No. 13 Yale vs. No. 4 Texas A&M
Thursday, Mar. 20 – 7:25 p.m. ET
Ball Arena – Denver, Colo.
TV: TBS | Live Stats | Game Notes
 
Coming off a thrilling Ivy League Tournament Championship game win over Cornell on Sunday, Yale men's basketball is set to kick off March Madness action, taking on No. 4 seed Texas A&M in the First Round on Thursday, Mar. 20.
 
Last Time Out

• Paced by a stellar 25-point performance from John Poulakidas, the Bulldogs took down the Cornell Big Red, 90-84.
• With the victory, Yale punched its ticket to March Madness for the fourth time in the past five seasons.
• After Cornell cut Yale's lead to five (39-34) with 18:26 left in the second half, the Bulldogs responded with a dominant 11-0 run, fueled by eight points from Poulakidas, to push the advantage to 50-34.
• The Big Red fought back, narrowing the gap to four (57-53) with a 9-0 run at the 10:31 mark, but Trevor Mullin answered with a clutch three-pointer to keep Yale in front.
• Cornell pulled within three (66-63), but Mullin delivered another timely three to maintain the Bulldogs' edge. The Bulldogs didn't look back the rest of the way, icing the game with free throws in the final minute of play.
• Poulakidas was sensational, shooting 8-of-14 from the field, 5-of-9 from deep, and was a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line. He tallied 23 of his points in the second half and was 7-of-7 from the field and 5-of-5 from three.

 
Bulldog Notes

• Poulakidas leads the Ivy League in scoring, averaging 19.2 points per game.
• Poulakidas also ranks 21^st in the nation in free throw percentage (89.0) and 19^th in three-pointers per game (3.19).
• Mbeng is first in the nation in triple doubles with three and is just one of just six active players with multiple career triple-doubles.
• Poulakidas has notched double figures in 25 games this season, including 13 games with 20+ points.
• Poulakidas' 239 career three-pointers are second most in program history, and his 83 made threes this season rank second in Yale's single-season records.
• Townsend's seven double-doubles ranks first in the league, and he also ranks sixth in the conference in field goal percentage (.529), and third in rebounds per game (7.2)
• Head Coach James Jones has won seven Ivy League Championships.
• Yale is back-to-back Ivy League tournament champions for the first time in program history.

 
Season Notes

• Poulakidas was named Ivy League Tournament MVP, while Bez Mbeng earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
• Townsend was tabbed a finalist for the Nolan Richardson award on Mar. 13.
• Mbeng, Poulakidas, and Townsend were named finalists for the Lou Henson award on Mar. 13.
• Mbeng was tabbed Ivy Player and Defensive Player of the Year and garnered First Team All-Ivy honors alongside Poulakidas and Townsend. Townsend was also tabbed Academic All-Ivy on Mar. 12.
• Mbeng was named a finalist for the Lefty Driesell Defensive Player of the Year award on Mar. 12.
• Jones was tabbed a finalist for Ben Jobe and Jim Phelan Awards on Mar. 5. 
• Jones was named a Hugh Durham Award finalist on Mar. 4.
• Mbeng notched the fourth triple double in program history, and his third of the season, on Mar. 1.
• Mbeng earned USBWA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week accolades on Feb. 25.
• The Bulldogs received votes in the AP Top 25 Men's Basketball Poll on Feb. 24.
• Mbeng was tabbed Ivy Player of the Week on Feb. 24.
• Mbeng recorded the third triple double in program history, and his second of the season, on Feb. 22.
• Yale clinched the outright Ivy League Regular Season title on Feb. 22.
• The Bulldogs clinched a share of the Ivy League Regular Season Title on Feb. 21.
• Isaac Celiscar garnered Ivy Rookie of the Week accolades on Feb. 17.
• Poulakidas earned Ivy Player of the Week honors on Feb. 10.
• Mbeng tallied the program's second triple double against Cornell on Feb. 8.
• Poulakidas was tabbed Ivy Co-Player of the Week on Feb. 3.
• Mbeng scored his 1,000th career point against Harvard on Jan. 25.
• Mbeng became the all-time program leader in career steals on Jan. 20.
• Riley Fox earned Ivy Rookie of the Week honors on Jan. 6.
• Jones picked up his 400th career win in the Yale's 91-66 showing over Fairfield on Nov. 23. Jones is in his 26th season with Yale.
• Poulakidas scored his 1,000th career point against Delaware on Nov. 24.
• Mbeng played his 100th career game for Yale against Vermont on Dec. 7.
• Poulakidas and Mbeng were named to the 2024-25 Lou Henson Early Season Watch List. The award is presented annually to the top player in mid-major college basketball.
• Poulakidas and Mbeng are two of six Ivy League players on the list. They join Princeton's Xavian Lee and Caden Pierce, Brown's Kino Lilly, Jr., and Columbia's Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa.

 
NCAA Tournament Rewind

• Paced by a stellar 28-point performance from Poulakidas, Yale stunned No. 4 Auburn, 78-76, in the first round of the tournament last season. It marked the second NCAA tournament victory in school history. Six of Poulakidas' field goals came from three-point range, which tied the most by an Ivy Leaguer in the NCAA Tournament. The win also was the first for the Bulldogs over an SEC school since a 97-74 win over LSU.
• Yale's memorable 2023-24 season ended in the second round, falling to San Diego State, 85-57.

 
Scouting the Aggies

• The Aggies wrapped up the regular season with a 22-10 record, fifth in the SEC.
• Texas A&M earned an at-large bid in the tournament.
• The Aggies are making back-to-back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in more than a decade.
• Texas A&M dropped a 94-89 double-overtime decision to the Texas Longhorns in the SEC tournament.
• The Aggies are averaging 74.3 points per game.
• Wade Taylor IV paces the offense, averaging 15.7 points per game.
• Texas A&M ranks first in the nation in offensive rebounds per game (16.19), and fifth in rebounds per game (41.22)

 
Looking Ahead
The winner will face either No. 5 Michigan or No. 12 UC San Diego in the second round game.