No. 22 A&M aims for a unique trifecta in Baton Rouge on Saturday

Click HERE to view Texas A&M’s Friday press conference.

A record may be broken. Seeds may be secured. And a fallen star may again start shining bright.

Converting 3s suddenly is expected for Texas A&M.

The No. 22 Aggies (21-9, 10-7) will be hoping for the aforementioned trifecta on Saturday as they close the Southeastern Conference basketball regular season in Baton Rouge in a 3 p.m. CT game against LSU (14-16,  3-14).

Star guard Wade Taylor IV needs nine points to move past Bernard King’s career scoring record of 1,990.

“He’s earned all of it,” A&M coach Buzz Williams said on Friday. “He’s scored a lot of baskets that only players like he can score. Not all of them have been, ‘Hey, I drew up a tricky play, and we fooled everybody, and he scored.’ He’s just a talented scorer. Any and all record that he sets, I’m happy for.”

A victory would lock up at least a No. 5 seed for next week’s SEC Tournament. Technically, the Aggies could still get a No. 4 seed and double bye in the tournament, but that would also require Tennessee losing at home to South Carolina and Ole Miss winning at Florida.

“We do want to win regardless of opponent, regardless of locale,” Williams said. “It’s an opportunity for us to have a winning record on the road in SEC play. Considering the evidence of what this league is this year (seven SEC teams are in the top 20 of NET rankings). I think that’s a big deal.”

Also, a win might solidify a No. 3 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. ESPN “bracketologist” Joe Lunardi projects A&M as a No. 3 seed.

All that would seem firmly within the Aggies' grasp, especially if…

Manny Obaseki continues to trend upward.

Last March, Obaseki scored in double figures in eight consecutive games. His offensive output helped the Aggies go 6-2 in that stretch. That included an overtime loss to No. 1 seed Houston in the NCAA Tournament.

“I hope he has another march like he did last year,” Williams said.

But the 6-foot-4 senior guard struggled most of this season. However, he scored 10 points in just 14 minutes to help lift A&M to an 83-72 victory over No. 1 Auburn last Tuesday.

He hit 4-of-6 shots, including 2-of-2 from 3-point range.

“I’ve just got to focus on the next day,” Obaseki said. “Take it one day at a time. I had a good practice today. Stay in myself. Be aggressive. Just kind of follow the lead of Wade and Zhuric (Phelps).”

The Aggies have typically relied on the scoring of Taylor (15.2 points per game), guard Phelps (14.6) and forward Pharrel Payne (9.6).

A consistent fourth source of scoring — as Obaseki provided vs. Auburn and last year — would greatly enhance A&M’s chances of putting together a winning streak that could extend well into March Madness.

Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

In last year’s trip to Baton Rouge, Manny Obaseki scored just three points in less than seven minutes of action. Texas A&M defeated LSU at the PMAC, 73-69.

But they won’t have a streak without a win in Baton Rouge.

“We probably spent more time on LSU than previous opponents just because it seems like it’s been nine years since we played them,” Williams said. “I think it was Game 5 when we played them.

“(I) Kind of had to knock out the cobwebs in my brain. They’ve changed. They play with four guards a lot more, almost exclusively. They’ve added some actions. They’re a little different defensively.”

Though mired in a four-game losing, LSU can’t be overlooked. Guards Cam Carter contributes 16.8 points per game, and Jordan Sears averages 11.7.

Carter had 16 points, and Sears had 11 in a 68-57 loss to Texas A&M at Reed Arena on Jan. 18.

LSU forward Robert Miller III, a 6-foot-10 freshman from Houston, averages just 4.2 points but had 15 in a loss to Kentucky on Tuesday and 19 vs. Florida two weeks ago.