Texas A&M Aggies guard Wade Taylor IV (4) eludes Kentucky Wildcats guard Reed Sheppard (15) and guard Justin Edwards (1) during their SEC Men's Basketball Tournament quarterfinal game at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

Texas A&M stuns No. 9 Kentucky, moves on to SEC quarterfinals

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 3/15/24

For the second time this season, Texas A&M stunned No. 9 Kentucky, winning 97-87 on Friday, to punch its ticket to the SEC Tournament semifinals.

Roughly two months after dropping 31 points on the Wildcats, Aggies star guard Wade Taylor IV put on one heck of an encore performance. The junior paced the Texas A&M effort, scoring a game-high 32 points, including six three-pointers, in the upset victory.

that's so tough 4️⃣ pic.twitter.com/l9buNOUSJP
— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) March 15, 2024

Along with Taylor, fellow starting guards Tyrece Radford and Manny Obaseki combined for 40 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and four steals.

On the Wildcats' side, guard Rob Dillingham led the team with 27 points off the bench. However, the rest of the squad struggled, with Antonio Reeves being the only starter to finish in double figures, posting 13 points.

For the Aggies, it's the program's third-straight trip to the conference semifinals. Meanwhile, Kentucky continues to struggle in the SEC Tournament, falling to just 2-5 five over its last seven matchups.

Texas A&M will face off against either Alabama or Florida in the tournament semifinals Saturday.

Friday's massive win is the second over Kentucky this season, with the Aggies having knocked off the Wildcats, 97-92, back in January. Not only did the victory clinch a spot in the SEC semifinals, but it may have also decided the fate of the Aggies' NCAA Tournament hopes.

Texas A&M now has four wins over top-10-ranked teams. With victories over Kentucky (two), No. 5 Tennesee, and No. 7 Iowa State, keeping them off the bracket will probably prove difficult.

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