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Culture > Entertainment

Aggie Madness: The Men’s TAMU Basketball at the NCAA Tournament

Rylee Parker
The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at TAMU chapter.

Everyone knows about Texas A&M Football — the environment, the chants, and the experience of standing as the 12th Man. Furthering the point, we are not just a football school. The Texas A&M’s Men’s Basketball team and the infamous “Packing” of Reed have brought on quite a name for themselves. The Texas A&M Men’s Basketball team had an overall record of 21-16 in the 2023-2024 season, including tournaments and regular-season games. The Aggie Men’s Basketball team was one of sixty-four teams that played in the NCAA Tournament, otherwise known as the March Madness Tournament. 

The Aggies came out hot against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the round of sixty-four of the NCAA Tournament, with three players scoring over twenty points each. These players included Wade Taylor IV, Manny Obaseki, and Tyrece Radford. Wade Taylor IV averages about 19.1 points per game, Manny Obaseki averages about 15 points, and Tyrece Radford averages about 16.5 points. The Aggies beat the Cornhuskers 98-83, moving us on to face the University of Houston in the round of thirty-two. The Aggies came out with a fantastic start, taking the lead early, but that was only for a short time as the Houston Cougars came back. With Wade Taylor’s slow start and the Aggies missing eleven out of the twenty-two free throws in the first half, the Aggies were not looking great. We went into the half with the University of Houston up by five. We were down by ten late in the game when Wade Taylor and Radford got their rhythm back. The Aggies capped off the regulation time of this game against the Houston Cougars, scoring thirteen points, while Houston only managed to score three points. Anderson Garcia got the ball with 1.2 seconds left, getting a buzzer-beater three-point shot while falling down to send the Aggies into overtime. 

Throughout this game, the men’s basketball team put up impressive numbers. Wade Taylor IV shot 23.1 percent from the three-point line, resulting in twenty-one points. Manny Obaseki made 50 percent of his three-pointers, resulting in fifteen points. Tyrece Radford had a 45.5 percent field goal percentage, resulting in twenty-seven points while racking up fifteen rebounds. Anderson Garcia had a 75 percent field goal percentage, resulting in twelve points. Another player worth mentioning would be Solomon Washington; his impressive defense resulted in two blocks and one steal, while he accumulated nine points and eight rebounds. However, Houston started off at a better pace in overtime, and some unfortunate plays forced the Aggies to an undesirable outcome. The Houston Cougars beat the Aggies 100-95. The Aggies fought hard this season to uphold their winning record and the Aggie name. This NCAA tournament turned out to indeed be Madness. 

Rylee Parker is the Events Executive of Her Campus at Texas A&M University’s chapter. In the events committee she helps other members organize events while also planning and attending her own. She enjoys planning, as she is very organized, and creating fun and new ideas! Outside of Her Campus, Rylee grew up in a small-ish town in East Texas called Lufkin, Texas. She graduated from Hudson High School in 2021. Now Rylee furthers her education at Texas A&M University at College Station. Rylee is a senior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Communication with a certificate in social media. She hopes to gain further knowledge including event coordinating and public relations. Once Rylee graduates from Texas A&M University in the Spring of 2025, she hopes to pursue a career in social media marketing or public relations. These areas have always been something of interest to her. Rylee’s hobbies include painting, drawing, photography, social media, reading, hosting gatherings, and hanging out with friends and of course her gorgeous fur babies. She loves testing her creativity through her design process. You will always see Rylee out on the town enjoying life to the fullest potential.