Vlyrock
02-17-2007, 09:44 PM
http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n55/hmiles619/7.jpg (http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n55/hmiles619/7.jpg)Aggies in Unfamiliar Territory
Here we sit with March creeping ever closer and the Texas Aggies find themselves somewhere they've never been - in 1st place. With a 56-49 win Saturday, A&M kept themselves atop the Big XII by improving their conference mark to 10-2 and 22-4 overall. The Kansas Jayhawks are also 10-2 in conference, but by virtue of a head-to-head win, A&M holds the tie-breaker.
This unfamiliar road Texas A&M walks is one paved with sweat, tears, and blood of former A&M players and coaches that gave every ounce of themselves to build up the program. 4 years removed from an 0-16 conference slate, A&M fans know they're blessed to have a program like they do now. The Reed Rowdies and A&M fans have made Reed Arena one of the hardest places for a visiting team to come in and win. This was evidenced by the home-winning streak A&M had running between last season and this.
The Aggies have also learned the air is thin at the top and the ground is treacherous - one slip and you've lost your comfortable seat on top. The Aggies learned this the hard way by watching their one game lead over the Kansas Jayhawks fade away last Tuesday as Jarrius Jackson's 2 pointer at the buzzer gave Texas Tech their second win over A&M and ended the Aggies 22 game home winning streak. Tech is the only Big XII team to have beaten A&M this season.
At this time last year, A&M was just starting to get hot, winning their last 7 conference games to rebound from a 3-6 conference record. A&M went on to win the first round matchup vs Colorado and that was enough to send A&M Dancing for the first time this century. A&M, rarely a media darling, became a "team to watch" with their 1st round upset of #5 Syracuse and their heart-crushing loss versus LSU in the second round. This team, with those memories and that momentum, has gotten off to the best season start in Texas A&M's basketball history. But what does it all mean?
With the Aggies dance card clearly punched and the only debate being whether they'll be a #1, #2 or #3 seed -- what is March going to hold for A&M? In looking at future opponents, and having been a "bracket buster" team last year, can A&M avoid an early exit after such a great season? In A&M's 4 losses and other close wins, A&M struggled with a team that had great guard play. Jarrius Jackson and the UCLA guards gave A&M's defense fit. It's in A&M's best interest to avoid teams with great floor generals. A&M's strength is playing big. If they can find themselves seeded in Wisconsin or Ohio State's bracket, A&M has a shot of coming out on top. North Carolina and even the more talented Kansas can spell doom for an A&M team that will still be relatively new to deep NCAA tournament runs.
A&M has proven it can win games against tough opponents. They've also shown that they can go into opponents' arenas and put up a good fight. When stuck on a neutral floor, A&M should hold the edge over most teams. So come March, anything less than a Sweet 16 berth will be a disappointing end to what's been a fantastic season.
Here we sit with March creeping ever closer and the Texas Aggies find themselves somewhere they've never been - in 1st place. With a 56-49 win Saturday, A&M kept themselves atop the Big XII by improving their conference mark to 10-2 and 22-4 overall. The Kansas Jayhawks are also 10-2 in conference, but by virtue of a head-to-head win, A&M holds the tie-breaker.
This unfamiliar road Texas A&M walks is one paved with sweat, tears, and blood of former A&M players and coaches that gave every ounce of themselves to build up the program. 4 years removed from an 0-16 conference slate, A&M fans know they're blessed to have a program like they do now. The Reed Rowdies and A&M fans have made Reed Arena one of the hardest places for a visiting team to come in and win. This was evidenced by the home-winning streak A&M had running between last season and this.
The Aggies have also learned the air is thin at the top and the ground is treacherous - one slip and you've lost your comfortable seat on top. The Aggies learned this the hard way by watching their one game lead over the Kansas Jayhawks fade away last Tuesday as Jarrius Jackson's 2 pointer at the buzzer gave Texas Tech their second win over A&M and ended the Aggies 22 game home winning streak. Tech is the only Big XII team to have beaten A&M this season.
At this time last year, A&M was just starting to get hot, winning their last 7 conference games to rebound from a 3-6 conference record. A&M went on to win the first round matchup vs Colorado and that was enough to send A&M Dancing for the first time this century. A&M, rarely a media darling, became a "team to watch" with their 1st round upset of #5 Syracuse and their heart-crushing loss versus LSU in the second round. This team, with those memories and that momentum, has gotten off to the best season start in Texas A&M's basketball history. But what does it all mean?
With the Aggies dance card clearly punched and the only debate being whether they'll be a #1, #2 or #3 seed -- what is March going to hold for A&M? In looking at future opponents, and having been a "bracket buster" team last year, can A&M avoid an early exit after such a great season? In A&M's 4 losses and other close wins, A&M struggled with a team that had great guard play. Jarrius Jackson and the UCLA guards gave A&M's defense fit. It's in A&M's best interest to avoid teams with great floor generals. A&M's strength is playing big. If they can find themselves seeded in Wisconsin or Ohio State's bracket, A&M has a shot of coming out on top. North Carolina and even the more talented Kansas can spell doom for an A&M team that will still be relatively new to deep NCAA tournament runs.
A&M has proven it can win games against tough opponents. They've also shown that they can go into opponents' arenas and put up a good fight. When stuck on a neutral floor, A&M should hold the edge over most teams. So come March, anything less than a Sweet 16 berth will be a disappointing end to what's been a fantastic season.