Every sports team has its rivals, critics, and straight-up “haters.” But in the aftermath of Texas A&M (25-9, 15-3 SEC) being named a 7-seed following Selection Sunday, is it time to add the NCAA Selection Committee in that aforementioned third tier?
The Aggies were left out to dry a season ago after falling to Tennessee in the SEC title game, with the selection committee deeming them unworthy of partaking in the big dance. And now this year, after finishing with the second-best record in the conference and once again playing for a conference championship, there are still those who believe that such a feat feels indicative of a seven-seed college basketball team.
Let’s take a peek at the NET ratings for the seventh-seeded teams in this year’s bracket. After all, they are the primary sorting tool for evaluating teams per the NCAA’s own website: 42, 41, 33, 19.
Who is that number “19” team you ask? Well of course that would be your 2022-23 Texas A&M Aggies.
Granted, their record in non-conference play was by no means a sight for sore eyes. But if we’re evaluating teams by placing more weight on their performance before the month of February, that is a tremendously biased tactic.
The Aggies and their fanbase have every right to feel disrespected following Selection Sunday, but in reality, this is a point-blank case of the committee showing its hand. That first-round matchup with No. 10 Penn State is of course a must-watch matchup for any college basketball fan. But the truth lies in A&M’s potential opponent in the second round.
Did you notice who’s awaiting them on the other side of that bracket? That would be the winner of No. 15 Colgate and No. 2 Texas. Yeah, a potential Texas-Texas A&M matchup in the Round of 32 is a blockbuster for sure.
Whether it was a result of greed or with the intent of sticking it to the Aggies, handing that number seven seed to Texas A&M only adds extra weight to the chip on their shoulder. They counted them out early in the season and they may be dismissing them now. but Thursday’s matchup will settle things once and for all.
Just make sure to keep those receipts nice and handy Aggies fans.
Texas A&M will face the 10-seed Penn State Nittany Lions in Des Moines, Iowa on Thursday, March 16, at 8:55 p.m. CT, 9:55 p.m. ET and will air on TBS.
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