Texas A&M Standout Quenton Jackson: 'Job Not Done'

Aggies seeking their first NIT championship against Xavier at Madison Square Garden

Texas A&M hasn’t captured a men’s basketball tournament title in more than 30 years. That drought could end Thursday night on the storied Madison Square Garden floor.

The Aggies (27-12) face Xavier (22-13) for the NIT Championship at 6 p.m. Texas A&M entered the tournament as the top seed and has looked the part, winning each its four games by double digits.

“We’re locked in,” senior guard Quenton Jackson said. “We’re in a great groove right now as a team. The coaching staff has been doing an amazing job with the scouting reports and working overtime.

“We’re overly prepared for whatever is to come next. As players, we’ve just got to go out there and play with confidence and stick to the script and we’ll be all right.

Texas A&M Basketball

In the semifinals Tuesday in New York, the Aggies thoroughly dominated Washington State in a 72-56 victory. Texas A&M scored 58 points in the paint – more points than the Cougars scored as a team – shot 48.5 percent, including 58.1 percent in the second half.

The Aggies are 12-2 since an eight-game SEC losing streak nearly derailed the season. Rebounding from that skid has been a study in perseverance.

Texas A&M Basketball

“Just keep going,” freshman Manny Obaseki said after scoring 14 in the semifinals. “I think that’s one of the biggest things that’s helped me through this year, through the slumps, the ups and the downs. Once you quit, quit. You let the devil win.”

Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams has seen a bond develop among the Aggies that’s unique in his long career.

Texas A&M Basketball

“That’s why we’re still playing,” he said. “I think there’s a camaraderie that our guys have off the floor that’s as genuine as I’ve seen in my 28 years in college coaching. But the thing we’ve tried to emphasize the last couple of months, we need that camaraderie off the floor to be evident to everyone who doesn’t know who you are on the floor.”

Xavier, out of the Big East, advanced to the finals after beating St. Bonaventure 84-77. Jack Nunge averages a team-high 13.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Paul Scruggs adds 11.7 points, while Colby Jones averages 11.4 points and a team-high 7.4 rebounds.

Texas A&M Basketball

The Musketeers also knocked off Cleveland State, and SEC foes Florida and Vanderbilt to reach New York.

Texas A&M hasn’t won a postseason tournament title of any kind since the 1987 Southwest Conference Tournament when Shelby Metcalf’s eighth-seeded Aggies swept through No. 15 TCU, Texas Tech and Baylor to earn the league’s automatic NCAA bid.

One last win changes that.

“Job not done,” Jackson said.

---

Want to join in on the discussion? Click here to become a member of the All Aggies message board community today!

Follow AllAggies.com on Facebook and Twitter!

Want More Aggies News? Check Out The Latest In Texas A&M News Here