No. 17 Texas A&M made a statement with its gritty win at Gainbridge Fieldhouse over No. 11 Purdue: When it plays defense the way it did on Saturday, it can beat anyone in the country.
The Aggies improved to 9-2 with their 70-66 semi-away game at Purdue.
Purdue University is slightly over an hour drive from Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Texas A&M’s win was its third over a ranked opponent. It also beat Ohio State and Creighton earlier this season when both were ranked No. 21.
The Boilermakers entered Saturday seventh in the country in three-point shooting (40.8%).
Texas A&M held Purdue to a 9-of-26 (34.6%) mark from beyond the arc while also forcing 16 turnovers.
After the game, guard Wade Taylor IV, who finished with 15 points, five assists and five steals, discussed how Texas A&M won in a tough road environment in an on-court interview with CBS college basketball insider Jon Rothstein.
“It just speaks to our togetherness,” Taylor said. “Coach always tells us we’re one of the oldest teams in the country, so I think that showed today.”
Per KenPom, the Aggies average 3.01 years of experience, the ninth most in the country. Texas A&M also retained most of its roster that went 21-15 and pushed 1-seed Houston to overtime in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, a 100-95 loss. KenPom lists its minutes continuity (70.6%) as the fourth-highest in the country.
The Aggies rank eighth in defensive rating (94.1), and their strong effort against Purdue shows why they can be a force in the SEC, college basketball’s best conference.
Texas A&M was picked to finish fifth in the conference in the preseason by SEC media members and is the sixth-highest-ranked SEC team in KenPom ratings, trailing Auburn (No. 1 overall), Tennessee (No. 2), Alabama (No. 7), Florida (No. 8) and Kentucky (No. 10).
Texas A&M plays two more games — likely wins against Houston Christian and Abilene Christian — before beginning conference play on Jan. 4 against Texas.