March Madness has arrived, and Texas A&M men’s basketball arrived in Denver ready to play the brand of game that earned them a top-four seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. 

The Maroon and White took care of first round opponent Yale in the process Thursday evening, using paint dominance and rebounding exemplified by a 25-point double-double from junior forward Pharrell Payne to send the Bulldogs packing 80-71.

First half shooting successes 

Keeping to their bread and butter with points down low, the Aggies were off to a 9-4 lead after five minutes of play. Senior guard Manny Obaseki showed flashes of his March playstyle with an early 3-pointer.

After seven minutes, A&M sat at 5-of-9 from the floor while the defense held Yale to 3-for-9 shooting. That trend wouldn’t change, as the defense forced the Bulldogs to shoot just 11-of-27 from the field throughout the first half. 

While the Bulldogs don’t have a bonafide sharp shooter, 6-foot-6 G senior John Poulakidas tried to fit the bill as best as he can, nailing just one of four attempted 3-pointers in the first half. 

Defense rang true to coach Buzz Williams, as his hungry squad forced seven turnovers and converted 10 points off the mistakes going into the final eight minutes. The Fightin’ Farmers ended the half with six steals. 

While the half was filled with big moments down low, the best was arguably fulfilled by a fake off-ball screen from graduate G Wade Taylor IV to Payne. The lean 6-foot-9 giant led the team in points going into the half with 10. In a show of commitment from Williams, the dedication to the paint started with Payne and the rest as they earned 24 points down low out of the 40 total.

With 59% shooting from the floor, the Aggies’ steady drive led to a 40-29 lead going into the locker room and on a high note, courtesy of a knock-down planned three from Taylor. 

“I think sometimes, some people get confused on what we consider a good offensive half,” Taylor said. “We’ve had a lot of great offensive halves this year, to what how we want to play. Ultimately, we played to the game plan and I think we execute[d] pretty well.”

With one of the best shooting performances from the Maroon and White in a half since the first loss to Texas in the Moody Center, a flat-footed performance could’ve derailed the first-half success.

Second half comeback snuffed out

In classic A&M fashion, a fast break steal by Yale led to a highlight block from Obaseki, quickly followed by an even wilder save by senior F Solomon Washington as he threw the ball from behind his back to keep the Aggie possession alive. 

Out of the gate, the Bulldogs began to heat up from beyond the arc with help from freshman G off the bench, Riley Fox, who nailed two of his three attempts to help put Yale within six points of A&M with less than 10 minutes left.

With the Fox and junior forward Nick Townsend duo, shots looked more consistent, and a promising run for the Bulldogs brewed as they combined for 19.

That spark was just enough to lead the Aggies to a 9-0 run going into the final six minutes. However, Yale wasn’t leaving the Dance without a last-chance push. 

Poulakidas was the catalyst to the last chance effort, totaling 16 in the half and 23 by the end. 

Senior F Jace Carter had other plans, though, switching from his normal defensive intensity to an offensive hustler as he followed an uncharacteristic 3-pointer with a board-crashing offensive rebound that transitioned into an easy 2-pointer. 

“I feel like my teammates always hold me to a high standard,” Carter said. “Opportunities always present themselves …. I’m happy I was able to make an impact on the team.”

While rebounding was close all throughout the first half and most of the second, the Fightin’ Farmers broke away in the last 10 minutes, ultimately outrebounding Yale 37-29.

“It was just a habit,” Carter said of the Aggies’ boards towards the end. “We do that every day. So it was bound to come out sooner or later. Obviously, we rep on it all the time, and everybody talks about it, and teams get tired in the second half, because we don’t know [how to] stop.”

The hero of the day, Payne, accounted for a double-double in the 80-71 win with 25 points and a 10-board performance.  

The next round of play is on Saturday, March 22, where A&M will face the winner of the UC San Diego-Michigan matchup.