Resume Check: Looking ahead to South Carolina basketball's next opponent, the Texas A&M Aggies

South Carolina basketball is eight games into its 2024-2025 SEC schedule. The Gamecocks are 10-11 and 0-8 in conference play following a loss to the Georgia Bulldogs on Tuesday night. USC did not win a game in January.

The losing streak continues for Carolina, but this weekend presents an opportunity for the Gamecocks to get off the schneid. Kicking off the month of February, Lamont Paris’ team will face off against Buzz Williams’ No. 13 Texas A&M Aggies.

[Win tickets: South Carolina-Texas A&M MBB]

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Resume Check: Texas A&M Aggies

Record: 16-5 (5-3 in SEC)
AP Ranking: 13th
Last Week: Loss to Texas 69-70 in Austin; Win over Oklahoma 75-68 in College Station
Previous Meeting: South Carolina won 70-68 in College Station during 2023-2024 season

Texas A&M has been ranked in every AP poll this season. Buzz Williams has a talented group in College State this year, and the Aggies seem destined for the NCAA Tournament. On Saturday, South Carolina will look to get back into the win column for the first time in 2025, but a victory won’t come easily.

The Aggies were 11-2 in non-conference play, but the first of those two losses came in the team’s first chance of the 2024-2025 season. Following their road loss to UCF, A&M rattled off 11 wins in 12 out-of-conference games, including ranked victories over Ohio State, Creighton, and Purdue. Then, the Aggies won their first two in SEC play. Of their three total losses in conference games, the Aggies fell to top-10 Alabama and Kentucky in two of them.

Heading into Saturday’s contest against the Gamecocks, the Texas A&M Aggies are the SEC’s No. 14 offense and have been inconsistent on that end of the court all year. In fact, A&M is the only SEC team that shoots more inefficiently than South Carolina this year. However, A&M is much more proficient on defense. So far this year, the Aggies rank 4th in the conference in points allowed, giving up less than 66 points per game.

In addition to playing solid defense, TAMU helps overcome its shooting deficiency by getting to the foul line. Like a typical Buzz Williams team, they get to the line at the third-best clip in the conference. The Aggies don’t shoot a high percentage, but they get a high volume of free points, nonetheless.

Despite being an elite rebounding team (3rd in the SEC), A&M doesn’t have a single player who averages six rebounds; instead, Buzz Williams’ squad gang rebounds well with five different players pulling down at least 4.5 boards per game.

Two Aggies rank in the top 20 in the SEC in scoring average. Starting backcourt Wade Taylor IV and Zhuric Phelps both score about 15 points per game. The duo also can distribute the basketball, especially Taylor, who is fifth in the league in assists.

Coach Williams labeled versatile forward Solomon Washington as “questionable” before the Aggies’ Tuesday contest against Oklahoma. He did not play and was in a walking boot. Other than Washington, arguably the team’s best defender, Texas A&M is 100% healthy. It is worth noting that the Aggies have battled minor injuries the entire season but have won anyway.

South Carolina and Texas A&M will tip off at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday. SEC Network will broadcast the Colonial Life Arena-hosted contest, while the ESPN app will make it available for streaming.

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