Texas A&M guard Wade Taylor IV is set to miss Wednesday’s game against No. 17 Oklahoma, as noted in the Southeastern Conference’s mandatory availability report released the day prior. This absence marks Taylor’s first missed conference game in his collegiate career.
Taylor briefly exited Saturday’s game against Texas early in the second half but returned five minutes later to help secure the win, contributing 13 points. Earlier this season, he missed his first-ever collegiate game during the Aggies’ victory over Houston Christian, following an injury sustained against Purdue. In four years with Texas A&M, Taylor has been a consistent presence on the court.
Head coach Buzz Williams acknowledged the impact of Taylor’s absence earlier this season, emphasizing the guard’s importance both in talent and leadership. “Very uncomfortable,” Williams said of playing without Taylor. “We’re very reliant on his talent, for sure, but his leadership is as good as I’ve been around in my career.”
Taylor leads the Aggies in scoring, averaging 15.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. He ranks highly within the SEC, including third in assists per game and free-throw percentage (90%), 15th in scoring, and eighth in 3-point shooting (33.7%).
In Taylor’s absence, the Aggies will likely rely on transfer guard Zhuric Phelps (13.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists per game) and Manny Obaseki (7.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists per game) to cover minutes at the point guard position.
The 10th-ranked Aggies (12-2, 1-0 SEC) are set to face the Sooners (13-1, 0-1 SEC) at 8 p.m. on Wednesday at Oklahoma’s Lloyd Noble Center. Oklahoma’s availability report indicates no players are listed as unavailable.
The SEC introduced mandatory injury reporting rules for the first time this season, partly to address issues linked to sports gambling. The rules require teams to release a report the night before conference games and provide updates approximately 90 minutes before tipoff. Taylor is the first player in the SEC to be officially ruled out under these new guidelines.
Previously, Williams rarely shared injury updates for his players, citing concerns over the influence of sports betting. While discussing the new regulations, Williams stated, “I think we all know why we’re doing it, and so my opinion doesn’t matter. We’re going to do exactly what we’re supposed to do.”