'Hate To See It End Like This': Texas A&M Laments Early March Madness Exit

After rattling off 15 conference wins in 2023, the Aggies will be headed back to College Station early following a loss to Penn State Thursday evening.

Wade Taylor IV told reporters after the Texas A&M men's basketball program received a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament that seeding didn't matter. 

He's right. The way the Aggies played against 10th-seeded Penn State in a 76-59 loss Thursday evening in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, seeding wouldn't have mattered. A&M could have been a fourth-seed and still would have been dismantled by the sharp shooting of 3-pointers from the Nittany Lions' backcourt. 

“You hate to see it end like this,” said A&M forward Julius Marble postgame. 

The Aggies had aspirations of pushing their way to a date with destiny in Houston, home of this year's Final Four starting March 31. The program rattled off 15 conference wins for the first time in over a century. Defensively, few programs could match the prowess of the physical nature A&M played down the stretch. 

Penn State was one of the few. The Nittany Lions relied on shots from downtown to push forward and keep a substantial lead at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. All-American guard Jalen Pickett scored 17 points and totaled seven rebounds. Andrew Funk, who entered Saturday as the Big Ten leader in 3-point percentage (42.3 percent), smoothly sank eight triples and scored a team-high 27 points. 

“They’re pretty comfortable with what they do, and I think that showed,” A&M senior forward Dexter Dennis said of the 3-point-minded Nittany Lions. “They took advantage of us in a lot of situations and had us rotating a lot. Pretty much the whole game.”

A&M fans clamored with the NCAA for the Aggies' recent seeding. Despite finishing second in the SEC, A&M's non-conference schedule factored into its seeding. While Tennessee and Kentucky finished with worse records, both programs dominated in November and December. A&M suffered a pair of Quad IV losses to Wofford and Murray State and were 6-5 heading into the new calendar year. 

Fans can complain all they want about the Aggies' seeding, but with another early exit loss, it's hard to say the committee got it wrong. Penn State handled its business under second-year coach Micah Shrewsberry by trusting its best asset. The Aggies failed to match with defensive prowess. 

“I’m really bad at beginnings, and I’m even worse at endings,” Williams said. “I probably should grow up and be a little more mature and in planning that better.

"I want to keep playing.”

If Williams wants to take anything away from the season, it's that the standard of A&M hoops has changed for the better. Hired away from Virginia Tech following a Sweet 16 run in 2019, Williams was brought back to his home state of Texas to turn the Aggies into a contender — not just one in the SEC, but also at the national level that can battle high-profile programs. 

Everywhere Williams has been, he's left the program in better hands. Williams made the NCAA Tournament five straight years as Marquette’s coach in the early 2010s. He helped the Hokies make three trips to the dance during his five years in Blacksburg. Four years after being hired, the Aggies have entered the madness, a first since Billy Kennedy was calling plays in 2018. 

Now comes the part of transitioning from a one-and-done mantra to more of a consistent feel. The Aggies have made it to the Sweet 16 on six different occasions, including twice under Kennedy in 2016 and 2018, respectively. Taylor and Marble thought this version of the Aggies could have been the program to end their streak of being spoiled early in Week 2 of the tournament. 

“This sets up for being a tournament team every year, and not just one year at a time," Dennis said. 

Could A&M be back in 2024? Without question. Dennis, Tyrece "Boots" Radford and Andre Gordon are the only seniors on the roster, meaning the majority of the 10-man rotation is slated to return. Dennis, a transfer from Wichita State, is the only player who won't be eligible to return next fall. 

Both Gordon and Radford still have their COVID-19 eligibility waiver given back in 2020, meaning the two could return for one final year. They could also test the transfer portal waters for a shot to win with a different program, though Radford is expected to return or potentially go pro.  

Williams also said he intends to target more veteran talent in the transfer portal. Dennis and Marble joined the 12th Man following stints at Wichita State and Michigan State, respectively. Radford and forward Henry Coleman III also were targeted in the transfer portal in 2021 after spending time at Virginia Tech and Duke.  

Said Marble: "This team is just really special. We are all really close. You hate to see it end like this, but I learned a lot from all the guys here and the coaches. And I am glad that they recruited me, took me away from Michigan and took me back home."

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