Here are three takeaways from Texas A&M’s 83-78 victory against the Auburn Tigers:
Shaky defense
A&M’s defense took a turn in comparison to the last time the Aggies played against the Tigers. The maroon and white started off doing well on defense, but the number of second chances given to the Tigers started to take a toll. A prime example came early during the first half when Auburn was given three consecutive chances to shoot a 3-pointer due to A&M failing to grab the rebounds. Compared to the .288 3-point percentage that the Tigers came into the matchup with, Auburn managed to finish with a .375 percentage. As one of the better defenses in the SEC, this performance was out of character for the Aggies and needs to be tightened up as the season goes on.
Production trouble
For most of the game, it seemed that both A&M and Auburn were evenly matched as there were 17 lead changes by the end of the matchup. However, the Tigers went on a 15-2 run over the span of about four and a half minutes that raised some eyebrows and silenced Reed Arena. In response, with 2:14 left in the first period, A&M managed to on a 12-0 run in order to lead for the first time in ten minutes and go into the locker room with a one-point advantage.
We are tied. pic.twitter.com/PNRCteAwXb
— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) February 8, 2023
During the second half, the Tigers got off to a quick start as they took back the lead. Fortunately for the Aggies, they started to come back towards the middle of the second period until the game was tied once again with 8:38 left to go. Bolstered by a career-high 20 points from forward Julius Marble and 22 from guard Taylor Wade IV, the Aggies overcame the Tigers’ onslaught to improve its SEC record.
Postseason outlook
As of the most recent bracketology report, A&M will be part of the first four out while Auburn is currently projected as an eighth seed for the NCAA Tournament. With the result of this game, A&M might have a solid shot at moving up in the bracketology rankings. While non-conference play still casts a shadow on the Aggies’ chances of participating in March Madness, there are several games left on the season for A&M to prove themselves worthy of a slot.
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