Texas A&M Opens NIT Against SWAC Champs
Still stinging from the NCAA Tournament snub, Texas A&M begins another postseason run Tuesday night in the NIT. Installed as a No. 1 seed, the Aggies open against Alcorn State at 8 p.m. inside Reed Arena.
Buzz Williams' Aggies (23-12) had a seven-game winning streak snapped in the SEC Tournament championship game, falling to Tennessee 65-50 Sunday. The four-day run in Tampa, which included wins over No. 4 Auburn and No. 15 Arkansas, had many thinking Texas A&M earned a spot in the NCAA field of 68.
It wasn’t the case, as the Aggies were one of the major storylines Sunday of teams left out. Texas A&M was done in by an eight-game losing skid during conference play, but the Aggies still finished 12-10 in the SEC when factoring in the league tourney.
“It was an incredible experience,” Williams said of A&M’s late-season surge. “This is my 28th year as a college coach, and it had never happened.”
Alabama, by comparison, went 9-10 with the league tournament and picked up an NCAA bid. Texas A&M also beat the Crimson Tide on the road late in the regular season.
“We’re a good team,” Henry Coleman III said Sunday. “I think we’re a talented team. We play our best with high energy and a lot of effort. We’re a really tough team to beat.”
The Aggies are making their eighth appearance all-time in the NIT and first since 2015. Quenton Jackson is averaging a team-high 14.6 points per game and shooting 48.4 percent from the floor. Coleman is averaging 11.2 points and team-leading 6.3 rebounds.
The Braves (17-16) won the SWAC regular-season championship and are led by Justin Thomas, who averages 10.9 points. Keondre Montgomery adds 9.8 points and Ladarius Marshall leads the team in rebounds at 5.4.
The Aggies lead the series with Alcorn State 3-0, having won the previous meeting 56-44 in 2011.
Texas A&M, which is currently on Spring Break, is offering free admission to Reed Arena for the first-round game. Parking is also free.
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