Everything Wade Taylor IV and two Aggies said after Texas A&M's win over No.1 Auburn
No. 22 Texas A&M (21-9, 10-7 SEC) pulled off one of the more exciting upsets of the season after defeating No. 1 Auburn on Tuesday night behind a complete team effort during senior night. Among the eight seniors on the roster, Zhuric Phelps led the Aggies with 19 points, while star guard Wade Taylor IV's 16 points placed him just nine from breaking the program's all-time scoring record.
In the paint, Texas A&M's tenacious defense held Auburn star forward Johni Broome to a season-low eight points, while the Aggies outrebounded the Tigers 41-25, including an elite 25 offensive rebounds. Dominantly, A&M never trailed against a favorite team to win the National Championship while earning the program's first win over the No. 1-ranked team in Reed Arena.
While it's easy to say that the Aggies should play like this every game, the emotions surrounding the team on a night when Wade Taylor's jersey would officially hang from the rafters provided a significant boost after losing four consecutive games. This is the blueprint that could take Texas A&M to its first Elite 8 in the NCAA Tournament.
After the big win, Wade Taylor, Zhuric Phelps, and senior Andersson Garcia spoke to the media about a historic night in College Station.
Andersson Garcia on what it felt like to defeat the No. 1-ranked team in Reed Arena
"I'm surprised it's the first time. We just have to keep doing what we're doing no matter who we play. We have to stay with our foundation."
Zhuric Phelps on Wade Taylor IV's jersey being retired in Reed Arena
"There was so much going on my mind. When Coach started talking I knew it was for 'Four'. Nobody deserves it more than him. He's the captain of this ship. We can't do it without him."
Wade Taylor IV on playing with the all-senior starting five on senior night
"Those five guys have been through a lot. We have been the good, bad, ugly, the losing streaks…"
"We were excited for tonight to come in and make history."
Andersson Garcia on his choice to blow a kiss after his two 3-pointers
"I do that because my family wasn't able to make it here. It is really special to do what I do in a game. That was the reason why I did that for my family who wasn't able to watch me play."
Wade Taylor IV on taking in one of the biggest wins of his career
"I probably won't sleep tonight. I will be talking to these guys. I will have a chance to reflect on it tomorrow."
Zhuric Phelps on the team sticking together to eventually overcome their four-game losing streak
"We know what we're capable of. This is a family. We stick together through the wins and the losses. The past few weeks haven't gone our way, but sticking together has got us this far."
Andersson Garcia on winning the rebounding battle against the Tigers
You have to give credit to Auburn, but we were sticking to our foundation. The last few games didn't go how we wanted them to, but we have to stay disciplined."
Wade Taylor IV on his love for Andersson Garcia
"Andy holds a special place in my heart. I remember when he was in the transfer portal, I joined in on his (Instagram) Live when he was back in the Dominican and told him I was excited to play with him."
Zhuric Phelps on what makes Wade Taylor IV one of the greatest players in Texas A&M history
"Wade is a special player. He displays it day in and day out. I wasn't surprised to see his jersey up in the rafters. Nobody does it like him."
Andersson Garcia added: "I'm going to tell my grandkids I used to rebound the ball for Wade Taylor."
Texas A&M will face LSU on the road on Saturday, March 8, at 3:00 p.m. CT. The game will air on the SEC Network.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
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The Rebels were 3-0 and coming off a 23-20 win at Kansas. Sluka's exit was a flashpoint in college athletics — a starting quarterback leaving his team in the middle of a season with tremendous promise. Palm, on behalf of Circa Sports CEO Derek Stevens, offered to pay Sluka $100,000 during the dispute. By the time the public offer was made, officials at UNLV informed Palm that there would be no negotiating with Sluka. In January, the former UNLV quarterback announced he was signing with James Madison. That's the singularity of Vegas in $100,000 nutshell. Stevens, a casino owner who isn't a UNLV alumnus, offered to help keep the Rebels' start red-hot. Palm, who said he's gone to several UNLV games the last two years, said the home game atmospheres are more vibrant than Raiders games. He said Mullen's hiring quickly negated the deflation around town after Odom left for Purdue. But Palm said he's realistic about what challenges still lie ahead. 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Mullen vows that if UNLV plays an attractive style of football and can still contend for a CFP appearance, harnessing the aura of Vegas to get those 40,000 to 60,000 inside Allegiant Stadium won't be hard. 'When you come on our campus and you go to the stadium we play in, you are around this environment, you feel like you're at a major program,' Mullen said. 'You go to recruit and kids are looking out here at The Strip and they go, 'There's a lot of opportunities for me in this town that didn't use to be available that, in today's world, is all legal.'' Harper said the attraction of Vegas under coaches like Mullen and Pastner will be too good to pass up for some athletes. Here, you can get decent seats to a UFC event and fist-bump a bloodied fighter after a victory. Or you can have Kenny Chesney saunter through the halls of your $35 million football facility to work out while he's in town for a series of shows at The Sphere. 'Nobody else can have what we have on a regular basis,' Harper said. The stakes are high, which is one of the many reasons Mullen said he took the job. A good football season doesn't move the needle locally or nationally like a great one. A great season gets you in the College Football Playoff, which could be a landscape-altering achievement for a university that would see immediate financial benefits and an athletic department still waiting to earn its long-desired close-up.
