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3 takeaways from Texas A&M’s NCAA Tournament win over Nebraska

Grant Bricker

By Grant Bricker

Published:


The Trev Alberts Bowl that Texas A&M and Nebraska had been waiting for finally took place on Friday.

The build-up heading into the game was good enough to have outsiders interested. Plenty of storylines offered intrigue. Former Nebraska athletic director Trev Alberts is now the Texas A&M AD, an abrupt move earlier this month that took many in Lincoln by surprise. The NCAA paired the Aggies and Cornhuskers together for the men’s and women’s tournaments. Alberts wished each coach good luck and didn’t receive the reaction he imagined.

When the game tipped off, Buzz Williams and the Aggies made sure the focus was squarely on them, as they waltzed to a 98-83 victory.

Here are 3 takeaways from the game.

Buckets galore

Both offenses found a rhythm early in the game, trading points back and forth for most of the first half. Texas A&M and Nebraska each had multiple players in double digits before the halftime break and both teams cleared 40 points in the first 20 minutes

That wasn’t much of a surprise from the Huskers, who have made a habit of starting hot. NU brought one of the nation’s best offenses into the game; they were ranked 33rd nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom.

The surprise was that A&M not only kept pace, but surged ahead. Wade Taylor IV and Manny Obaseki were unstoppable in the first half, combining for 36 points on 13-of-19 shooting. Taylor made all 5 of his 3-pointers. A&M — a team that only averaged 74 a game prior to the tournament — had 58 points at the break.

Taylor finished with 25 points on 7-of-10 shooting from 3. Obaseki had 22 points. Tyrece Radford had 20 points, 10 boards, and 5 assists.

As a team, A&M shot 49% from the field and a season-high 57% from the 3-point line. The Aggies entered Friday’s game shooting 40% from the field and 28% from 3. For a Nebraska team that was looking for its first-ever NCAA Tournament win, that kind of shooting performance will be tough to stomach.

Stars out at FedEx Forum

Johnny Manziel made the trip to Memphis to watch his Aggies play Nebraska in the NCAA Tournament.

After a successful college career, Manziel went on to play in the NFL. However, Johnny Football didn’t have the same success he did in the professional ranks. Manziel spent 2 seasons with the Cleveland Browns in 2014 and 2015 before being cut.

Taylor and Texas A&M made sure to put on a good show for Johnny Football.

Tough matchup potentially awaits Aggies

Texas A&M’s March Madness run could be facing a huge roadblock in the next round after Friday’s win.

The winner of Houston-Longwood will be the Aggies’ next opponent. Barring a crazy upset, the top-seeded Cougars will be the next team that Texas A&M must face.

Houston lost to Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament title game. The Cyclones held the Cougars to 1 of their lowest point totals of the season. However, Houston should not be taken for granted in the matchup. The Cougars were the No. 1 team in the country at the end of the regular season and only have 4 losses on the year.

Grant Bricker

Grant Bricker was a former freelancer for The News TN in his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. He now freelances for Saturday Football. Follow on Twitter @GrantBricker.

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