Graduate guard Wade Taylor IV let the tears flow.

With his jersey hanging from the Reed Arena rafters after the final home game of his Texas A&M men’s basketball career, Taylor did the only thing he could think to do. He cried into his parents’ arms.

“They put me in this position,” Taylor said. “They made all the sacrifices, so I was able to let out some real emotions with them. All the long talks we’ve had at night … making sure that I move on to the next thing, no matter what’s going on in the world.”

When Taylor first arrived in Aggieland, the Aggies hadn’t made the NCAA Tournament in three seasons. Fans could practically sit anywhere they felt like in a near-empty Reed Arena on any given Tuesday night. 

Four years later, in a jam-packed Reed Arena, Taylor and the seven other seniors playing their last home game as Aggies helped deliver something the 12th Man had ever seen before, as No. 22 A&M defeated No. 1 Auburn 83-72 on Senior Night.

It’s the Aggies’ first win over AP No. 1 in school history.

“We’ve been through the good, the bad, the ugly, the losing streaks,” Taylor said. “When we went through this one, we really wasn’t shocked. We knew that we was getting better everyday, no matter what the outcome of the game is …. We were excited for the night, come in and make history. And we did.”

After the final buzzer sounded, coach Buzz Williams pleaded with fans over the public address system to “stay, please stay,” as the senior class was honored and Taylor’s jersey was hung from the rafters.

“IV’s impact on our program in his four years has been distinct,” Williams said. “I think who he is on and off the floor represents all of the things that this institution is about.”

History made

Things began poetic for the Maroon and White, as their first 12 points came from players honored during Senior Night ceremonies. The eight Aggies combined to score 70 as a group.

“I realize how rare it is, so I’ll always remember it,” Williams said. “I’ll remember the result, but I’ll remember the people that were a part of so much for so long to get the result.”

As for how the Aggies took down the top-ranked Tigers, it shouldn’t be surprising that the nation’s leader in offensive rebounding out-worked Auburn on the offensive glass, 24-9. A&M also out-rebounded the visitors 41-25 and more than doubled Auburn’s second-chance points, 29-11. 

“We have no excuses to allow those guys to get 24 offensive rebounds,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “I give Texas A&M all the credit, but our guys were physically dominated. I give them all the credit, but I don’t excuse our guys at all. We’re better than that, but not tonight.”

Credit can be given to a litany of A&M statistics and players, just about all of whom were honored during Senior Night ceremonies. Senior G Zhuric Phelps led the Aggies with 19 points, Graduate forward Andersson Garcia put up 11 points and 11 boards, Senior G Manny Obaseki had 10 points and was a perfect 2-for-2 from behind the arc — all in their final game at Reed Arena.

A long, hard road 

As an NBA Jam-esque slam from junior F Pharrel Payne gave the Aggies a 12-point lead with just over two minutes left, the game turned into more of a coronation than a contest. 

Thoughts began to turn towards the senior class, and Taylor himself — although few apart from Williams knew Taylor’s jersey would be in the rafters by the night’s end.

“I’m thankful that it was such a surprise, because that kind of added to it,” Williams said. “Our kids for sure didn’t know that.”

This A&M senior class had been through a lot over Williams’ time in Aggieland. Taylor, graduate G Hayden Hefner and graduate F Henry Coleman III were all part of teams that reached the 2022 National Invitational Tournament championship game, clawed their way to NCAA Tournaments and had multiple runner-up finishes in the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

They’ve also been through an eight-game SEC losing streak and brutal non-conference losses. All of that has made this team what it is today.

“I don’t think we could have absorbed all that this season has brought, and how you have to manage it, handle it, learn from it, grow from it, if not for that wealth of experience of good things and bad things during their tenure,” Williams said.

Pearl has coached against all of those Aggie teams — and lost to them, too. He’s seen the growth firsthand.

“Texas A&M has made a lot of progress with their program under coach Williams and his staff,” Pearl said. “I mean, they do it as good as anybody else. That should have been an impossible ticket in March …. That place should have been full for that team tonight.”

In the minutes after the game, Taylor said the achievement hadn’t quite sunk in yet. But his teammates already know how Taylor’s Aggie career will go down in history.

“I’m going to tell my grandkids I played with Wade Taylor,” Garcia said. “I rebounded the ball, and I passed it to Wade Taylor.”