How Buzz Williams Prepares Texas A&M for Quick Turnaround to Kentucky

We all know that in the SEC, it just means more. This year it means hosting a top-five college basketball team, then leaving two days later for a top-ten road game. That’s what Texas A&M is currently experiencing to start the third week of conference play, and that’s not the only bit of adversity they’re dealing with.

The Aggies secured a Top 25 victory on the road at Oklahoma without their leading scorer, Wade Taylor IV. They returned to Reed Arena on Saturday where they fell by six points to No. 5 Alabama. Today they’ll be traveling to Lexington to prepare for a game against No. 8 Kentucky.

Buzz Williams declined to share any information about Taylor’s undisclosed injury, however, he’s clearly not going to be ready in Lexington — and that was confirmed when he was declared out Monday evening when the SEC released its official availability report. When asked if there was any sort of timetable for Taylor’s return, Williams shook his head and gave an “uh-uh.”

Even if they were at full strength, the quick turnaround is a challenge. Williams wants his players to flush the results from the Alabama loss as quickly as possible.

“I think every coach would say that when the margin in this league is as thin as it is, I think you have to purge or cleanse — whether the result was good or whether the result was bad — as best as you can from a non-emotional standpoint,” Williams said after the loss to Alabama.

“You have to figure out how you can diagnose what to learn, but in a quick turnaround, what can you learn that applies to the next game? Because you don’t have enough time, particularly when you’re transitioning to a Tuesday road game…

… So we try to purge, good or bad. Then we try to only take translatable learning information to the next game. The things that don’t translate, we kinda sprinkle that in when we have more than one day or work prior to the game.”

One thing that will certainly be emphasized is rebounding. Texas A&M is the No. 1 offensive rebounding team in the country. They scored 32 second chance points against Alabama, but were out-rebounded by the Crimson Tide.

If that wasn’t enough of an indication that it’s going to be a physical game at Rupp Arena, take a closer look at the free throw numbers. Texas A&M shot 48 on Saturday. Prepare to see more physical basketball at Rupp Arena, a place where Texas A&M has not won since Elston Turner dropped 40 points on the Cats back in 2013.