Texas A&M avoids an Ivy League upset by beating Yale 80-71 in NCAA Tournament
The Aggies sent Yale back to class Thursday with an 80-71 victory behind a career-high 25 points along with 10 rebounds from big man Pharrel Payne.
Fourth-seeded A&M (23-10) came into the NCAA Tournament on a lot of 'upset watch' lists, thanks mainly to going against a Yale team some thought might be even better than the one that pulled off a first-round shocker last year against Auburn.
But an upper-division team from the best conference in the country, the Southeastern, proved too much for the Yalies.
'We played pretty well in the first half,' said A&M guard Wade Taylor IV, who finished with 16 points. 'We still had a couple things we could have cleaned up, which we tried to do in the second half. Ultimately, we played to the game plan, and I think we executed it pretty well.'
Coach Buzz Williams earned his second March Madness win in six years at College Station. A&M's next game is Saturday against Michigan or UC San Diego.
John Poulakidas led 13th-seeded Yale with 23 points.
With no NIL money to spend or scholarships to give, Yale (22-8) probably needed something close to a masterpiece to knock off one of the more athletic and stronger rebounding teams in the country.
When Nick Townsend made a short turnaround from the paint with 8:36 left, Yale had trimmed its deficit to six and the upset looked in play.
Jace Carter answered with a 3, then Andersson Garcia rejected Casey Simmons' shot — one of four A&M blocks on the night. Then Carter got a putback off an offensive rebound — A&M leads the country in that category — to start a 9-0 run that was too steep for the Bulldogs.
'In these games, you have to be almost perfect to get it done,' said Yale coach James Jones. 'So we weren't perfect, and herein lies a loss.'
For most of the evening, Texas A&M's defense met the Bulldogs at midcourt with an annoying zone trap, clogging up their offense and making things awkward.
Poulakidas needed 18 shot attempts to get his points, while Bez Mbeng, a 13-point-a-game scorer, finished with two points (also eight rebounds and nine assists) before fouling out.
On the other end, nobody really had an answer for Payne, a transfer from Minnesota, who carved out space in the paint and shot 10 for 12.
'When I entered the portal, Coach Buzz was the first person to come over and see me,' Payne said. 'When he told me what they were doing over there at A&M, I wanted to be part of it.'
Payne's tip-in with 2:29 left led to a three-point play that officially put the game out of reach and helped A&M finish with a 10-6 edge on the offensive glass and a 15-8 advantage in second-chance points.
A teary farewell
Poulakidas and Mbeng, both seniors, were teary in the postgame news conference while discussing the impact of their time at Yale and the mentorship they received from Jones and his staff.
'It's meant everything to us,' Poulakidas said.
Taylor for 2(thousand)
Taylor's first bucket made him the 28th player in SEC history to crack the 2,000-point mark for his career. He heads into the second round with 2,015.
Free-throw woes
It didn't cost them in this one, but the Aggies poor free-throw shooting came up again. The nation's 266th-ranked team from the line went 12 for 21.
The art of the scouting report
Asked about the effectiveness of his zone trap, Williams said one of Texas A&M's goals was to win "time of possession" against Yale.
The reason. He said the scouting report showed the Bulldogs hadn't been behind by more than three possessions in a game since Nov. 16, and keeping their possessions long and difficult was key to winning.
___
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mariners Player Launches Bat at Opposing Pitcher in Wild Triple-A Scene
It was a chaotic scene during Sunday's Triple-A game in Las Vegas when Seattle Mariners outfielder Victor Robles threw his bat at the opposing pitcher. The incident happened during the top of the third inning as the Tacoma Rainiers faced the Athletics affiliate Las Vegas Aviators. Facing Aviators pitcher Joey Estes, Robles — who is rehabbing in Triple-A after dislocating his shoulder in April — swung at a pitch that was high and inside. He then dropped his bat behind the catcher, picked it back up and launched it directly at Estes. Robles then tried to rush the mound but was restrained by one of his teammates and the home plate umpire. He was immediately ejected from the game. The outburst didn't end there. After leaving the field and returning to the dugout, he chucked a box of snacks onto the field. Robles was infuriated after being hit by pitches three times in his last four games with Tacoma. Following the game, Robles took to Instagram to apologize. 'I want to take a moment to sincerely apologize for my recent reaction on the field. I let my frustration get the best of me, and I understand how that may have affected not just the game, but the energy and respect we all work so hard to maintain,' Robles posted. 'Coming off a long rehab and being away from the game for most of the season has been physically and mentally challenging. Adding to that, the recent passing of my mother has been incredibly hard, and I've been doing my best to hold it together. That's not an excuse, but some context I feel you deserve to understand where I'm coming from. 'Getting hit 5 times in 15 at-bats added to that pressure, and I reacted in a way I'm not proud of. This game means the world to me, and so do the people who play it. I respect every one of you — my teammates, the opposing players, and everyone in the league. 'I'm committed to being better, not just as a player, but as a teammate and competitor. I appreciate your understanding, and I'm grateful to be back on the field doing what I love.' Robles will most likely face a lengthy suspension for the incident, but no determination has been made by MLB yet. Robles resurrected his career last year when the Mariners acquired the former top prospect from the Washington Nationals. In 77 games with Seattle in 2024, he posted a .328 average and .860 OPS with 20 doubles, 30 stolen bases and four home runs. He was rewarded with a two-year, $9.75 million deal with a $9 million club option for 2027. Related Headlines Browns Unlikely To Have Quinshon Judkins in Week 1 for Surprising Reason I Report Eagles Daily: A.J. Brown's Hamstring Remains Concern, Cooper DeJean Gets Outside Corner Reps Ohio State Names Julian Sayin Starting QB: Could This Lead Lincoln Kienholz To Transfer?
USA Today
8 hours ago
- USA Today
NCAA Softball Tournament reportedly to seed 32 teams beginning with 2026 tournament
Following another exciting college softball season, the NCAA is doubling the number of teams it will seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. According to Softball America, softball will follow the format of college volleyball and women's soccer with the seeding of 32 teams. Only the top 16 seeds, which hosted the regional, were previously seeded. In theory, the committee is seeking to reward the top seeds with "easier" matchups. REQUIRED READING: Texas Longhorns power couple pushes each other in football, softball However, to protect teams from having to travel too much for regionals, the 1-32 seedings will not be straight up to protect 400-mile geographic proximity parameters and avoid same-conference matchups in the regionals. The No. 1-4 national seeds will play seeds Nos. 29-32; however, an adjustment will be made if it pairs two conference opponents who are scheduled to meet one another. There will not be a seeding for the rest of the 64-team field. National seed buckets Here's a look at how the national seed matchups will be determined, based on the No. 1-32 seed rankings: How the 2025 NCAA Softball Tournament would be impacted If the 2025 NCAA Tournament followed the seeding based on the 1-32 ranking, this is how the field would have looked: Future NCAA Softball Tournament changes According to Softball America, the NCAA Committee will continue to examine other issues when it meets in November. Here's a look at other changes currently under consideration:
NBC Sports
9 hours ago
- NBC Sports
No. 19 Texas A&M's QB Marcel Reed determined to prove he's more than just a runner
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed is well aware that many see him as much more valuable as a runner than as a passer. He spent the offseason working to change that. 'I know y'all have also heard it just like I've heard it: I'm not a passer,' he said. 'But I feel like I've had tremendous growth in my passing this offseason. We've had some great receivers come in … I think I just feel a lot more confident back there. Finding ways to protect myself, knowing the offense a little bit better and just being confident as a quarterback.' Reed started last season as Conner Weigman's backup before earning the job in October. He threw for 1,864 yards with 15 touchdowns and six interceptions and ran for 543 yards and another seven scores as the Aggies went 8-4. Weigman transferred to Houston this offseason and Reed went to work on improving to help No. 19 Texas A&M take another step this year in the second season under coach Mike Elko. Reed attended the Manning Passing Academy this summer, learning from Hall of Famer Peyton Manning and his brother and NFL veteran Eli Manning. 'You learn a lot of different things about ways to be a quarterback, just how you approach the game,' Reed said. 'Peyton talked a lot about how he studied.' Reed believes his offseason work will pay dividends this season. 'I feel like there's another gear, another level I can take it to this year,' Reed said. In camp, Elko has already seen improvement in his quarterback. 'There's times where we're getting through progressions better than we did with him at any point last year,' Elko said. 'So those were the steps that we felt like he needed to take. Because a lot of times what you see as a bad throw, we see as the eyes not moving fast enough for the body or the eyes not in rhythm together and so poor mechanics because of that which sometimes leads to bad throws.' Protecting Reed Returning to protect Reed this season are veteran guard Ar'maj Reed-Adams and left tackle Trey Zuhn III. Reed-Adams was named a first-team AP All-America Monday. He spent four seasons at Kansas before transferring to A&M last season and starting every game at right guard. Zuhn earned SEC third team honors last season and leads the team with 37 starts entering his fourth year as a starter. Their work last season helped the Aggies finish as one of three teams in the Southeastern Conference to have 2,500 yards both passing and rushing. Owens returns Running back Rueben Owens returns after missing all but two games last season because of a foot injury. He sustained the injury in training camp and played in the regular season finale and Texas A&M's bowl game despite not being 100%. Elko believes Owens can be a boost to their running game after he ran for 385 yards and three touchdowns in limited work as a freshman in 2023. 'He understands how much he loves this game and he loves getting to do it, and his urgency to do is it at a really, really high level,' Elko said. 'Every rep has probably stepped up, one, because (he's) a year older, but probably because that's what happens sometimes when it gets taken away from you like it did. Defensive standouts The Aggies have a couple of veteran players returning to lead the defense in defensive back Will Lee III and linebacker Taurean York. Lee earned SEC second team honors last season after ranking fifth in the conference with 10 passes broken up and 42 tackles. He also had two interceptions, including one that he returned 93 yards for a touchdown against Texas. York, who was named to the second team on the preseason All-America team, led the Aggies with 82 tackles last season and ranked second with 9 ½ tackles for losses. The schedule The Aggies open the season Aug. 30 with a visit from UTSA. A big early test comes Sept. 13 with a visit to No. 6 Notre Dame, which won 23-13 at Kyle Field to open last season. The Aggies open SEC play Sept. 27 against Auburn, the first of three consecutive home games. There's a tough stretch later in the season with a trip to No. 9 LSU on Oct. 25 and a visit from 13th-ranked South Carolina Nov. 15. The Aggies visit top-ranked archrival Texas on Nov. 28.
