Gary Blair, Aggies Head to Georgia for Regular-Season Finale
The milestones are counting down for Texas A&M coach Gary Blair.
Fresh off his final regular-season home game as Aggies coach, Blair will guide them into his final regular-season game when Texas A&M takes on Georgia at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
The Aggies (14-13, 4-11 in SEC) have one last shot to stay above .500 for the season before going to the SEC Tournament next week in Nashville. It will require them to beat the No. 25 Bulldogs (19-8, 8-7), who are coming off a 63-62 win over Arkansas.
The Aggies probably envisioned sending off their coach, who will retire at season’s end, with a 16th straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. Instead, the Aggies are looking at a long-shot bid to reach March Madness that would probably require them to win the SEC Tournament.
That would mean the Aggies would have to do something they haven’t done yet in SEC play — beat a ranked team.
Texas A&M probably has a better chance of landing a bid in the Women’s NIT. But, the Aggies probably need to be .500 or better when their SEC Tournament ends in order to receive an invite.
A win on Sunday would be a step in the right direction, as the Aggies have lost four straight, with the latest an 89-48 home loss to No. 1 South Carolina on Thursday.
After that loss, the crowd at Reed Arena took time to show their appreciation for Blair, whose name is now etched on the Aggies’ home court. Aggies guard Kayla Wells teared up afterward, saying the night was “all about him,” disappointed that she and her teammates couldn’t deliver a win for their head coach.
Blair is sitting on 852 career wins, compiled by stops at Stephen F. Austin, Arkansas, and Texas A&M. He rebuilt each of those programs, but it was not enough to make him a finalist for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame earlier this month.
Wells and the Aggies hope for a better result against Georgia. Against South Carolina, Jordan Nixon was the only Aggie to hit double figures with 11 points. But, the Aggies have four players that are averaging double figures in scoring this season — Wells with 16.2, Qadashah Hoppie with 10.7, Nixon with 10.5, and Destiny Pitts with 10.2.
The Bulldogs have been in the AP Top 25 for most of conference play, but have lost four of their last six games, including a 65-60 loss to last-place Auburn last Sunday. Center Jenna Staiti leads Georgia with averages of 14.9 points and 7.8 rebounds, while guard Que Morrison adds 13.6 points.
Sunday is the final day of the regular season and there is a full slate of games in the SEC. Missouri is at No. 15 Florida, South Carolina is at Ole Miss, No. 8 LSU is at No. 16 Tennessee, Vanderbilt is at Alabama, Auburn is at Kentucky and Arkansas is at Mississippi State.
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