How Texas A&M Secured a Tough Win Over Missouri & Current Outlook

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00:00I want to go back to the game at Columbia. You were able to win at Missouri by three. Alabama

00:08wasn't able to do that. How did you win that game in a tough environment in Columbia?

00:14They were able to play their defense, Scott, and always good to see you. Thanks for having me back.

00:18They were able to play their defense. And I thought, Scott, that they were able to do what

00:22they've done almost all season long. Every opponent's leading scorer has been below their

00:27average. And Caleb Grill, who's an outstanding shooter, the Aggies put a little bit of emphasis

00:32on stopping him, which helped a little bit. But it's their defense which is really part of their

00:38identity. And sometimes, Scott, this is what Buzz Williams will say, sometimes you just get in a

00:44rock fight. Texas A&M will get you in a rock fight. It seemed to be a little bit of that.

00:48And then they made the plays down the stretch. And Wade Taylor IV made that shot to give them

00:54the win. But I would give all the credit to that defense being able to slow down what is a very good

01:00Missouri offense. So you went back after that to College Station and you won a couple of games

01:07easily against Georgia and an eight-point win over Cal's Hogs of Arkansas. And in those two

01:16home games, you had it going. You're tough to beat in that building. And you've proven that. And

01:22I think that win on the road was really impressive. And then you lose it at Stark Vegas.

01:28Now, they're a lot more deceiving than people think they are. They're capable of beating

01:33anybody. I'm not sure on a neutral court what they're going to be like in the tournament,

01:38to be honest with you. But when you play there, they're brutal. You guys lost there the other

01:43night. Tell me about the two wins at home and then to go to Stark Vegas and lose.

01:48I thought they were big wins at home, Scott, because when you're playing in the SEC,

01:54I don't care if there's a number next to your name or not. It's a gauntlet. And Georgia had

01:59some success. And the Aggies didn't play well in the first half of that game and really turned it

02:03on in the second half. Arkansas is a rival for A&M. They've always had good games. And really,

02:10it's like it's playing a combination of Kentucky and Arkansas. Cal bringing his guys from the

02:15Wildcats and some of those holdovers from the Razorbacks, another physical team. And that's

02:20what they met, I thought, on Tuesday. Go back to the week, the two wins in the week. How do

02:26you respond to victories, Scott? I think we always ask the question of coaches, how do you respond

02:30after a loss? How do you handle victories? And I thought the Aggies handled that win at Missouri

02:35very well, getting those two home wins. Playing Mississippi State was playing like the Aggies.

02:42Buzz uses mirror opponents when you play in SEC school the second time.

02:46Mississippi State was a mirror opponent in that they played the same way that Texas A&M did.

02:51But I thought the Bulldogs did it much better than A&M played. I didn't think you had nearly

02:56the contributions from all the players. And A&M has to get contributions from everyone. I thought

03:03Mississippi State was more physical. I thought they were better on the boards. They forced the

03:07Aggies into turnovers. That's open floor, easy buckets. They have Josh Hubbard, who is just a

03:13guard who can just get loose, small, quick, can shoot. That was a guy the Aggies did not keep

03:19under his average. So you saw the ingredients of all the wins of what Texas A&M has to do.

03:25That's the recipe for success. I thought Tuesday in Mississippi State, the Bulldogs had the better

03:30recipe. That wasn't an A&M team. And they better find it as they take on Tennessee tomorrow.