The Sooners suffered their first loss of the season on Saturday, falling to No. 5 Alabama. Next up as they look to rebound? No. 10 Texas A&M. Welcome to the SEC.

Saturday’s 107-79 loss was rough for Oklahoma. The Crimson Tide dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Sooners 51-26, including 22 offensive boards. That glaring rebounding disparity, combined with first-half offensive struggles, proved to be a disastrous mix for Porter Moser’s squad.

Now sitting at 13-1 (0-1), the Sooners shift their focus to another Top 10 challenge: Buzz Williams’ 12-2 (1-0) Texas A&M team. The Aggies are coming off a commanding 80-60 victory over Texas, a game that was tightly contested at halftime before Texas A&M exploded with a 20-point advantage in the second half.

Let’s break down what the Aggies bring to the table and what No. 17 Oklahoma must do on Wednesday night at the Lloyd Noble Center to secure their first conference win—and a statement Top 10 victory.

The Aggies are led by star guard Wade Taylor IV, who averages 15.7 points, 4.8 assists, and 3.3 rebounds. Taylor was a key factor in last season’s team that made it to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament. Lately, he’s been in a shooting slump — just 2-of-12 from three in his last two games — but his value goes far beyond his three-point shot.

Taylor is a versatile scorer who can hurt teams in a variety of ways. Last season, he went for 30 or more points in five different conference games, proving he can take over offensively in multiple ways and score from all levels of the game.

Moser spoke highly of Taylor ahead of Wednesday’s matchup, saying, “Elite player. Elite, elite player. Scores at all levels. He's such a veteran. Nothing rattles him. There's nothing he hasn't seen. 'Oh, you want to do this to me on this ball screen? Fine, I'll do this.' Just an elite player. Competitor. Uber competitor. Just got a ton of respect for him just watching him from afar. Now diving into him, elite player."

Taylor is joined in the backcourt by Zhuric Phelps, a 6-4 guard who averages 13.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. In their win over Texas, Phelps led the Aggies in scoring with 18 points, shooting 6-8 from the field and 6-8 from the free-throw line.

What stands out to Moser? “Obviously the rebounding, but the toughness on defense. They scramble, they’re gonna never quit every possession. They’re going to make you earn your baskets, and it makes it hard. They’re elite defensively, and they can dominate the rebounding. They dominate that coaching stat that you want to make more free throws than they attempt.”

Just how elite are they defensively, and how good are they at rebounding? Here’s where the Aggies rank in various different stats:

The Sooners were out-rebounded 51-26 against Alabama, surrendering a staggering 22 offensive rebounds. Now, they face the No. 1 offensive rebounding team in the country. It’s simple—Oklahoma must hold their own on the boards.

Saturday’s loss to Alabama served as a harsh reminder that elite teams, like Alabama and now Texas A&M, can’t be allowed to generate extra offensive possessions through rebounds. What stands out is how the Sooners handled a similar challenge against Arizona, who ranks 7th in offensive rebounding. In that Battle 4 Atlantis matchup, Oklahoma tied Arizona on the offensive glass and was only out-rebounded by four overall—a much better showing than what we saw against Alabama.

For the Sooners to have a chance against the Aggies, they need a performance more like that Arizona game or even the Michigan game. They don’t need to out-rebound Texas A&M, but they can’t afford to give up anywhere near as many offensive boards as they did on Saturday. Holding their own on the glass will be crucial.

This matchup will be close if Oklahoma pulls off a win. And if they want to beat a team of Texas A&M’s caliber, they’ll need two of their three guards to step up alongside Jalon Moore, who has been consistent all season.

Oklahoma already has two wins over top-20 teams in KenPom: Arizona and Michigan. Against Arizona, Moore went off for 24 points, but it was the guards who also made key contributions. Jeremiah Fears poured in 26 points, and Duke Miles added 11. Against Michigan, Fears was even more dominant with 30 points, and Miles chipped in with 17. Kobe Elvis has had his moments, too.

For the Sooners to pull off the win against Texas A&M, at least two of those three guards need to be firing on all cylinders. Against Alabama, Fears and Miles bounced back with strong second halves, but by then, the game was already out of reach. The key is for them to be locked in from the start and keep it close, then step up when the game’s on the line—just like they’ve done before. It’s a simple, but necessary, key as Oklahoma faces top-tier SEC teams.

Shooting from deep isn’t Texas A&M's strong suit. In fact, they’re last in the SEC in three-point percentage, hitting just 30.8% from beyond the arc. In their most recent game against Texas, they went a dismal 2-19 (10.5%) from three-point range.

This is an area where Oklahoma has an advantage. The Sooners have been stellar defensively against the three, holding opponents to just 27.4% shooting from behind the arc—the fifth best mark in the country and second in the SEC. On paper, it’s a battle between one of the nation’s top three-point defenses and one of the league’s worst three-point offenses.

What’s interesting is that Texas A&M scores nearly as many points at the free-throw line as they do from the three-point line. 26.6% of their points come from deep, while 23.1% come from the free-throw line. Against Oregon, they attempted a season-high 35 three-pointers, only to lose by 10. For Oklahoma, the key is clear: make the Aggies beat you from beyond the arc.

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