Texas A&M vs. Vanderbilt: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2016 Regular Season

The road continues to be a dangerous place for college basketball teams, as the No. 8 Texas A&M Aggies fell at the hands of the unranked Vanderbilt Commodores, 77-60, on Thursday at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tennessee.

Vanderbilt used hot shooting from the outside to knock off an Aggies squad that was alone atop the SEC standings before the loss, per ESPN College BBall:  

"

Upset complete. Vanderbilt hits 44.8% from behind the arc to knock off #8 Texas A&M. pic.twitter.com/AyaFraCpF4

— ESPN College BBall (@ESPNCBB) February 5, 2016"

Sophomore forward Jeff Roberson led four Commodores in double digits with 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting, including three of four behind the three-point arc. Point guard Wade Baldwin IV had 17 points and eight assists, while center Damian Jones chipped in with a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com thinks the 13-9 Commodores are more than just a nice story for one night:

Vanderbilt, which was ranked earlier in the season, jumped ahead 14-1 and looked like it would roll to victory. However, Texas A&M fought back to take a 28-24 first-half lead. Then, on the strength of Baldwin's eight points, the Commodores used a 16-5 run to close out the half with a seven-point lead and never looked back.

The sophomore nailed a shot from downtown just seconds before halftime, per ESPN College BBall:

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Vanderbilt has 7-pt lead on #8 Texas A&M at the half. https://t.co/0MiAwBUPuw

— ESPN College BBall (@ESPNCBB) February 5, 2016"

Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com made note of Baldwin's performance:

Vandy opened the second half on a 9-0 run en route to one of its biggest victory in years, per ESPN Stats & Info:

The Aggies couldn't ride the momentum of a big win over the then-No. 14 Iowa State Cyclones on Saturday in the Big 12/SEC Challenge, losing their second straight road contest.

It's hard to count Texas A&M among college basketball's elite, per Rothstein:

The 60 points were the fewest for the Aggies since a 61-54 loss on Dec. 5 against the Arizona State Sun Devils, which also came on the road. Center Tonny Trocha-Morelos led the way with 13 points and four rebounds on a night when Texas A&M shot just 36.8 percent from the field.

It had been all fun and games since mid-December for the Aggies prior to the loss, per ESPN College BBall:

"

facts. pic.twitter.com/Nw0rnWVYhU

— ESPN College BBall (@ESPNCBB) February 4, 2016"

Now tied with the LSU Tigers for first place in the SEC at 7-2, the Aggies host the No. 25 South Carolina Gamecocks before hitting the road to play the Alabama Crimson Tide and LSU. If it's serious about winning the conference, Texas A&M needs to take all three.

At 5-4 in conference play, Vanderbilt should focus more on strengthening its NCAA tournament resume than winning the league. While it won't help their RPI, the Commodores have three winnable games up next in the Ole Miss Rebels, Missouri Tigers and Auburn Tigers. With nine losses, they can't afford too many more, and a defeat to any of those three will damage their resume.

Postgame Reaction

Texas A&M head coach Billy Kennedy summed up the night in his own words, per Blake Lovell of Sports & Entertainment Nashville:

NBA analyst for ESPN.com Kevin Pelton praised Baldwin after his performance:

Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings was proud of Baldwin and the rest of his team, per Joe Leadingham of Nashville’s WKRN:

The Commodores reached as high as No. 16 in the AP Poll after a 5-0 start, but a loss to the Kansas Jayhawks in the Maui Invitational began a stretch of seven losses in ten games, dropping them out of the national picture.

Rob Dauster of NBC Sports remarked this win was what fans have been waiting for all season:

It won't alone put Vanderbilt, among the first four out in Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology, in the tournament just yet, but it's step in the right direction. Along the same lines, the Aggies won't be doomed by one road conference loss, but if the trend continues, their NCAA tournament seed will be affected.