3-pointers in the SEC. What sets Taylor apart is his elite playmaking skills, making him a triple threat.
In addition to his scoring prowess, Taylor is among the most frequent free-throw shooters in the conference, with 108 attempts and an 82.4% shooting percentage. Tamar Bates, Missouri’s guard, has a better free-throw shooting percentage (94%) but takes fewer attempts than Taylor.
The matchup also marks the first meeting of the year between Missouri’s coach Dennis Gates and Texas A&M’s Buzz Williams, the reigning SEC Co-Coach of the Year. Both coaches have a history in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and Gates is looking for his first career win against Williams’ Aggies after going 0-2 last season.
Missouri will need to learn from its recent mistakes, particularly in facing man-to-man defense, as exhibited in their loss to Florida. The Tigers face a tough road environment as Texas A&M anticipates strong support from the 12th Man on “Rock Reed” night, the first home game with students back on campus after winter break. Tip-time on the SEC Network is 8 o’clock, with pregame at 7:30 on KTTN FM 92.3.
