Fighting for a spot in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament, Texas A&M men’s basketball couldn’t finish at the rim in the final 90 seconds, ultimately costing them the game to Michigan, 91-79.
In Denver, on March 22 — the last time the eight Aggie seniors would face any collegiate opponent — emotions rang high. But praise rose higher.
“I think it’s just the character of everybody up here,” graduate forward Henry Coleman said. From [coach Buzz Williams] to Wade [Taylor IV], to myself, to Mo [senior guard Manny Obaseki] and to everybody on that roster. When you have guys with great character, you’re always gonna fight. And there’s no doubt in my mind that we’re gonna fight to the end beside the result that we wanted, but just the credit to these guys that just fought all game long.”
Obaseki mirrored Coleman in his praise for Williams and reflected on his four years in the program.
“I want y’all to remember us just by understanding and knowing how hard we worked and the things that we’ve accomplished throughout these past four years, five years, will never be done again, especially at A&M,” Obaseki said. “I want you guys to understand that the people that orchestrated and played a part in what has transpired over these last four or five years, wasn’t by coincidence, and it goes to show you how special Buzz is as a leader.”
First half
The battle started in the paint — like everyone assumed — with the seven-footers junior F Danny Wolf and graduate center Vladislav Goldin against Coleman and senior F Andersson Garcia.
Trading shots from the field, the Aggies pulled ahead by the 15 minute mark after a lob from graduate G Wade Taylor IV to junior F Pharrel Payne, a sight reminiscent of Thursday’s win over Yale. The Dallas native had already dished out two assists, looking to expand his role from the win over the Bulldogs, where he totaled five.
The Wolverines built up a small run with 13 minutes remaining in the first half off free throws from junior G Tre Donaldson, freshman L.J. Cason’s 3-pointer and a down-low layup from Wolf.
However, that was short lived, as Garcia pulled out his favorite party trick — banging threes.
The Dominican Rodman shot 2-of-4 from beyond the arc, with back-to-back makes to even the score at 17.
A back-and-forth ensued in the final 10 minutes of the half as both Goldin and Payne fought it out under the rim. The 6-foot-7 Minnesota transfer put up 14 points as he finished 5-of-7 from the field while going 4-of-6 from the line in the half.
Garcia had another three in him, bringing his total to three makes in the half and making him A&M’s only player to make the tough long-range shots early.
The Wolverines made the game feel like March in the last two minutes as free throws and out performance on the offensive glass kept the Farmers’ on their toes.
Graduate G CJ Wilcher changed the momentum with a quick transition 3-pointer to extend a four-point lead into the last Michigan possession of the half, A&M 39-35.
Second half
While Taylor didn’t show his scoring impact in the first half, finishing scoreless as he went 0-of-4, he changed the narrative in the second by heating up in the first five minutes with four-points and a steal.
Coach Dusty May’s squad struggled to find rhythm early, but Cason and Wolf got the crowd cheering as they combined for five points, with a majority coming from the line.
As if the team fed off the noise, the next A&M possession ended in a dogfight on the ground, as Aggies and Wolverines dove for the loose ball until Michigan redshirt freshman guard Will Tschetter came up with the defensive board.
Looking for revenge, the connection from Taylor to Payne rang true twice more, first with an alley-oop slam dunk, next with a tough circus shot down low as he spun off a defender, throwing the ball up before hitting the hardwood.
Rebounding struggles for the Maroon and White continued as they fell behind 16-15 on the offensive side before the end of the game.
“I think we just didn’t have the fight today,” Coleman said. “And that’s as far as on the glass. I thought, you know, towards the end, we were fighting some of the balls and they didn’t bounce our way. But it doesn’t discredit the effort that some of the some of the guys had on their end.”
Coleman also spoke on what it meant to excel at offensive rebounding, a trait that has defined Aggie basketball for the last two years. In each of the past two seasons, A&M has been the nation’s top program in the statistic.
“I don’t know how many teams have done that, but what we’ve done and how we’ve manufactured reps on top of reps of just being elite offensive rebounders is something special,” Coleman said.
After Michigan’s junior G Roddy Gayle Jr. nailed an open corner three in front of the team bench, electrifying the arena, Taylor pulled up to the arc on a mission to respond, draining the shot as he got a look from behind a ball screen.
The four-point lead for A&M going into the final seven minutes of play proved futile, as Michigan went on a 9-0 run following Gayle and Goldin’s successes.
Gayle continued to shine from the three line as he made his fourth of the game, giving the Wolverines their first lead since the first half, 73-70.
In the last four minutes, the Maize and Blue kept its foot on the gas to excel to a 81-72 lead off of paint play by Goldin.
In an effort to keep the season alive, free throws and fast break points gave the Fightin’ Farmers a small ray of sunshine in the ever-growing darkness of Ball Arena as the time on the clock ticked away.
Five points. That’s all that separated the two teams with 60 seconds left.
After missed 3-point lobs from senior G Zhuric Phelps and Taylor, forcing the foul game did not help the deficit, as the Aggies lost by 11 to end the season.
“I think we set a really, really good foundation of how Texas A&M basketball looks,” Taylor said about next year’s team. “A lot of people want to be a part of this now, because of what we’ve done so far. We have a lot of guys in the locker room right now that’s ready to fight. I’m super excited to see what coach will have going on next year …. We’re just thankful to be here. We’re thankful for the opportunity that we’ve had at this school and what this school has done for our lives.”
