Undefeated Oregon and No. 23 Texas A&M will collide Tuesday afternoon in Las Vegas in the second game of the new Players Era Festival.
Both teams are in the “Power” group of the eight-team event. All eight teams are receiving $1 million for their name, image and likeness (NIL) collectives, but placing fourth or higher in the tourney in order will net them anywhere from $1.1 million to $1.5 million.
The Aggies (4-1) opened the season with a three-point loss at UCF, but since then have won four straight, all in convincing fashion. Texas A&M upset then-No. 21 Ohio State 78-64 on Nov. 15 at home in College Station, Texas.
Then the Aggies crushed Southern 71-54 last Wednesday, when Wade Taylor IV led the way with 17 points and six assists. All of Texas A&M’s wins have been by double digits.
The Aggies and Ducks (5-0) have split the two previous meetings against each other. Until March 2022 in an NIT second-round game, they had not met since the 1970-71 season. Texas A&M tied the overall series with a 75-60 win at home in 2022.
The only player on the Ducks’ current roster who played in that game was 7-foot senior Nate Bittle, who has been one of Oregon’s best players so far this season. Bittle’s 16.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game lead the Ducks so far this season, and the big man also averages two blocked shots per game.
Texas A&M guard Zhuric Phelps, a transfer from SMU, leads the Aggies in scoring at 16 points per game. Taylor adds 14 points per game.
The Aggies could be the best defensive team the Ducks will have seen this season. A&M is allowing teams to shoot only 36.6 percent in games.
Head coach Buzz Williams and his staff are hoping the team gets better at taking charges on defense, as the Aggies have just one so far this season.
“I guess the thing that you work on most is verticality around the rim,” Texas A&M assistant coach Steve Roccaforte told KBTX television. “âHey, once you get there, if you try and take a charge, it’s going to be a block. Just jump as high as you can, stay vertical, try to go chest-to-chest. Make it a hard shot.'”
Oregon is coming off a 78-75 win at Oregon State, the Ducks’ first road game of the season. The Ducks trailed by 10 points at halftime but, as they have in several games this season, they found a rhythm on offense in the second half and came up with a comeback win.
Bittle’s 23 points and 14 rebounds led the way. Jackson Shelstad had 15 points and Jadrian Tracey and Keeshawn Barthelemy both added 10.
“We started rebounding the ball a little better. Nate really got it going inside and our guys got him the ball,” Oregon head coach Dana Altman told the school’s athletics website. “He had a heck of a game.”
