Texas A&M avoids an Ivy League upset by beating Yale 80-71 in NCAA Tournament
Yale forward Casey Simmons, right, drives to the basket as Texas A&M guard Wade Taylor IV, left, defends during the first half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Denver. Credit: AP/John Leyba
DENVER — Texas A&M snuffed out hope of another Ivy League upset Thursday, sending Yale back to class with an 80-71 victory behind a career-high 25 points along with 10 rebounds from big man Pharrel Payne in the NCAA Tournament.
The fourth-seeded Aggies (23-10) were on a lot of “upset watch” lists, thanks mainly to going against a Yale team some thought might be even better than the one that pulled off a first-round shocker last year against Auburn.
But an upper-division team from the best conference in the country, the Southeastern, proved too much for the Yalies.
Coach Buzz Williams earned his second March Madness win in six years at College Station. A&M’s next game is Saturday against Michigan or UC San Diego.
John Poulakidas led 13th-seeded Yale with 23 points.
With no NIL money to spend or scholarships to give, Yale (22-8) probably needed something close to a masterpiece to knock off one of the more athletic and stronger rebounding teams in the country.
When John Townsend made a short turnaround from the paint with 8:36 left, Yale had trimmed its deficit to six and the upset looked in play.
Texas A&M head coach Buzz Williams directs his team against Yale during the first half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Denver. Credit: AP/David Zalubowski
Jace Carter answered with a 3, then Garcia Anderson rejected Casey Simmons’ shot -- one of four A&M blocks on the night. Then Carter got a putback off an offensive rebound — A&M leads the country in that category — to start a 9-0 run that was too steep for the Bulldogs.
Taylor for 2(thousand)
Wade Taylor IV's first bucket made him the 28th player in SEC history to crack the 2,000-point mark for his career. He finished with 16 and heads into the second round with 2,015.
Free throw woes
It didn't cost them in this one, but the Aggies poor free-throw shooting came up again. The nation's 266th-ranked team from the line went 12 for 21.
