Is A&M Coach Buzz Williams Out the Door After NCAA Snub?
The Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball team was - for lack of a better term - snubbed on Sunday by the NCAA Tournament selection committee. The Aggies were coming off a seven-game winning streak that extended four games before the SEC Tournament started, and ended after a 65-50 loss to tournament champs Tennessee in the SEC title game on Sunday.
A&M knocked off Florida, No. 4 Auburn, and No. 15 Arkansas before losing to No. 9 Tennessee while the Aggies won back-to-back games against ranked teams for the first time since 2007.
USA Today
During an eight-game losing streak earlier in the season, there was talk of a Buzz Williams hot seat in College Station in just his fourth season. But the Aggies' finish and run through the SEC Tournament seemingly ended that talk.
But could Williams be on his way out the door anyway?
SEC rival LSU fired coach Will Wade on Saturday, just a day after the Tigers were ousted from the SEC Tournament with a 79-67 loss to Arkansas. Could Williams be a target for athletic director Scott Woodward?
With the departure of Wade, comes an opportunity for one of the best coaching jobs in college basketball. LSU's basketball program has tremendous resources and a recent track record of success.
But with that recent success comes controversy.
Just last week, the program reportedly received the long-awaited Notice of Allegations related to recruiting violations stemming from the FBI scandal committed under Wade. So whoever fills the coaching vacancy will surely take over under stiff sanctions from the NCAA.
Names are already being associated with the job, and according to CBS Sports, A&M's Buzz Williams is one of them:
Woodward hired Williams at Texas A&M just a few weeks before he was hired at LSU, so there's an obvious connection here. Additionally, Williams' stock is once again on the rise, as he's got the Aggies into the SEC Tournament title game. The past connection with Williams combined with his turnaround at Texas A&M makes him a plenty viable candidate.
This isn't the first time an A&M head coach has been linked to an LSU job. Just last October, after football coach Ed Orgeron and the school reached a separation agreement, Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher was considered by the media to be a possible replacement, due to his relationship with Woodward.
The Aggies didn't have the best year on record, but after Williams almost completely turned over the roster from the previous season - mostly through the new transfer portal - the program improved dramatically. That just leads to excitement for Aggies fans in anticipation of next season.
Whether Williams is the coach or not.
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