Blueag9, Wikimedia Commons

DENVER — One day remains before No. 13 Yale (22–7, 13–1 Ivy) faces off against No. 4 Texas A&M (22–10, 11–7 SEC) in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The Elis are looking to pull off a first-round upset for the second year in a row, after taking down No. 4 Auburn in last season’s opening round.

Ahead of the matchup, the News’ Managing Editor Ben Raab ’26 spoke with Ian Curtis, managing editor of Texas A&M’s student newspaper The Battalion, to learn more about this season’s Aggies. 

This discussion has been edited for length and clarity.

Ben Raab: Hey Ian, it’s great to meet you. What’s the story behind your paper’s name, The Battalion?

Ian Curtis: Texas A&M was founded as a military school, and we still have a significant military tradition today. Our paper began in 1893, so that’s where you get “The Battalion.”

Ben: Fascinating! Turning to our schools’ upcoming matchup, what should Yale fans know about Texas A&M? 

Ian: This is a veteran team. The rotation is very senior-heavy and expectations were high coming into this season because almost all of our core players from last year returned. Head coach Buzz Williams’ philosophy is tough defense, physicality and any shot is better than a turnover. Our offensive rebounding rate is the highest in the country at 42 percent, which explains why our offensive efficiency percentage is a lot higher than our shooting numbers would suggest. It’s common to see one of our players chuck up and miss a contested three-point shot only for a teammate to grab the offensive rebound.

Ben: In some ways, this Texas A&M team reminds me of last year’s Auburn, whom Yale faced in the first round of last year’s tournament. Both teams have a strong veteran presence, play with a physical style, and can force turnovers on defense. Who are the Aggies’ players to watch?

Ian: The Aggies star is unquestionably Wade Taylor IV, a 6-foot senior guard who is Texas A&M’s all time scorer. He’s our top scoring threat, leader and go-to guy in big moments. But, this is a team with a bunch of guys who can lead the scoring on any given night. Guards Zhuric Phelps and Manny Obaseki — who Aggies fans call “March Manny” — both have explosive athleticism and like to attack the basket.

In the frontcourt, Henry Coleman, a 6-foot-8, 250-pound forward, is Texas A&M’s all-time leader in offensive rebounds. Pharrel Payne, a similarly sized player, also dominates the boards and brings a physical style to the game. And no discussion of Texas A&M’s rebounding is complete without mentioning Andersson Garcia, a 6-foot-7 forward whom coach Buzz Williams has dubbed the “Dominican Dennis Rodman.” Garcia led the team in rebounding this season and frequently draws double-teams on the offensive glass.

Ben: I’ll be looking out for the battle between Texas A&M’s forwards and Yale’s Nick Townsend ’26, a bruising first team all-Ivy forward who scores at a high volume in the post. He leads a backcourt that’s uniquely well sized for an Ivy League squad. Samson Aletan ’27 (6’10”), Casey Simmons ’27 (6’7″), and Isaac Celiscar ’28 (6’6″) are all athletic, versatile rotation players who’ll be key if the Elis wish to meet at least the first two tenets of head coach James Jones’s philosophy: defend, rebound, share. 

One stat that stands out to me is that Yale and Texas A&M both allow an extremely high percentage of three-pointers relative to field goal attempts, letting opposing teams shoot close to 50 percent of their total shots from behind the arc. To find success on offense, Yale will likely rely heavily on sharpshooting wing John Poulakidas ’25, another first team all-Ivy player —Yale had three this season — who led the conference in scoring and can hit contested shots from anywhere on the floor. Last season, Poulakidas’s 28-point performance helped spark Yale’s first-round upset over Auburn in the tournament. 

Ian: Shooting is easily Texas A&M’s biggest weakness. We shoot a low percentage from three and have been highly inconsistent from the free throw line, even though getting to the free throw line is something this team tries to emphasize. At times our offense can get frustrated when foul calls aren’t going our way. 

Ben: Final question, can you describe the Texas A&M fanbase? How does Aggie nation feel about Yale as an opponent?

Ian: A lot of people remember Yale beating Auburn last year. I think our fanbase is taking Yale seriously. A&M’s always been the kind of team that can beat anyone in the country but also lose to anyone on the wrong night. The mantra around here is “Battered Aggie Syndrome,” which refers to the low expectations we have for our sports teams. We’re a pretty pessimistic fanbase. So I don’t think we’re overlooking Yale at all. 

Tip off for the Yale versus Texas A&M game will occur at 5:25 p.m. Denver time on Thursday evening.