Houston was able to withstand a furious A&M rally to escape 70-66, in a game that featured sharp shooting from Wade Taylor (34 points), but little from Manny Obaseki and nothing from Tyrece Radford, who missed the game with an injury.

The Cougars (31-4) moved on to take the Big 12 regular season title and held the No. 1 spot in the nation for a good portion of the season before being blasted by Iowa State in the final of the Big 12 Tournament. The Aggies (21-14), on the other hand, endured a five-game losing streak before turning things around late in conference play. After hammering Nebraska 98-83 Friday night, A&M coach Buzz Williams believes he now has a much different team than the one who nearly upset the Cougars at Toyota Center in Houston.

"We're completely different," he said Saturday. "We're way different."

The difference is obvious. The Aggies, who struggled to shoot for nearly the entire season, have become a force since Obaseki was inserted into the starting lineup. They have scored no less than 70 points in any of the last seven games and have scored more than 90 in the last three.

A&M rudely tossed Nebraska out of the tournament with three players -- Taylor, Obaseki and Radford -- scoring more than 20 points, with Jace Carter adding 13 and Henry Coleman adding 10. The 58 points they had at halftime were more than they scored in two entire games earlier in the season, and the Aggies' offensive improvement was not lost on Houston coach Kelvin Sampson.

"Probably the best team in the SEC right now is Texas A&M," he said after the Cougars dispatched 16th-seeded Longwood 86-46 Friday night. "They're a team that can get to the Final Four. They're that good."

Coleman said Saturday that the Aggies had a better sense of themselves now than they did when the two teams met more than four months ago.

"I would say the roles are a little bit better. I think guys knew their roles but now people are kind of playing even better in their roles," he said. "I think defensively we're a little bit more physical. I think on the offensive end guys have a lot more confidence 1 through 5."

The suddenly-emergent offense -- in particular three-headed monster of Taylor, Radford and Obaseki -- caught Sampson's attention.

"Radford, I think, was injured, if I'm not mistaken -- I know he didn't play (in December). I think he was injured, though. So he did not play. He's a major part of their game plan. Obaseki, same way, he played but he wasn't featured like he is now. So that's a terrific, terrific backcourt," he said. "Those three guards have the ultimate green light. They just drive it and they all can shoot it. It's a tough match-up."

The Aggies are playing at a much quicker pace than they were when they first played Houston, but the Cougars play fast themselves. Coleman said playing a number of up-tempo opponents during the SEC schedule should benefit A&M Sunday night.

" I would say we've played some of the fastest teams in the country within the SEC -- Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, they're some of the fastest teams in the country. Since then we've played some fast teams," he said. "I think it's something that we prepare for each and every day. So we're excited to play and we're humbled that we're here. We know there has to be a lot of work to be done if we want to be successful."

One of the three guards -- likely Taylor, who has been on a remarkable hot streak and hit seven 3-pointers against Nebraska -- will be shadowed by Houston's Jamal Shead, the Big 12's defensive player of the year. Williams said he hoped to recruit Shead when he arrived at A&M, but Sampson and the Houston staff had an insurmountable lead.

"He can guard anybody in the United States, no matter how old they are, no matter how much money they're getting paid through NIL or through the National Basketball Association. He is an elite defender," Williams said. "What an unbelievable career he's had. And I think it all starts on that end. But I think that that's their team and that's also their program."

The first matchup between these teams, in front of a huge crowd at the home of the NBA's Houston Rockets, had a postseason feel. The rematch, at the home of the Memphis Grizzlies, is a postseason game and should bring added intensity.

"Houston is a great basketball program. They do a lot of things well. So do we," forward Solomon Washington said. "It's going to be a clash on the rebounding, the rebound battle. We know we have to... do the little things that matter in this game to come out on top."

Shead said the Cougars are looking forward to facing off with A&M again.

"The team changed and adapted over the year as any good team does. So they've gotten better since December, and so have we," he said. "Texas A&M is a really scrappy team and so are we. It's going to be a war tomorrow."