9-seed Texas A&M’s 98-83 win over the 8-seed Nebraska Cornhuskers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night wasn’t a fluke by any means. Just hours after the Aggies’ resounding victory, No. 1-seed Houston destroyed 16-seed Longwood, setting up a round-of-32 rematch between both programs.
A&M’s ascendance from losing five consecutive conference games to reeling off five straight wins to finish off the regular season is built around the guard play of the team’s elite trio, led by Wade Taylor IV and Tyrece Radford. In comparison, junior guard Manny Obaseki’s 128 points in the Aggies’ last seven games have singlehandedly changed the program’s identity for the better.
Knowing what’s in front of them ahead of Sunday night’s matchup, Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson wasn’t shy in expressing just how much of a challenge Texas A&M presents.
“If you look at the SEC right now, probably the best team in the SEC right now is Texas A&M. They’re a team that can get to the Final Four. They’re that good.”
Look, I know that this may sound like, as former Alabama head coach Nick Saban used to say, “rat poison,” but remember that the Aggies, without Tyrece Radford coupled with Obaseki’s lack of playing time, nearly beat the Cougars on the road behind Wade Taylor IV’s 34 points, losing 70-66 back in December.
While the SEC has performed poorly in the NCAA Tournament this year, Texas A&M, Tennesee, and Alabama are the last three programs remaining after two days of play.
Where does Texas A&M hold an advantage on paper? Rebounding. Averaging 42 rebounds per game, only second in the country to Arizona, A&M’s forward rotation of Solomon Washington, Andersson Garcia, Henry Coleman, and Wildens Leveque will need to make an impact early and often.
The match between 9-seed Texas A&M and 1-seed Houston is set for 7:40 p.m. CT and will air on TNT on Sunday, March 24.
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