At this point, the Aggies are in the tournament. How far can they go? That depends on where the committee lands them. 5 years ago I would have been pleading for the Ags to be simply included in the tournament, my how far this program has come. For the sake of this argument I will not be drawing comparisons to other squads, simply stating fact. When the dust settles, you tell me where Mark Turgeon’s boys should settle come Selection Sunday.
A&M has lost one game at home all year. It becomes expected that top teams will win their home games. Easier said than done. While Reed Arena has transformed from a sleepy stop-gap until the spring football game, it is now home to a raucous crowd who have collectively bought into solid defensive play, hard work, and the desire to win. Commentators this year alone have vaulted Reed Arena to the levels of Iba-Gallagher, Fogg Allen, and Bramlage Coliseum in terms of noise and fan support. Oh yeah, that one home loss, that was to the number one team in the country, the Kansas Jayhawks.
A&M has scheduled the Number 3 SOS in the country. Long gone are the days of Melvin Watkins scheduling cream puffs in order to build confidence and an understanding of winning. Billy Gillispie instilled mantra “Anybody, Anytime, Anywhere.” A&M was privileged to compete in the 76 Classic this year with wins over tournament hopefuls Clemson and
A&M has gone 4-4 in road conference games. While the Big East has received all the fanfare to date, the Big XII will send seven legitimate teams to the Big Dance this year. With such stiff competition, picking up a few road wins, is all the committee can ask for. A&M has split their road decisions with a marquee victory coming in
We could go on and on about how every tournament team needs a big man and a point guard (check) and how the younger players: Loubeau, Harris, etc. have all developed into playmakers (check) but at this point in time, the resume is essentially set. The committee has a tall task ahead of itself and bubbles are certain to be burst come next Sunday. My plea is this: Take a closer look at A&M’s body of work. Sure there are eight losses but dig a little deeper and find that A&M is a hard-working team that has never given up despite multiple setbacks this season. I hope to see A&M slotted on the 4-line and given the chance to make another Sweet Sixteen run.
Gig ‘Em Ags!
Don't get me wrong, 4-4 in conference road games is legitimate which is why A&M is in a good position; however, those 4 wins are against Nebraska, Texas Tech, Mizzou, and Iowa State. One tourney team. They've got a neutral court win against a slumping Clemson and a couple non-conference quality losses to the Lobos and Mountaineers of WVU. I just don't see that marquee win against a top team to vault them into a 4 spot. They would have to leap Maryland, Butler, Gonzaga, Baylor, and Temple. Leaping Baylor they can handle themselves next weekend, might get lucky if Butler, Gonzaga, and Temple all fail to win their conference tourneys. But jumping over Maryland might be a tall task if Vasquez/Hayes continue to throw one-handed fade-away off-balance floaters in. It could happen, but I would be happy with a 5 seed. You play the same level team in the 2nd round anyways! With that being said, you've gotta get there and there is a huge leap in percentage of 4 seeds advancing (79.8%) versus 5 seeds advancing (67.9%). 12 seeds are quality mid-majors that are accustomed to winning or surging bubble teams whereas 13 seeds are teams that probably shouldn't be dancing. Bottom line, show me a finals run in the Big 12 Tournament, and we'll talk 4.
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