ESPN Bracketology: Aggies Still Not In, Prepare for Final Eight Games of Season

With the home stretch quickly approaching, the Aggies still have things to prove to the experts, but are not focused on anything else but winning the next game — letting their play speak for itself.

Texas A&M Basketball is still on the rise.

Following a disappointing loss to Arkansas on the road, the Aggies earned a bounce-back win against Georgia to regain their rhythm and confidence. And while that much is true for them, it seems that they still have not earned confidence from the media or the postseason analysts.

Yet.

Texas A&M has been in and out of ESPN’s Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology throughout the season, but most recently, it moved up to the first team out — inching closer to a 16 seed as the final stretch of the season approaches.

If the Aggies were to move into the tournament bracket, it would bring the SEC’s total to seven teams in the tournament — tied for second with the ACC and behind both the Big-12 and Big Ten, each with eight teams.

Among the current qualifiers, the Aggies have beat Missouri and Auburn but dropped games to Kentucky and Arkansas. They have yet to play Alabama and Tennessee, so the big question remains to be whether or not earning wins over either of those top-10 schools will be enough on its own to earn a spot.

Despite their losses to the Wildcats and Razorbacks, the Aggies kept both games close and proved they could compete — which they will look to do and more during their rematch against Arkansas at home.

Sweeping the season series against Auburn may also be crucial, as the Tigers are No. 26 in the AP’s latest top-25 ranking, while the Aggies are still yet to be found.

Regardless of ranking, however, coach Buzz Williams made clear that his team was focused on controlling what it could control, not on becoming ranked — meaning a visiting Auburn team is likely the only thing being talked about in the locker room ahead of Tuesday night.

While Texas A&M continues its schedule — which will finish with arguably the biggest game of the season against Alabama at home — it hopes that its play on the court will continue to speak for itself and earn the program a chance to play for an NCAA title, but until then, the Aggies will have to take it one game at a time. 

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