NASHVILLE, Texas — The Texas A&M Aggies improved their berth to the NCAA Tournament at the expense of Kentucky, but coach John Calipari said the Wildcats' defense needs to get better to finish this season with a win. I was reminded of this once again.
Wade Taylor IV scored 32 points as Texas A&M defeated No. 9 Kentucky 97-87 on Friday night in the second biggest upset of the Southeastern Conference tournament quarterfinals.
“He just has an elite level of IQ off the field,” Aggies coach Buzz Williams said of Taylor. “But he has as high an IQ as any player. And he understands time-scoring momentum probably more than anyone I've ever been around. He clearly has the ability to score. However, there is an atmosphere of “Should I score?'' Should he shoot? ”
Calipari noted Texas A&M's eighth win in Quad 1 and said the Aggies had enough to earn an NCAA berth. Mr. Williams did not respond when asked about that prediction.
The seventh-seeded Aggies have won five straight games and advanced to Saturday's semifinals for the third time since joining the SEC and second time in three seasons. The Aggies, who lost in the finals in 2016 and 2022, will face either No. 19 Alabama or Florida.
Texas A&M lost to regular-season champion Tennessee in the 2022 title game and then fell to Mississippi State in Game 1 on Friday.
Tyrese Radford had 23 points, Manny Obaseki had 17 points and Solomon Washington added 11 points for Texas A&M (20-13). The Aggies earned their second win over Kentucky on Jan. 13 after requiring overtime.
Not on a Friday night.
The loss ended Kentucky's longest winning streak in the SEC until this tournament at five games. The Wildcats (23-9) now return home looking for their first tournament win since 2018, having won 31 titles and setting the standard for the event often referred to as the Kentucky Invitational.
Calipari said the Wildcats haven't been able to pass the ball as much as they have in previous years during the winning streak.
“Once the ball stops, we're not the same team,” Calipari said. “You can't play like that, going 1-on-5. We haven't done that in weeks. That's how it felt today. …But the way they played deserved that game. “I'll say it again. But we conceded 97 points. How many games are we going to win by conceding 97 points?”
Antonio Reaves, Kentucky's leading scorer with an average of 22.2 points, fouled out with 18 minutes remaining and finished with 13 points. Kentucky was led by Rob Dillingham with 27 points and Reid Shepherd added 14 points.
The Aggies scored eight of the first nine points, helping to quiet the Kentucky fans who filled most of Bridgestone Arena. They continued to knock down threes after that, shooting better outside the arc than inside.
Taylor led the match, which resembled a tennis match with both teams sprinting up and down the court. Texas A&M led 48-42 at halftime.
Kentucky last took the lead when Shepard stole a fastbreak layup to take a 16-15 lead at 1:15 p.m. Washington answered with his 3, and the Aggies never trailed again.
big picture
Texas A&M: The Aggies had their highest point of the season in regulation. The SEC, which is good at protecting the ball, did it again. They had a 6-14 advantage in turnovers, which turned into an 18-4 scoring advantage. The Aggies are currently 13-2 when committing nine or fewer turnovers. …They had a 26-9 edge in second-chance points.
Kentucky: The Wildcats lost in the quarterfinals 46-13, 135-30 overall. …Tre Mitchell also fouled out.
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Texas A&M lost 100-75 to Alabama on February 17th, but the Aggies won 67-66 against Florida on February 3rd.
