As Ole Miss and Arkansas took to the court at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee before Texas A&M men’s basketball’s SEC Tournament opener against Texas, the student sections at each baseline looked somewhat depressing.
Even with both schools safely set for the NCAA Tournament, no more than a couple dozen students — if that — filled in the space beside the basket as the Rebels took home the win with a last-second game-winning 3-pointer from senior guard Sean Pedulla.
Not so for the 12th Man. Packed shoulder-to-shoulder in between the Hullabaloo Band and the Aggies’ bench, the A&M student section filled up their allotted capacity and brought the energy to Nashville — even as the Maroon and White fell in double overtime to the Longhorns.
“It felt like we were in Reed, which was really cool,” management information systems senior and president of Reed Rowdies, A&M’s organized student section, Noah Reyes said. “Just like a bit different, because we were all compacted together. I thought that was really neat. It was very, very exciting. It felt like we had a full crowd there. It almost even felt like a home game, comparatively.”
Pretty strong student contingent from Texas A&M ahead of their SEC Tournament matchup against Texas. pic.twitter.com/neMO4nW9fm
— Ian Curtis (@Texiancurtis) March 13, 2025
During the game — through two overtimes of intense moments — the effect of the traveling 12th Man was palpable, even to the Aggies on the court themselves.
“I could feel it,” coach Buzz Williams said. “ … Once the starters are mentioned, I see my wife and I kind of just lock in. But I could kind of feel the energy from the students. I love having the band, just because I’m old. I think that adds to the collegiate environment. And I also think the old adults that were here to support us, I thought they were pretty excited too.”
One Texas player even chirped back at the students in attendance after one comment hit a little too close to home. And after fouling out, junior forward Solomon Washington helped lead the 12th Man’s organized yells when he saw the opportunity.
For Reyes, that tangible impact is the type of sight that makes trips like the one to Nashville worth it.
“That’s a big part of what made me kind of fall in love with Reed Rowdies, is that impact that you can have on the game,” Reyes said. “They can feel our presence. It definitely feels really cool. As a student, it doesn’t always feel like there’s a lot you can do in those kinds of situations, but being there is definitely one of the few things that definitely you can do that can make an impact.”
The loyalty that the 12th Man showed in Nashville stood out to the 15 other fanbases in attendance, petroleum engineering senior Grant Oltrogge said. Fans of programs like Tennessee and Kentucky, who normally pack Bridgestone Arena to the gills, all took notice.
“We were the best student section at the tournament, by far,” Oltrogge said. “ … We had a ton of fans come. Texas had literally zero students in their student section, and we were at capacity for our student section. So it was really awesome to see that.”
And while the loss to Texas wasn’t what A&M wanted, the Aggies still added to their list of milestones, as graduate G Wade Taylor IV became the SEC Tournament’s all-time leading scorer..
Taylor is one of the eight Aggies who will be playing the final game of their college careers in the NCAA Tournament. Over the past few years, he and the rest of the senior class have made their mark in Aggieland, both on and off the court — culminating in Taylor’s jersey being hung in the rafters of Reed Arena.
And for fans like Oltrogge who watched the Aggies grow and improve over the years, the SEC Tournament trip was an emotional send-off for a team they’ve poured their heart and soul into.
“This team is Aggies,” Oltrogge said. “Going and seeing them after we beat Arkansas, they all walk out and they go straight to the baseball game and support the baseball team. It shows they truly represent who we are as Aggies. I have no greater love than this basketball team this year for A&M sports.”
