The Battalion — January 25, 2024

THURSDAY, JANUARY 25 | SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 | © 2024 STUDENT MEDIA

Thursday 1/25

Cloudy 64/51

@thebattonline

SPORTS Sports editor says former Athletic Director Ross Bjork was misrepresented. B1

CAMPUS A&M Physics and Astronomy department prepares for upcoming spring festival. A2

Student Senate searches to fill vacancies

Slocum new interim athletic director

Sixteen positions open for all students to apply until Monday

Former A&M football head coach to hold position during job hunt

By Cameron Gibson @Cameronthebatt The Texas A&M Student Government Association, or SGA, is looking to fill 16 vacancies in the Student Senate. The deadline to apply is Monday, Jan. 29. Any student, including international and graduate students, can apply online at tx.ag/ vacancy.

The process of electing new senators will be finished before Wednesday, Feb. 7, when the new senators will be sworn in. They will be selected by current senators of the caucus for which they apply to.

Speaker of the Student Senate Marcus Glass said filling the vacancies is important to ensure the Student Senate is working effectively.

“The senate is practically the voice of the student body and so that’s why trying to ensure that the body is completely filled to the best of its ability ensures proper representation,” Glass said.

Glass said the Student Senate is responsible for representing students by working with university administration.

“The Senate really, it’s enacting legislation and policies that allow us to say this is the voice of the student body and advocate for students, really,” Glass said. “Some of the work that we do happens behind the scenes, meeting with administration — some senators serve on university committees, so there’s a whole wide range of input that we try to give to university administration.”

Glass said that if students are passionate about selfless service and making an impact at A&M, the Student Senate is a great opportunity.

“I think if you’re really passionate about representing others and trying to make a difference in some of the things that happen at this university, I think that joining Senate is a great way to do it,” Glass said.

By Luke White @Lukewhite03

Rainy days in

AGGIELAND

Former Texas A&M football coach R.C. Slocum will serve as the university’s interim director of athletics, President Mark A. Welsh III announced on Monday, Jan. 22.

Slocum takes over the role after athletic director Ross Bjork’s departure for the same role at Ohio State.

Slocum’s position will officially begin on Thursday, Feb. 1, Welsh said . The 79-year-old Slocum previously served as A&M’s interim athletic director in the summer of 2019 when athletic director Scott Woodward took over the LSU athletic department.

“Coach Slocum has been a champion for Texas A&M on and off the field for more than 50 years,” Welsh said. “His passion for this university, knowledge of Aggie athletics and commitment to the success of our student-athletes are second to none, and I’m grateful for his willingness to once again step into this interim role.”

Slocum is the Aggies’ winningest football coach in program history after 14 seasons at the helm of the team from 1989 to 2002. With no losing seasons, he amassed a record of 123-47-2 with four conference championships.

“I am honored to be asked to serve as the interim athletics director at Texas A&M, a university close to my heart,” Slocum said. “I have great respect for President Welsh and will do my best to make him, Texas A&M and, most importantly, our coaches and student-athletes, proud.”

A member of the College Football Playoff selection committee, Slocum was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2012.

He has also been inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.

Ishika Samant & Chris Swann — THE BATTALION

Students walk to classes as College Station sees 1.7 inches of rainfall on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024

Hotty Toddy hoedown Aggies look to take third-straight conference game

By Eli Meschko @EliMeschko

Ishika Samant — THE BATTALION

Senior forward Andersson Garcia (11) dunks the ball during Texas A&M’s game against Missouri on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024, at Reed Arena.

Off the back of a scrappy win over Missouri, Texas A&M men’s basketball will host the Ole Miss Rebels in the second game of its homestand on Saturday, Jan. 27, at Reed Arena.

After starting conference play 0-2, the Aggies won three of their last four games to improve to .500 in SEC play. The win over Mizzou also marked the second-straight game the Aggies had four players score in double digits.

The Maroon and White found a way to win against Missouri, but to say the shooting woes continued would be an understatement. A&M made just 28.8% of its shots — about 10% lower than its season average.

However, the Aggies won the

turnover battle 15-9 and scored 21 points off turnovers to the Tigers’ 5.

Seven of the forced turnovers were steals — including junior guard Wade Taylor IV’s 150th career steal.

Taylor became the ninth Aggie to reach this mark, led all scorers with 19 points and tied his career-high rebounds with 6.

Winning the turnover battle has been key for A&M this year. A&M averages just under 10 turnovers a game while forcing opponents into nearly 12. The only games the Aggies have lost this year when winning the turnover battle was the loss to Memphis and the 1-point loss to Arkansas.

Senior forward Andersson Garcia has provided a spark off the bench this year, averaging a team-high 8.8 rebounds a game and 4.2 offensive rebounds per game — good enough for top-5 in the nation. The Dominican Republic native also scored 11 points against Missouri for his thirdstraight double-digit scoring game.

After missing the Arkansas game and only logging 11 minutes versus

LSU, senior F Henry Coleman III returned to full action against Missouri. The importance of Coleman being available for A&M cannot be understated. Without senior F Julius Marble, the Aggies are down to four forwards and Coleman is the second-leading rebounder on the team with 7.4 per game. He grabbed seven boards versus Missouri and has led A&M in rebounding in 8 of 19 games this season.

On the flip side, the Rebels roll into the game having flipped the script from last season. Ole Miss finished last year 12-21 overall with a 3-15 record in SEC play.

This season, it has already surpassed its win total from last year — including an undefeated non-conference slate. A big part of its success is shooting the ball well as a team. The Rebels make 45.6% of their shots, including 38.3% of their 3-point attempts.

The Rebels are led by their experienced backcourt duo of senior guards Matthew Murrell and Allen Flanigan. Murrell averages a teamBASKETBALL ON PG. B1

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CAMPUS

The Battalion | 01.25.24

A2

Amping up Aggies for physics, engineering

File photo by Kyle Heise — THE BATTALION

Guests visit the Texas A&M University 2023 Physics & Engineering Festival on April 1, 2023.

A&M scientists prepare to engage community with annual festival

By Cameron Gibson @CameronTheBatt Texas A&M physics and astronomy students and staff are preparing to connect with the public at the upcoming spring Physics & Engineering Festival, returning for its 22nd free annual event in April.

The festival was created in 2003 by physics professor Edward Fry, who invited the world-renowned physicist Stephen Hawking to view work at the A&M physics department. Over the years, it has received thousands of attendees and typically features lectures, hundreds of handson demonstrations and a science circus.

With 400 volunteers usually taking part, there are many opportuni-

ties for students to volunteer at the festival, from setting up and organizing to running demonstrations and engaging with the public.

Physics professor Tatiana Erukhimova, Ph.D., helps organize the flagship festival. However, Erukhimova is widely known as “Dr. Tatiana” for hosting exciting physics demonstrations online.

TAMU Physics & Astronomy has over 2.4 million subscribers on YouTube and 1.5 million followers on TikTok. Both contain 60-second videos of her performing experiments garnering hundreds of millions of views.

Erukhimova said scientists should share their research with the general public and get involved in outreach.

“If we rely just on these rockstar physicists who can go on the big stage and give superb presentations, we will lose a lot of talent,” Erukhimova said.

Erukhimova said the flagship physics festival underwent significant changes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This was a tradition and then the pandemic hit,” Erukhimova said.

“We didn’t give up. We switched … We had a very small team who learned basically how to run a TV station during a very short period of time. Our team put together a virtual festival, a very successful virtual festival [where] people around the country joined us.”

Erukhimova said if scientists share their passions, people will listen. Physics and math senior Kennedi Hatcher is the president of the A&M chapter of the Society of Physics Students, or SPS. Hatcher had Erukhimova as a professor for introductory electricity and magnetism, and said Erukhimova’s fun teaching style encouraged her to get into physics.

Hatcher said that Erukhimova teaches classes the same way as she does her shows and outreach, and Hatcher plans to continue her own involvement in outreach and spreading physics to the community.

“I have learned a lot just from ex-

cash for

clothes

plaining the demos and interacting with people,” Hatcher said. “I’ve gained so much with public speaking.”

Physics senior Jacob Bohreer serves as the outreach director of SPS, helping connect the public with the “magic” of physics.

“I think physics to someone who doesn’t know much about physics, is like the closest thing to magic,” Bohreer said.

Every month, SPS travels to Downtown Bryan to participate in First Friday, bringing activities to demonstrate for the public while passing out flyers to advertise upcoming physics festivals. “[We] get people interested and excited for physics, and just have a good time,” Bohreer said.

Erukhimova said there is another program at A&M, the Mitchell Institute Physics Enhancement Program, which “trains the trainer.”

The two-week-long program aims to teach fundamental physics concepts through problem-solving, hands-on demonstrations and in-lab

experiences.

“We invite the teachers who didn’t have a chance to learn physics when they were students,” Erukhimova said.

Erukhimova said she sees the programs she organizes as beneficial in many different ways, including for students.

“It’s crucially important for our students,” Erukhimova said.

“What’s the best way to learn something? To explain it to others. By explaining these physics concepts to the general public and building new demonstrations, our students get invaluable experience. They develop conceptual understanding, build their professional identity, improve their communication skills and learn to work in teams on common projects.”

The A&M Physics and Engineering Festival will be held on Saturday, April 13 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

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OPINION

The Battalion | 01.25.24

A3

It’s time to rethink our resolutions

Chris Swann — THE BATTALION

Opinion columnist says set manageable expectations instead of unrealistic goals. Or don’t, there’s always next year Charis Adkins @Charis_Batt Welcome to 2024, Ags! Clinging to the coattails of the new year are all those pesky resolutions. If you ask me, the whole idea is a load of hogwash.

I bet you have some resolutions, don’t you? Some cliche pledges that you’ve already forgotten about?

Let’s see … Did you vow to exercise? Eat out less? Study more?

Maybe you promised to get through that ever-growing stack of unread books, or cut back on sweets?

Well. How’s that working out for you so far?

If you’ve made it all the way to this, the fourth week of January, I commend you. I’m also pretty confident that by the time school really kicks up in February any motivation to keep cooking your own meals or hitting the Rec every morning will

have drained completely out.

And you know what? That’s OK. In my humble opinion, New Year’s resolutions are entirely overrated.

For that reason, I’ve curated a selection of my own New Year’s resolutions to share with the class. I know, I know. I just said they were overrated, and I stand by that. But I fully support composing absolutely goofy resolutions to get you through the coming year.

So, for example, you could say that you vow to love yourself as much as Lizzo loves herself — minus the whole indulging guilty pleasures by eating backup dancers part.

I also vow to stop procrastinating so mu- [note to self: finish that sentence later]. Also, improove my speling. Or maybe just make my grammar betterer.

Anyway. Overall, “new year, new me” is a damaging mindset.

The only thing that’s changed is the calendar year, and it’s silly to expect that with the same responsibilities,

time constraints and stressors as last year you can turn your life around by suddenly adding one more obligation to your schedule.

They have their place, of course; sometimes, all you need is a Gregorian kick in the rear to find that motivation. The problem comes in later — when life gets busy and you inevitably miss a day or two of whatever it is you’re supposed to be improving. Then, akin to losing a Duolingo streak, all your motivation dries up.

Generally speaking, New Year’s resolutions are good for one thing: pinpointing what you want to improve in your life. Once you have those, you can figure out how to take steps in the right direction.

Be realistic. Instead of just saying “exercise,” write out how much time exactly you want to spend at the gym. And, by the way, lowball it. You’ll thank me later.

For example, I pledge to make my bed at least once a week (and

not only when I have people coming over).

Or, drink water instead of soda once a week. Cut out one energy drink per week unless you feel like you’re going to die otherwise. Call your folks every Sunday. Make an effort for your phone not to be the first thing you see when you wake up in the morning.

The key to actually keeping to these resolutions is making them attainable. And, by starting small, you can build them into real habits.

Or, if even that seems like too much, just keep on truckin’. You’re still alive; that’s an accomplishment in and of itself. After all, I don’t see why we always have to make the resolutions. Maybe it’s the year’s turn to be better.

Yeah, you know what? I’ve got some suggested resolutions for 2024 to take into consideration.

• Once you’ve started one major political or religious war, finish it before starting

another.

100% fewer Chinese spy balloons would be nice.

• Less headlines that start with “Elon Musk.”

• While we’re at it, I don’t want to hear about Taylor Swift anymore, either.

• Fewer major Ohioan chemical spills.

• COVID-19 is still happening? Why? Pick up a new hobby, preferably a less contagious one.

In short, make your resolutions work for you. If they’re not attainable or easy enough to do during midterms, odds are you won’t make it through July, let alone the whole year.

And if you do forget about them anyway, don’t sweat it. There’s always 2025. (Whoop).

•

Charis Adkins is an English junior and opinion columnist for The Battalion.

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SPORTS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 25 | SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 | © 2024 STUDENT MEDIA

Ross Bjork was good for A&M Sports editor says Aggies should remember former AD for his successes, not his mistakes

By Luke White @lukewhite03 Ohio State hired Ross Bjork for a reason.

After all, the nation’s highest-grossing athletic department doesn’t hire just anyone as its next athletic director. Bjork will succeed the Buckeyes’ Gene Smith, who has been with the department for 19 years. He has big shoes to fill, and whether Texas A&M fans like him or not, Ohio State evidently felt he was the right person for the job.

Based on his track record, it’s easy to see why.

Let’s start before Bjork came to Aggieland in May of 2019. He got his first gig as an athletic director in 2010 at Western Kentucky, where he was the youngest FBS athletic director at age 37. Two years later, he made the move to the SEC to become the athletic director at Ole Miss, where he was the youngest athletic director among Power 5 schools.

Bjork has quickly risen within the industry’s ranks for over a decade, and at 51, has plenty of years ahead of him. He spent over four of those in College Station, where perhaps Chris Swann — THE BATTALION his most notable contributions came Texas A&M Athletic Director Ross Bjork speaks at a press confrence following the firing of former Texas A&M in the form of his coaching hires. head coach Jimbo Fisher on Nov. 12, 2023.

The 12th Man certainly can’t blame Bjork for the coaching hires led the Aggies to the NCAA Tour- gram’s first since 2015. sports on campus, Bjork may best he made. The man knows HR. nament and their most wins since Bjork’s last big move as A&M’s be remembered by fans as the one Perhaps most notably, he oversaw 2018. athletic director came with the hir- that fired football coach Jimbo Fishthe hiring of baseball coach Jim Speaking of success in Year 1, ing of Mike Elko to kickstart the er after close to six seasons. It wasn’t Schlossnagle, who after 18 years at coach Jamie Morrison led A&M football program after previously simply the fact that A&M fired FishTCU, took the Aggies to the 2022 volleyball to its first NCAA Tour- describing it as “stuck in neutral.” er, but what the Aggies owed him.

College World Series in his first nament since 2019 during his debut We’ll see what the future holds for Fisher happily walked away with a season, where they beat both Texas season in Aggieland. Staying within Elko, but his success in the transfer record $76.8 million buyout, thanks and Notre Dame.

Reed Arena, coach Joni Taylor had portal and relationships with high in part to a contract extension ofA&M had been snake-bitten in a rough go of it in her first season school coaches has given fans opti- fered by Bjork in 2021. its previous trips to Omaha, but with the women’s basketball team, mism for 2024.

In hindsight, the offer doesn’t Schlossnagle turned the program but now has the Aggies poised to As much as Bjork’s coaches have look good, but at the time, one can around to contenders in the SEC. dance in the NCAA Tournament thrived, they’ve followed his will- understand where Bjork was comWith the season quickly approach- in Year 2. ingness to cut their predecessors ing from. In 2020, the Aggies won ing, the Maroon and White are However, none of Bjork’s coach- loose. Bjork was gifted in under- the Orange Bowl with a 9-1 record ranked No. 8 in the D1Baseball ing hires has seen as much success as standing when a change of leader- and No. 4 postseason ranking. We’ll Top 25. Not too shabby.

Gerrod Chadwell of women’s golf. ship needed to be made, and fans save conversations of A&M’s ColOver at Davis Diamond, Bjork In his first two seasons, the Aggies saw that with the firing of baseball’s lege Football Playoff snub for anpicked up Trisha Ford from Arizona have reached the semifinals of the Rob Childress, softball’s Jo Evans other column.

State to head the softball program. A NCAA Championships and added and volleyball’s Laura “Bird” Kuhn.

Coupled with the Aggies’ recent year after winning the Pac-12, she an SEC crown in 2023, the proIn spite of the success of other success on the field, Fisher had been

dominating off of it in securing the top recruiting class of all time. Unfortunately for the A&M faithful, Fisher couldn’t take the program to the next level, and Bjork had to face the consequences.

Bjork also faced the music of Texas and Oklahoma’s entrance to the SEC in 2024, a move that may have ruffled some feathers, and the unpopular near-hire of Kentucky’s Mark Stoops as football coach.

Speculation and conspiracy theories aside, those decisions don’t fall squarely on the shoulders of Bjork.

They’re the actions of a number of leaders and honchos, not simply the athletic director.

Outside the realm of coaching, Bjork boosted A&M athletics in giving it an upper hand in the facilities war. During his tenure, he oversaw the construction of the Davis Player Development Center at the Graham Athletic Complex, Fasken Indoor Track and Field facility and an indoor tennis facility currently under construction.

Kyle Field saw renovations before the 2023 football season, while work is being done to make the Bright-Slocum Football Complex the best of its kind. Renovations are on the way for Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park and Ellis Field. Such construction is made possible through the department’s Centennial Campaign, a fundraising effort spearheaded by Bjork.

At A&M, Bjork became a major player in the NIL world as he pushed for federal legislation and uniformity on the concept. He teamed up with the 12th Man Foundation as the school navigated one of the most significant changes to college athletics.

Maybe it’s human nature that we remember people more for their mistakes and shortcomings than we do for their successes and accomplishments. For the 12th Man, it may be easy to remember Bjork as the athletic director that paid Fisher his retirement fund and then a few million dollars more. It may be easy to remember him as the man that nearly hired Stoops after his own back-to-back 7-5 campaigns.

Instead, Bjork should be kept in fans’ memory as the one that nailed his coaching hires, advocated for facility construction and renovation and raised a hell of a lot of money for the department.

If he can replicate what he did at A&M, Ohio State will be thankful to have him.

Outrebounding the Rebels BASKETBALL CONTINUED high 16.9 points per game and has drastically improved his shooting from last year. Murrell makes nearly 48% of his shots and 38.5% of his 3s.

He also leads the Rebels in steals per game at 2.2.

Flanigan spent the past four years at Auburn before transferring to the Rebels. He played in 114 games for Auburn and averaged 8.5 points and 4.2 rebounds. This year, he is second on the team in scoring, averaging 16.1 points on 41.5% shooting and leads the team in rebounds with 6.8 per game.

The key for Ole Miss in this matchup is to make its open shots and force the Aggies to shoot the ball.

The Maroon and White have struggled shooting the rock all season and struggled early when Missouri transitioned to a zone defense — which could be a key idea for the Rebels.

However, Missouri only made 27.6% of its 3’s — many of which were open looks.

If Ole Miss can take advantage of open shooters the Aggies leave open, it could put itself in a good position to win.

The key for A&M is to continue winning the rebounding battle and to find a way to the free-throw line.

The Aggies average nine more rebounds per game than the Rebels and have only lost the rebounding battle three times this season.

A&M doesn’t shoot particularly well from the free throw line at 69.9%, but it averages 17 free throws made per game. With how well Ole Miss shoots the ball compared to A&M, free throws could pick up the offensive issues for the Aggies and be the difference between winning or losing.

The matchup will be televised on the SEC Network with tipoff set for 7:30 p.m.

CJ Smith — The Battalion

SPORTS

The Battalion | 01.25.24

B4

AROUND THE SEC A LOOK AT THIS WEEKEND’S CONFERENCE SLATE

By Braxton Dore @BraxtonD1088

UConn 27

1

861

– Purdue 5

2

836

– North Carolina 1

3 No. 8 Auburn @ Mississippi State

No. 6 Kentucky @ Arkansas

Saturday, Jan. 27 — 2:30 p.m. on SEC Network Humphrey Coliseum — Starkville, Mississippi

Saturday, Jan. 27 — 5 p.m. on ESPN Bud Walton Arena — Fayetteville, Arkansas

The Tigers have been on a roll since the first week of December, winning their last 11 games by double digits. Auburn emerged as a sleeper SEC team in November but slowly progressed into a Top-10 pick after its prominent win streak, and after taking down No. 22 Ole Miss.

Auburn currently sits at the top of the SEC standings, boasting a modest 5-0 record against conference opponents.

On the other side of the court, the Bulldogs have gone 2-3 in SEC play, with their most notable win against No. 5 Tennessee. Mississippi State ranks 6th in the NCAA in preventing 3-pointers, so if Auburn stays close to the rim, this should be another mark in the win column for Coach Pearl and the rest of the Tigers.

Prediction: Auburn 81, Mississippi State 70

Big Blue has already been through its fair share of trials and tribulations early this season. First, Kentucky had a run-in with then-No. 1 Kansas, which ended in an 89-84 loss.

Then the Wildcats were upset

by UNC-Wilmington at home for the first time in program history, which was largely credited to a poor shot selection. Kentucky came up short against the Aggies and South Carolina, who were both unranked SEC teams.

This might be the Razorbacks’ biggest chance to take advantage of the No. 6 team in the country, but only if they play their usual solid defense. Arkansas ranks fourth overall in total blocks, while also limiting turnovers to less than 12 a game.

Prediction: Arkansas 69, Kentucky 65

797  1

Houston 1

4

753 

1

Tennessee

5

707 

1

Kansas 1

6

680  3

7 8

Kentucky 667

– Auburn 641 

9 LSU @ Alabama

No. 5 Tennessee @ Vanderbilt

Saturday, Jan. 27 — 7 p.m. on ESPN Coleman Coliseum — Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Saturday, Jan. 27 — 5 p.m. on SEC Network Memorial Gymnasium — Nashville, Tennessee

The Tigers down in Baton Rouge are staring down the middle of the SEC standings after a 3-2 record. Noteworthy losses against Auburn and Texas A&M sunk March expectations below sea level for the swamp-dwelling Tigers.

A win against the Crimson Tide, who entered the season creeping into the AP-Top 25, would allow the Tigers to make a push further up the SEC ladder.

The Tide still rolls on behind senior G Mark Sears, who leads the conference in points with 19.8 per game, and senior F Grant Nelson who leads in rebounds with 5.8 a game.

It is hard to believe the Crimson Tide will drop this matchup against the struggling Tigers at home.

Prediction: Alabama 84, LSU 70

The rivalry falls into the Volunteers’ hands so far, bragging a win-loss record of 129-76.

However, the Commodores won the pair’s last matchup, 6665 in February. Vanderbilt has fallen on harsh times this season, only winning five games so far and starting out 0-5 in conference competition.

On the flip side, the Volunteers are sitting just below Auburn at the second slot in the conference. Senior G Dalton

Knecht will be a huge problem for the Commodores if they let him heat up from beyond the arc, as he currently boasts a 40% shooting percentage from 3.

With the dominance Tennessee has shown so far in the SEC, it’s difficult to see Vanderbilt making this a close game with Knecht’s presence on the court.

Prediction: Tennessee 80,Vanderbilt 62

Tumble in Tiger Town Aggies look to bounce back to .500 in SEC play against Missouri

By Hunter Mitchell @HunterM1001 Already well over their win total from last season, Texas A&M women’s basketball came into its matchup against No. 1 South Carolina riding high after knocking off Tennessee for its second conference win.

The Gamecocks decisively knocked the Aggies back down to Earth, walloping A&M 99-64. The Maroon and White’s chance for recovery will have to come on the road, as the Aggies head to Columbia, Missouri to take on the Missouri Tigers.

The last time these two schools faced off against each other, Missouri blew out the Aggies, winning 61-35 in a contest that was all but decided by halftime.

Now, with a slew of impact transfers and top-100 recruits, the Tigers will be facing off against a completely different A&M team than they did last season.

Despite nearly surrendering triple-digits points in its last matchup, A&M is still No. 15 in the country in scoring defense, only allowing 52.4 points per game.

This is due in large part to junior forward Lauren Ware, who comes in tied for 21 nationally in blocks with 39. The Bismarck, North Dakota native is also top-50 in rebounds with 161.

Rebounding as a whole has been a major strength for the Aggies, as on the glass, A&M is No. 6 in rebounds per game, No. 12 in rebound margin and No. 10 in offen-

sive rebounds per game.

On the offensive end, the Maroon and White come in No. 75 in scoring offense, led by graduate guard Endyia Rogers, who averages 12.8 points per game. However, while A&M’s scoring numbers seem serviceable, its 3-point shooting percentage is not.

The Aggies are one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the country, coming in No. 304 nationally.

Only freshman G Sole Williams and Rodgers shoot over 30% from beyond the arch. They’re also the only Aggies to make at least 20 3s.

The same cannot be said of A&M’s opponent.

The Tigers are one of the nation’s

better 3-point shooting teams, coming in No. 29 in 3-point percentage, 23rd in 3-pointers per game and No. 46 in 3s attempted per game.

For Missouri, it has five players who have taken at least 60 3s and are over 30% from beyond the arch.

Leading the way offensively for the Tigers is graduate F Hayley Frank who averages 17.3 points per game on 38.3% shooting from 3. Freshman G Grace Slaughter is Missouri’s most efficient scorer, shooting 41.7% from deep and 49.5% from the field.

The real problem for the Tigers hasn’t been their offense, it’s been their inability to stop their opponents’.

Missouri is No. 275 in the country in scoring defense, giving up at least 70 points in eight of its 19 games. The Tigers are also tied for 145th in rebound margin, only averaging 2.1 more rebounds than their opponent.

It also won’t be easy sledding for the Tigers’ offense either, as A&M is No. 23 in 3-point defense, holding opponents to just 26.1% shooting from 3.

While the Aggies cannot shoot from beyond the arch nearly as well as Missouri, their defensive physicality could be a problem for the Tigers, who are only averaging 59 points in the three games played against top-50 defenses.

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

2

Arizona 615

– Duke 493  2

Illinois 485 

3

Wisconsin 450 

1

Baylor 446  2

Marquette 423 

2

Oklahoma 412

– Creighton 307 

2

Dayton 281 

4

Memphis 279  6

Utah State 212  2

BYU 171  1

Colorado State 158 

3

Iowa State 157 

3

Texas Tech 131 NR Florida Atlantic

92  1

New Mexico 78 NR

The SMP represents the top 25 teams in college basketball as voted weekly by student journalists across the nation New entrants: Texas Tech (23), New Mexico (25) Dropped out: TCU (20), Ole Miss (22) Ishika Samant — THE BATTALION

Texas A&M senior guard Aicha Coulibaly dribbles the ball past South Carolina guard Tessa Johnson during A&M’s game against South Carolina on Saturday, Jan. 6 in Reed Arena.

TCU (32), Seton Hall (31), Princeton (28), San Diego State (22), Alabama (19), Clemson (16), Ole Miss (12), James Madison (11), Kansas State (10), McNeese State (10), Grand Canyon (9), Michigan State (6), Boise State (6), Texas (5), South Carolina (4), Gonzaga (4), Drake (4), Colorado (3), Wake Forest (3), Utah (2), Saint Mary’s (2), Akron (2), Indiana State (1), Samford (1)

Student Media Poll is sponsored by Indiana University Student Media