Rylan Griffen's Second Half Whoops Texas in Massive Rivalry Win

After no points in the first half, Griffen broke a poor start with an electric second period to give the Aggies their fourth SEC win of the season.

Jan 13, 2026; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Texas A&M Aggies guard Pop Isaacs (2) and guard Rylan Griffen (3) react after a foul during the second half against the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images | Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

If there was any doubt that Texas A&M would lose against Texas this time, you were wrong.

Week after week, this team continues to rise to the occasion with everything to play for, despite being undersized.

As one of the taller players repping the Maroon and White, the transfer from Kansas that coach Bucky McMillan picked up in the transfer portal continues to be special as one of the biggest additions to this program. The 6-foot-5 guard beat the ever-living hell out of the Longhorns in the second half with 17 points after going scoreless in the first half.

“I told them the start to the second half was important,” McMillan said. “Rylan is a Texas kid. He knows what this game means. He played great in the game.”

Resiliency

1K Griffen‼️

17 on the night! #GigEm | @GriffenRylan pic.twitter.com/vRHXMDvRbj

— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) January 18, 2026

There are a lot of words to describe the rivalry between the Aggies and Longhorns. That is, anytime these two schools meet in any sport. At the Moody Center, one word to describe Griffen’s performance against the arch-rivals is resiliency.

“We had a really great second half offensively,” McMillan said. “We closed the game out. We knew it wouldn't be easy. We have all new guys who are getting better at getting to know each other. We're getting continuity.”

Without a doubt, Griffen was one of the reasons the continuity was on full display for upset Burnt Orange fans. At halftime, there were two fouls committed by him in only eight minutes on the floor without a point, free throw attempt, field goal attempt, rebound, assist, or turnover.

The Dallas, Texas, native was shot out of Ole Sarge’s cannon with a massive showing that made a statement to the entire Moody Center that he wasn’t going to let the Texas defense limit his game. In the opening four minutes, the guard registered 10 of the first 12 points for A&M and sent a message that the Cotton Holdings Lone Star Showdown Trophy wasn't staying in the enemy's possession for long.

Knocking down three 3-pointers set the tone for the offense that only shot 43 percent from the field, with only two made 3-pointers registered in the first 20 minutes. Right off the bat, the 20 percent shooting from downtown off 10 attempts spiraled the Aggies to a lead that the Longhorns never ever saw again after leading by as many as six points at the 3:36 mark in the first half.

With under seven to go, Griffen added to his game log in a span of a minute with a majestic layup and his fourth three of the evening that powered A&M to keep pressing Texas’s buttons all the way to the finish line.

After all the buckets kept going his way, the night concluded with Griffen’s confidence surging, making six of his seven field goals and one free throw, along with one rebound and one assist in 25 minutes.  

“We are totally bought into being us,” McMillan said. “The last thing I wrote on the board pregame was 'BE US'. We're confident in what we're doing, and we know we're going to have those runs.”