Texas A&M men’s basketball is set to take on Ole Miss following its first postponement of the season due to COVID-19.
On Saturday, Jan. 23, A&M will tip-off against the Rebels, who are the 11th ranked team in the SEC. The game will be played in Oxford, Miss., at the Pavilion. Tip-off is set for 2:30 p.m., and this will be the Aggies’ first game since the Vanderbilt matchup on Jan. 20 was postponed.
A&M coach Buzz Williams said after all of the recent changes, the team is better prepared than expected.
“Relative to all the changes I think they may be better than we have anticipated,” Williams said. “I didn’t know how to process [the cancellation against Vanderbilt]. When I told our kids at noon on Tuesday … let me think of the best use of our time over the next 48 hours since things have changed.”
The Aggies have a 7-5 overall record with a 2-4 record in conference play. Ole Miss has an identical conference record of 2-4, but is 7-6 overall.
A key, veteran player for A&M this season so far has been senior guard/forward Savion Flagg. The 6-foot-7 Alvin native has a season total of 298 minutes played with 82 points and a game average of 7.5 points.
While the maroon and white have only had this one postponement so far this season, Ole Miss has had two postponements and two cancellations at the start of its season.
In addition, the Rebels’ Jan. 9 contest against South Carolina was also postponed.
For the Aggies, sophomore forward Emanuel Miller has also been a key player for the team thus far. He averages 15.9 points a game and has scored 175 points this season so far.
Miller said the team needs to put more of an emphasis on focus.
“I think collectively as a group we all just have to dial in and focus on what’s next,” Miller said. “Whether that’s the next possession, whether that be the current possession or anything at hand. We always have to focus on what’s next and what we can do individually to help the team collectively.”
A player to watch on the Rebels’ side of the court is sophomore guard/forward Luis Rodriguez. The 6-foot-6 player has played 321 minutes this season with a total of 104 points and 29 assists.
In Ole Miss’s last matchup, the Rebels defeated Mississippi State in a dominant fashion with a final score of 64-46.
Williams said each possession is going to be critical against Ole Miss.
“It’s paramount for us to get as many possessions as possible,” Williams said. “We struggle to get a shot because of our turnover rate. When we do get a shot, obviously we’re not shooting a great percentage. So any opportunities at the offensive glass or the free throw line is manna from heaven for us.”