There are going to be some intense backcourt battles in the SEC this season. Every team has great guards. Few have accomplished as much as Texas A&M senior Wade Taylor IV, who in his first three years has racked up 13 school single-season records and has another 30 career, SEC or league tournament records in his sights.
At first glance, the 6-foot Wade doesn’t look like a preseason All-America.
“If you walked into the gym right now and watched him practice and work out, you’d think he was just trying to make the team,” Texas A&M coach Devin Johnson says. “He’s great at leading our program and being our quarterback, and we’re excited to see him put on a show this season.”
Wade packs a punch despite his slight (175 pounds) frame. In 2023-24, he racked up seven games of 30 or more points, including a career-high 41 against Arkansas. In that game, he made 13 of 32 field goals, including 5 of 14 from 3, and 10 of 13 free throws. Taylor’s forte is getting to the rim, but he’s become a dangerous enough three-point shooter that defenses have to respect him. That explains why he got to the free-throw line 190 times as a junior. When opponents close out, he attacks the rim.
Little wonder Taylor was one of only four Power Five players last season to post at least 600 points (697), 100 assists (145) and 50 steals (66)—joining Alabama’s Mark Sears, Colorado’s KJ Simpson and Syracuse’s Judah Mintz—or that he averaged 22.2 points in 10 games against Associated Press Top 25 teams.
Just as important to coach Buzz Williams is Taylor’s leadership abilities. On the floor, he’s an extension of his coach. During preseason drills, Taylor led his teammates seamlessly through “Buzz’s Boot Camp,” which requires as much strategy as stamina.
“It requires strategy because the new guys don’t know what to do,” says A&M’s basketball media contact Brad Marquardt. “Wade’s voice and leadership allowed them to have one of the smoothest Boot Camps ever in that they didn’t have to play the games over and over to ‘win.’”
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- Another SEC guard who will shoulder a heavy load this season — on and off the floor — is Florida’s Walter Clayton, Jr., a preseason all-conference pick. Clayton (17.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.6), a 6-foot-3 senior, dabbled with the NBA Draft after last season, but came back to school, where he’ll be motivated to try and take the Gators of coach Todd Golden further into the NCAA Tournament than they traveled last year, improve his Draft stock and take care of his family.
Last December, he became a father, adding another layer of responsibility but even more motivation so he can achieve his goal of getting to the NBA. If Clayton has improved upon his first season as a Gator, the former Iona player will be hard to handle. His scoring average was the highest at Florida since Anthony Roberson averaged 17.9 points in 2003-04. He racked up 15 games of 20 or more points, tossed in 93 3-pointers and made 42 consecutive free throws. His final game of the season might have been his best — Clayton scored 33 points in an NCAA Tournament loss to Colorado.
This season Clayton will take turns with FAU transfer Alijah Martin running the point, but that doesn’t mean Golden doesn’t want Clayton seeking his own shot.
“He’s a great [scoring] threat on the ball at all times,” Golden says. “He can shoot it from super deep. He’s fantastic in transition. He’s capable of getting 30 on any night, but he’s also capable of getting six to 10 assists depending on what the defense is giving up.” - Georgia was picked to finish 12th in the league’s preseason media poll, about where coach Mike White expected in a rugged SEC. But don’t be surprised if the Bulldogs wind up several notches higher than that. If they do, 6-foot-5 sophomore guards Silas Demary, Jr. (9.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.5 apg) and Blue Cain (.7.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg) will have played major roles, just as they did as freshmen on a team that advanced to the NIT semifinals. Demary and Cain operate at different ends of the scoring spectrum. Last season Demary, an SEC All-Freshman pick, played like a veteran, reminding some of the Texas A&M guard duo of Taylor and Tyrece Radford, known for their penchant of attacking the rim and either scoring or getting fouled and shooting tons of free throws.
Demary plays with the same abandon. Last season, Taylor and Radford attempted 336 free throws between them and their free-throw rates were 32.5 and 32.1, respectively. Demary got to the free-throw line 163 times and his free-throw rate was 61.7, 53rd in the country.
“Silas is one of the more competitive guys that I’ve coached,” White says.
Cain’s game is different, predicated on the 3-ball. He attempted just 27 free throws all season but cranked up 143 3-pointers, 48.5% of his shots. He could heat up in a hurry. Cain scored seven points in 60 seconds against Miami and finished with 18 points. Against Florida, he scored 10 of his 14 in the final 3:16 of regulation.
“He’s tough and competitive,” White says. “And he’s got unwavering confidence.” - Like Clayton, Ole Miss guard Matthew Murrell pulled out of the NBA Draft process last spring, and Ole Miss coach Chris Beard couldn’t have been happier. On a team that will include eight newcomers, Murrell, a 6-foot-4 senior, will be the go-to guy every team has to have when games are on the line.
Last season, Murrell (16.2 ppg, .398 3PT), from talent-rich Memphis, lived up to the potential he brought with him from Tennessee, leading the Rebels in scoring, steals and 3-pointers. He scored 20 or more points nine times, and in a game against Troy made off with 10 steals. That was a program record and tied for the most ever in the SEC.
Murrell was tempted by the NBA, but made a good decision to come back to continue to improve his game and help the Rebels return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.
“He did a good job in the pre-draft process,” says Beard, whose team earned a spot in the coaches’ preseason Top 25 poll (25th) for the first time. “He was promised a lot of two-way contracts. But he saw value in coming back. We really believe he can be an All-SEC defensive team guy if he spends more of his energy on the defensive end. He’s on a mission to be a little better with the ball in his hands in terms of playmaking.”
Games to Watch
In terms of blockbuster matchups or helping SEC teams build NCAA Tournament-worthy resumes, college basketball’s opening night, Nov. 4, offers slim pickings, but here are three games to check out:
- Texas A&M (No. 13 Associated Press, No. 15 coaches) at UCF. This was a smart scheduling decision for the Aggies, opening the season at a Big 12 team that played in the NIT last season and returns its two best players — guards Jaylin Sellers and Darius Johnson. A&M fans are eager for them to play consistently from the start of the season to the finish, and this game offers a chance for a promising start. It’ll also showcase Taylor, who will have his hands full with Sellers (15.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg in 2023-24) and Johnson (15.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.7 apg, 2.2 spg).
- Missouri at Memphis. This is a battle to see which coach, Mizzou’s Dennis Gates or the Tigers’ Penny Hardaway, did the better rebuilding his team nearly from scratch. The Tigers from Tennessee return just one scholarship player but snared some excellent guards in the portal — 6-foot-3 sophomore PJ Haggerty (21.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.8 apg at Tulsa) and Tyrese Hunter (10.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.3 apg at Texas) along with centers Moussa Cisse (4.5 pprg, 4.6 rpg, 1.6 bpg at Ole Miss) and Dain Dainja (6.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg, .669 FG at Illinois). The Tigers from the Show Me state lost 18 straight SEC games last season but rebuilt with a bountiful haul of freshmen and transfers. Mizzou was the only school in the country to be ranked in the top 15 in the 247Sports Composite high school and transfer rankings.
- Texas vs. Ohio State at Las Vegas. Like Missouri and Memphis, Texas (No. 19 AP and Coaches) the Longhorns had to rebuild with a big assist from the portal. Guards Jordan Pope (17.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.4 apg at Oregon State) and Tramon Mark (16.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.2 spg at Arkansas) are set for heavy-duty minutes, and the addition of 6-foot-7, 225-pound versatile forward Arthur Kaluma (14.4 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 2.0 apg) tied the recruiting class together better than the Big Lebowski’s rug and propelled the Longhorns into the preseason Top 25. Ohio State will try to carry on the momentum interim-turned-permanent coach Jake Diebler forged after taking over two thirds of the way through the season for fired Chris Holtmann and guiding the Buckeyes to an 8-3 record and trip to the NIT quarterfinals. Guard Bruce Thornton (15.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 4.8 apg, 1.2 spg) and Kentucky transfer Aaron Bradshaw (4.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg) will be key pieces.
