3 Things to Know: Mizzou Faces Home Test Against No. 10 Texas A&M

The most important details to know about Missouri's upcoming SEC test.

Feb 1, 2025; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Buzz Williams directs guard Wade Taylor IV (4) in the second half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

The No. 15 Missouri Tigers have another important conference test right in front of them, taking on the No. 10 Texas A&M Aggies. Nothing about the battle with the Aggies will be easy for Missouri, even if it's at home.

Texas A&M has multiple impressive wins to its name. Five ranked wins and multiple Power Five opponents are featured on that list, one that could continue to grow as the Southeastern Conference season progresses. A win over Missouri would further that impressive resume.

Its deep and physical roster has also led to its success in the SEC. They only have three players under 200 pounds and even those three still play powerfully. That exact skillset plays into the defensive and rebounding, making them one of the best teams in the conference in both of those areas. Its physicality as a team makes the Aggies a tough matchup for any team in the country.

Here are three thoughts on Texas A&M ahead of its matchup against the Missouri Tigers:

Rebounding

Texas A&M actively averages the third-most rebounds per game in the conference, with 41.6 per game behind Alabama and Florida. They also have a plus-9.8 rebounding differential, tied for first in the SEC with Florida.

Those specific stats back up the Aggies being arguably the best rebounding team in the conference. The big men they have employed to do so also back it up. The shere strength and intelligence as rebounders that Henry Coleman, Pharrel Payne and Solomon Washington possess when it comes to rebounding the ball put them in a great position to do it efficiently.

It's one of the biggest strengths of Texas A&M, by far. The Aggies don't have the highest-powered or most efficient offense in the country so the ability to rebound the ball gives them more opportunities to score. Against a team like Missouri, whose offense is one of the best in the country, the more chances the Aggies get to score, the better.

Strength and Physicality

Coleman and Payne also exemplify the physicality of this Aggies squad. Wade Taylor IV, Hayden Hefner and Zhuric Phelps, three of the team's best guards, are the only players under 200 pounds. Phelps also plays a gritty brand of basketball, priding himself on getting to the rim and attempting mid-range shots.

The rest of the team is strong on paper and the court. Washington and forward Andersson Garcia are perfect examples of that as well, playing strong basketball and priding themselves on effort, defense and rebounding. Washington has never been an elite scorer but has earned minutes as a defensive-minded, energetic player.

Payne and Coleman are also challenging matchups. Both are under 6-foot-10 tall but both are listed as 250 pounds. A blend of mobility and power makes them hard matchups for opposing big men, regardless of how tall or strong the opposition is. Whether it's Mark Mitchell, Josh Gray or Peyton Marshall in at the five-spot, scoring or rebounding won't be easy.

Impressive Resume

The Aggies have some of the best wins in the country so far, especially when you stack them on top of each other. According to ESPN's BPI, a strength of schedule measuring tool, Texas A&M has the No. 16 hardest schedule of any team this season.

That ranking is headlined by a win over No. 11 Purdue. They won that game in Indianapolis, basically making it a home game for the Boilermakers. Texas A&M won that game as they've won all of its big games, out-rebounding Purdue and forcing them into tough shots.

Also on its resume are wins over Ohio State, Rutgers, Texas Tech, Texas, Oklahoma twice and other conference opponents. They beat the Scarlet Knights at a moment when they were playing arguably its best of the season, the same with Ohio State.

They also have five close losses to high-level opponents, including Oregon, Alabama, Kentucky and Texas. The Aggies lost to UCF 64-61 in the first game of its season, one they'd probably like back but won't be the end of the world come march.

Read More Missouri Tigers News:

Dennis Gates Comments on the Resignation of His Mentor, Leonard Hamilton
3 Takeaways From Mizzou's Loss to Tennessee
Everything Dennis Gates Said After Mizzou's Loss to Tennessee