Let the ticket punching begin

Congratulations to the Cornell Big Red for becoming the first team to punch their ticket to the 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament! Recent history doesn't look kind for Ivy League teams; however, this Cornell team is experienced and poised. This is their third consecutive trip to the Dance and they can shoot with anybody. If they pull a 12 seed, they could put a scare into somebody.

One Last Plea to the Committee . .

Texas A&M 20-8 (10-5)

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 Minnesota, at the same time tasting defeat to West Virginia at the hands of some late missed free throws. While unfortunately the other key away fixtures resulted in losses, it is completely understandable as to why. On December 12^th the Aggies took to the Toyota Center in Houston and faced off with New Mexico, now a legitimate contender for a #1 seed in the tournament. A hard fought game ended with a B.J. Holmes 3-pointed falling short and the Ags losing 81-84. Not a poor effort by any means. On Dec. 22 the Ags faced then-Top 25 ranked Washington in Seattle. The game was neck and neck until All Big XII Defender; Derrick Roland landed awkwardly from a rebound and shattered his leg. The gruesome injury left fellow seniors Bryan Davis and Donald Sloan in tears as they attempted to carry on the game, not knowing whether they would ever see their teammate on a basketball court again. A&M lost by 10 to the Huskies, but I’m certain the Aggies would have rather escorted Derrick to the hospital than continue on with a basketball game. In summary, two of three non-conference losses were to current AP Top 10 teams. With UCONN and Georgetown, #1 and #2 SOS respectively, trending downward and poised for an early exit from the Big East tournament, it is completely reasonable to assume that with a few wins in the Big XII tourney, A&M will vault to the number 1 SOS position.

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 Columbia, MO. The losses were all to amazing squads, K-State (Clemente couldn’t miss from 3), Texas (A&M fought hard but fell short in OT), Oklahoma State (again Iba-Gallagher is one of the most intimidating venues in college basketball), and most recently to Baylor (one of the most unheralded squads in the nation). If the Ags can put a damper on Tony Crocker’s Senior Day in Norman on Saturday, this number becomes all the more impressive.

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!

The Pill's Bracket 3/02

It seems that teams are trying their best to play their way out of the tournament. If we start to have a few conference tourney upsets, the projected 12 and 13 seeds will not be dancin'.

Rank	Seed	Team		Rank	Seed	Team
1	1	Syracuse		33	9	Utah State
2	1	Kansas		34	9	UAB
3	1	Kentucky		35	9	Marquette
4	1	Duke		36	9	Missouri
5	2	Kansas State		37	10	UNLV
6	2	Villanova		38	10	UTEP
7	2	West Virginia		39	10	Florida State
8	2	Purdue		40	10	Old Dominion
9	3	New Mexico		41	11	Saint Mary's
10	3	Ohio State		42	11	Cornell
11	3	Vanderbilt		43	11	Siena
12	3	Michigan State		44	11	Connecticut
13	4	Tennessee		45	12	Florida
14	4	Wisconsin		46	12	San Diego State
15	4	Brigham Young		47	12	Illinois
16	4	Temple		48	12	Virginia Tech
17	5	Maryland		49	13	Mississippi State
18	5	Butler		50	13	Notre Dame
19	5	Gonzaga		51	13	Murray State
20	5	Baylor		52	13	Kent State
21	6	Georgetown		53	14	Oakland
22	6	Texas A&M		54	14	Sam Houston State
23	6	Xavier		55	14	Weber State
24	6	Northern Iowa		56	14	Wofford
25	7	Clemson		57	15	UC Santa Barbara
26	7	Texas		58	15	Morgan State
27	7	Richmond		59	15	Coastal Carolina
28	7	Oklahoma State		60	15	Troy
29	8	Wake Forest		61	16	Belmont
30	8	Georgia Tech		62	16	Stony Brook
31	8	California		63	16	Quinnipiac
32	8	Louisville		64	16	Lehigh
				65	16	Jackson State

 

Last Four In: Notre Dame, Mississippi State, Virginia Tech, Illinois

Last Four Out: Rhode Island, Dayton, Wichita State, Washington

Next Four Out: Memphis, Mississippi, Charlotte, Arizona State

Conference Breakdown

Big East - 9

ACC - 7

Big 12 - 7

Big Ten - 5

SEC - 5

Mountain West - 4

Atlantic 10 - 3

Conference USA - 2

West Coast - 2