Texas A&M Aggies' Chance To Strengthen NCAA Tournament Case
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The first automatic bids to the NCAA men's tournament will be locked up on Saturday. Conference tournaments are underway as the madness of March begins to build.
Of the 68 teams who will punch their ticket to play in the tournament, the "bubble team" Texas A&M Aggies (16-13, 7-9 SEC) still have a chance to secure their spot in the Big Dance.
The Aggies' resume includes home wins over Tennessee, Kentucky and Florida plus a neutral-floor victory over Iowa State.
A strong showing in their final regular season home game against Mississippi State on Wednesday night could help their chances. Not an easy feat, considering the Bulldogs are also fighting to keep their NCAA Tournament dreams alive. The Bulldogs are currently projected to be a ninth seed. Beating the Bulldogs would be a NET Quadrant 2 win for the Aggies.
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The Aggies have struggled recently, losing four of their last five games by an average of 17 points, falling to 10th in the SEC.
Next, the Aggies will shift focus to the Southeastern Conference Tournament in Nashville, Tennessee on Wed, Mar 13 to Sun, Mar 17.
Another challenge, considering there are projected to be seven teams from the SEC Conference that make the NCAA Tournament, the second-most out of any conference (9, Big-12 Conference).
Selection Sunday is March 17th with the First Four on March 19-20 and the First Round on March 21-22.
The Big Dance concludes in the NCAA Championship Game on April 8. The UConn Huskies currently are the favorites to win the crown. UConn defeated San Diego State 76-59 in the final last year to take the 2023 NCAA title. Florida (2006 and 2007) is the last team to win back-to-back titles.