Buzz Williams reflects on 'unbelievable story' after beating Nebraska, reaching Round of 32
As February came to an end, Texas A&M was in the bottom half of the SEC with a 6-9 record in conference play. The Aggies were in the midst of a five-game losing streak with the conference tournament quickly approaching, needing to find a new gear.
But when that calendar flips to March, anything can happen. Three weeks after snapping that losing streak, Texas A&M is heading to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Friday night, Buzz Williams and the Aggies won their sixth game out of their last seven with a 98-83 victory over Nebraska in the Round of 64. The surge started March 2 with a road win at Georgia, and it continued into Nashville for the SEC Tournament as the No. 9 seed. That’s where Texas A&M strung together two victories before falling to Florida in the semifinals.
Now, the Aggies are gearing up for the Round of 32, and Williams isn’t taking the opportunity for granted.
“It’s been an unbelievable story,” Williams told TNT’s Jon Rothstein. “One that I’m very grateful for, and none of it’s been easy. And in some respects, the more difficult it has become, the better this group has responded. I think it’ll impact our hearts.
“I know we won, we’re thankful, we’re excited. But I think it’ll impact their hearts and their lives forever because 6-9 to the 9-seed to playing Sunday, that’s a rarity.”
Wade Taylor IV: Connection with Buzz Williams is ‘bigger than basketball’
Wade Taylor IV led the charge for Texas A&M with a game-high 25 points – one of three Aggies to reach that mark, along with Manny Obaseki’s 22 and Tyrece Radford’s 20 points. Taylor, in particular, has been red-hot lately. He is coming off back-to-back 30-point performances at the SEC Tournament as he seemed to take his game to another level.
The credit, though, goes to the teammates for getting him the ball in the right situations.
“I think we’ve just been staying the course,” Taylor said. “Shoutout to my teammates and my coaches for believing in me to stay in that rhythm. I feel like without them, I wouldn’t be who I am today. The way Manny’s been playing, the way Boo’s been playing, it’s just been opening up ways for me to score. It’s been effective so far.”
As for the connection between Taylor and Williams, it stems from their conversations beyond basketball.
“It’s bigger than basketball,” Taylor said. “We talk more about things off the court and how I can be better as a man, day in and day out, than how I’ve been as a basketball player. A lot of coaches don’t have that.”