INDIANAPOLIS – The No. 17 Texas A&M men's basketball team (8-2) faces the eighth power conference opponent of its non-conference schedule with an 11 a.m. matchup against No. 11 Purdue (8-2) on Saturday in the Indy Classic at the home of the Indiana Pacers, Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
STATISTICAL COMPARISON
TV/RADIO
NEED-TO-KNOWS
AGGIES VS. BOILERS
Texas A&M has held every opponent under its current season-long FG% and only one opponent has made more than 25 FGs (28 by Rutgers).
Aggies Putting Clamps on Opponent FG%
OFFENSIVE GLASS EATERS
For the second straight year, Texas A&M leads D1 with an average of 17.2 offensive rebounds/G.
2024-25 DI Offensive Rebounds Leaders
2024-25 Offensive Rebounding % Leaders
(Source: KenPom.com)
AGGIES VS. AP TOP 25
The Aggies counter the No. 11 Boilermakers with a roster full of players with proven success against AP Top 25 teams.
Current Roster vs. AP Top 25 Opponents
WILLIAMS VS. AP TOP 25 OPPONENTS
Head coach Buzz Williams has compiled a 13-18 record against AP Top 25 opponents in his six seasons at Texas A&M. Since March of 2022, Williams' Aggies are 12-9 vs. ranked opponents, which is tied for ninth-most among all D1 teams in wins.
AP Top 25 Wins by Texas A&M Head Coaches
HCIII PROVIDES SPARK
Veteran Henry Coleman III started the season as a sparkplug off the bench but entered the starting lineup when the Aggies began their current four-game winning streak.
2024-25 DI Off. Rebounds Leaders
(While averaging less than 23:00 min./G)
ONE-POSSESSION GAMES
Similar to 2023-24, Texas A&M has already been involved in multiple games that were one-possession contests after the under-4:00 media timeout in the second half.
Texas A&M in Tight Games in 2024-25
CHASE FOR WADE2K
Wade Taylor IV, or "4" as he is known to head coach Buzz Williams, already owns over a dozen school records and has another 30 or so school or SEC records within reach, but the crown jewel is the coveted scoring record and the possibility of becoming the first 2,000-point scorer in school history.
4's Chase for 2,000 Points
STATISTICAL COMPARISON
| Statistic | Purdue | Texas A&M |
| FGM | 26.6 | 25.2 |
| FGA | 53.4 | 61.1 |
| FG% | .498 | .412 |
| 3PM | 8.4 | 6.9 |
| 3PA | 20.6 | 23.0 |
| 3P% | .408 | .300 |
| FTM | 16.7 | 17.8 |
| FTA | 23.3 | 25.6 |
| FT% | .717 | .695 |
| Off. Rebounds | 8.8 | 17.2 |
| Def. Rebounds | 25.2 | 25.9 |
| Rebounds | 34 | 43.1 |
| Assists | 17.3 | 12.5 |
| Steals | 5.0 | 7.3 |
| Blocks | 2.2 | 4.1 |
| Turnovers | 12 | 12.2 |
| Points | 78.3 | 75.1 |
TV/RADIO
- Calling the action on CBS are Rich Waltz (play-by-play), Bill Raftery and Jay Wright (color) and Jon Rothstein (reporter).
- The matchup airs on the Texas A&M Radio Network, locally on 1620 AM/94.5 FM or worldwide on the 12th Man Mobile App with Andrew Monaco and Dr. John Thornton describing the action.
NEED-TO-KNOWS
- The Aggies' matchup with Purdue is the team's eighth game vs. power conference programs in the non-conference slate, which is the most of any team in the current edition of the AP Top 25.
- Texas A&M's 2024-25 non-conference schedule features four Big Ten opponents (Ohio State, Oregon, Rutgers, Purdue), two from the Big 12 (UCF and Texas Tech) and one from the ACC (Wake Forest) and Big East (Creighton).
- The Aggies' non-conference strength of schedule is No. 9 among power conference teams in KenPom's non-conference SOS rating.
- Texas A&M has limited all 10 opponents to below their current season-long FG%.
- Last season's NCAA leaders in offensive rebounds/G (17.4) are back at the top of the leaderboard at 17.2/G. The Aggies also sit atop KenPom's offensive rebound % standings at 43.3%.
- A&M has been out-rebounded just once this season - 42-35 by Rutgers (11/30). The Aggies have won the rebound battle by at least six in eight of 10 games and own a 9.2/G rebound margin for the season.
- The +/- numbers indicate the play of Andersson Garcia and Solomon Washington has been instrumental to the Aggies' current four-game win streak. Garcia posted team-high +/- vs. Creighton (+10), Rutgers (+12) and Wake Forest (+24), while Washington dropped a +20 vs. Texas Tech.
- On a team that is shooting 41.2% from the field (37.9% from its starters), the bench has been instrumental to its 8-2 record with a 46.6 FG% and an average of 31.1 points/game.
- Henry Coleman III leads the SEC and ranks in a tie for No. 23 nationally with 3.5 offensive rebounds/G. Among D1 players averaging less than 23:00 minutes/G, HCIII ranks No. 3 nationally.
- Wade Taylor IV is the only Aggie to have reached double-digit scoring in every game this season. His current 2.1 assist/turnover ratio is well ahead of the 1.4 ratio for his first three seasons.
- The Aggies' two lowest shooting games in 2024-25 (32.4% vs. Oregon, 36.5% at UCF) resulted in losses.
- Since a season-low 53.8 FT% vs. Southern (11/20), the Aggies have put together five straight games of 69.6% or higher (74.2% cumulative).
- In Aggie Basketball vernacular, three defensive stops in a row is termed a "turkey." When the Aggies have tallied at least five turkeys this season, they have posted an 8-1 record.
AGGIES VS. BOILERS
- The Aggies are 2-1 vs. Big Ten opponents this fall with wins over Ohio State and Rutgers and a loss to Oregon.
- The two teams have played just four previous games with the Boilermakers holding a 3-1 advantage. In the most recent meeting, Purdue, led by current Boiler head coach Matt Painter, defeated the Mark Turgeon-led Aggies, 63-61, in overtime in the second round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament in Spokane, Washington. Texas A&M's lone victory was a 71-64 outcome in 2001 with Melvin Watkins' Aggies taking down Gene Keady's Boilermakers in the Las Vegas Classic.
- The Aggies have played in Indianapolis three times previously with losses to Indiana (90-55 in 1974) and Duke (58-51 in 1987 NCAA Tournament) and a win over Loyola-Chicago (64-61 in 1989). Current Texas A&M Radio Network hoops analyst Dr. John Thornton was either a player or coach at all three games.
Texas A&M has held every opponent under its current season-long FG% and only one opponent has made more than 25 FGs (28 by Rutgers).
Aggies Putting Clamps on Opponent FG%
| Date | Opponent (Rk.) | Season FG% | FG% vs. A&M |
| 11/4 | at UCF | .420 | .340 (17-50) |
| 11/8 | East Texas A&M | .412 | .385 (20-52) |
| 11/11 | Lamar | .461 | .375 (24-64) |
| 11/15 | Ohio State (21) | .503 | .339 (20-59) |
| 11/2 | Southern | .470 | .389 (21-54) |
| 11/26 | vs. Oregon | .456 | .455 (25-55) |
| 11/27 | vs. Creighton(21) | .472 | .383 (23-60) |
| 11/30 | vs. Rutgers | .457 | .412 (28-68) |
| 12/3 | Wake Forest | .416 | .283 (17-60) |
| 12/8 | vs. Texas Tech | .510 | .451 (23-51) |
OFFENSIVE GLASS EATERS
For the second straight year, Texas A&M leads D1 with an average of 17.2 offensive rebounds/G.
- Texas A&M has pulled down 12 or more offensive caroms in every game this season and earned an offensive rebound advantage in eight of 10 games.
- Models of consistency, the Aggie glass eaters have pulled down double-digit offensive rebounds in 48 of their last 50 games dating back to March of 2023.
- Since the arrival of offensive rebounding stalwarts Andersson Garcia and Solomon Washington in 2022-23, Texas A&M averages a D1-best 15.2 O-rebounds/G and has logged 10+ O-Rebs in 71 of 81 games.
2024-25 DI Offensive Rebounds Leaders
| School | Off-Reb./G |
| Texas A&M | 17.2 |
| Iona | 16.5 |
| Eastern Kentucky | 16.4 |
| Tennessee State | 16.2 |
| Arizona | 15.8 |
2024-25 Offensive Rebounding % Leaders
(Source: KenPom.com)
| School | OR% |
| Texas A&M | 43.3 |
| Utah State | 42.5 |
| Milwaukee | 42.3 |
| Georgia | 42.2 |
| Idaho State | 41.9 |
AGGIES VS. AP TOP 25
The Aggies counter the No. 11 Boilermakers with a roster full of players with proven success against AP Top 25 teams.
- Henry Coleman III and Wade Taylor IV have logged a program-record 12 victories (against 13 losses) over AP Top 25 opponents with Hayden Hefner right behind with 11 wins.
- Solomon Washington and Andersson Garcia are the only players in school history with a winning percentage of above 50.0% vs. ranked teams (min. 10 games) -- .533 (8-7) by Washington and .529 (9-8) by Garcia.
Current Roster vs. AP Top 25 Opponents
| Player, Years (Seasons) | W-L vs. AP25 | Pct. |
| Henry Coleman III, 2021-Pres. (4) | 12-13 | .480 |
| Wade Taylor IV, 2021-Pres. (4) | 12-13 | .480 |
| Hayden Hefner, 2020-Pres. (5) | 11-15 | .423 |
| Andersson Garcia, 2022-Pres. (3) | 9-8 | .529 |
| Manny Obaseki, 2021-Pres. (4) | 9-13 | .409 |
| Solomon Washington, 2022-Pres. (3) | 8-7 | .533 |
| Jace Carter, 2023-Pres. (2) | 4-7 | .364 |
Head coach Buzz Williams has compiled a 13-18 record against AP Top 25 opponents in his six seasons at Texas A&M. Since March of 2022, Williams' Aggies are 12-9 vs. ranked opponents, which is tied for ninth-most among all D1 teams in wins.
- Williams' 13 wins vs. AP Top 25 are already a school record, supplanting the 11 ranked victorires by Shelby Metcalf from 1963-90.
- With four AP top 6 wins, Williams is the only head coach in program history with more than two. Joining Williams with multiple top 6 wins is Billy Gillispie, who hired Williams on his initial Aggie coaching staff in 2004-05.
- Williams' teams have tallied the two highest-ranked wins in school history with victories over No. 2 Alabama in the 2022-23 regular season finale and No. 4 Auburn in the 2022 SEC Tournament quarterfinals.
AP Top 25 Wins by Texas A&M Head Coaches
| Rk. | Head Coach, Years | Record vs AP25 |
| 1. | Buzz Williams, 2019-Pres. (6) | 13-18 (.419) |
| 2. | Shelby Metcalf, 1963-90 (27) | 11-45 (.196) |
| 3. | Mark Turgeon, 2007-11 (4) | 10-21 (.323) |
| Billy Kennedy, 2011-18 (8) | 10-32 (.238) | |
| 5. | Billy Gillispie, 2004-07 (3) | 6-14 (.300) |
HCIII PROVIDES SPARK
Veteran Henry Coleman III started the season as a sparkplug off the bench but entered the starting lineup when the Aggies began their current four-game winning streak.
- Coleman has been crashing the offensive glass to the tune of 3.5/G, which ranks tNo. 23 nationally among all players.
- Among D1 players averaging less than 23:00 minutes/G, Coleman ranks No. 3 nationally in offensive rebounds/G.
- Of HCIII's 63 total rebounds, 55.5% have come off the offensive glass.
2024-25 DI Off. Rebounds Leaders
(While averaging less than 23:00 min./G)
| Player, School | Min/G | Off. Rebs/G |
| Tobe Awaka, Arizona | 18.6 | 4.1 |
| Sasa Ciani, UIC | 20.6 | 4.1 |
| Henry Coleman III, Texas A&M | 22.1 | 3.5 |
| Josiah Harris, Radford | 20.7 | 3.5 |
| Keba Keita, BYU | 19.4 | 3.4 |
ONE-POSSESSION GAMES
Similar to 2023-24, Texas A&M has already been involved in multiple games that were one-possession contests after the under-4:00 media timeout in the second half.
Texas A&M in Tight Games in 2024-25
| Opponent (Date) | Score | Time | Result |
| at UCF (11/4) | A&M led 61-60 | 1:31 | L, 61-64 |
| vs. Oregon (11/26) | 70-70 tie | 2:21 | L, 70-80 |
| vs. Creighton (11/27) | CU led 70-69 | :58 | W, 77-74 |
| vs. Rutgers (11/30) | RU led 77-76 | 3:10 | W, 81-77 |
| vs. Texas Tech (12/8) | A&M led 64-61 | :50 | W, 72-67 |
CHASE FOR WADE2K
Wade Taylor IV, or "4" as he is known to head coach Buzz Williams, already owns over a dozen school records and has another 30 or so school or SEC records within reach, but the crown jewel is the coveted scoring record and the possibility of becoming the first 2,000-point scorer in school history.
- The current all-time leading scorer is Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Famer Bernard King, who led the Aggies in scoring for four straight years and fell just shy of 2,000 with 1,990 points from 1999-2003.
- Taylor needs 30 points to move past Hall of Famer Vernon Smith into second on the career scoring list.
4's Chase for 2,000 Points
| 1. | Bernard King | 1999-03 | 1,990 |
| 2. | Vernon Smith | 1977-81 | 1,778 |
| 3. | Wade Taylor IV | 2021-Pres. | 1,749 |
| 4. | Joseph Jones | 2004-08 | 1,679 |
| 5. | Acie Law IV | 2003-07 | 1,669 |