Texas A&M Basketball Rallies Again, Faces Texas in Lone Star Showdown

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – Texas A&M guard Jace Carter brought his two dogs, Layla and Anella, to a media session Friday, symbolizing the Aggies’ tenacity on the court. The 13th-ranked Aggies (15-4, 4-2) have made a habit of second-half comebacks, including a dramatic 11-point rally capped by Manny Obaseki‘s game-winning 3-pointer against Ole Miss on Wednesday.

“It’s who we are. We’re all dogs,” Carter said, motioning to his pets. The Aggies have come back to win nine games this season after trailing in the second half, including three double-digit comebacks. Their resilience has become a hallmark under head coach Buzz Williams, but he remains cautious about relying on such rallies. “We were just embarrassingly bad, and it puts an inordinate amount of pressure on you to overcome those margins with only a half,” Williams said.

Texas A&M ranks 136th nationally in first-half scoring, averaging 35.1 points, but improves to 70th in the second half with 40.6 points. Their next challenge is a Lone Star Showdown rematch against Texas (13-6, 2-4) on Saturday at the Moody Center in Austin. The Longhorns, coming off a strong defensive performance against Missouri, aim to avenge their 20-point loss to the Aggies earlier this month.

Texas head coach Rodney Terry emphasized the need for competitive plays against A&M, which leads the nation in offensive rebounding. “A&M is the best in the country at 50-50 balls,” Terry said. “We’ll have to try to match their effort.” The Longhorns, with a 54% win probability, hope to protect their home court and bolster their NCAA Tournament prospects.

Tip-off is set for 1:30 p.m. Central on ESPN2, with Texas favored by 1.5 points. The Longhorns have won 10 straight home games against the Aggies and 23 of the last 24 in Austin dating back to 1988.