If you haven’t heard the name Joe Lunardi in the past 48 hours and you’re a Texas A&M fan, you’re probably doing something wrong. As ESPN’s lead “Bracketologist”, Lunardi is essentially a member of the selection committee due to his impressive track record in predicting who will ultimately make the NCAA Tournament, and of course, where they’ll be seeded.
For the Aggies, it’s been one heck of a season so far, finishing the regular season at 23-8 and 15-3 in the SEC, records have been set, and futures have been solidified, though, through all their sustained success after winning 17 of their last 20 games after a 6-5 start, Lunardi has been reluctant to give the program any credit after their final four-game stretch, defeating the 2nd (Alabama) and 3rd (Tennessee) team in the NET rankings, finishing 3-1 in those contests with one loss to a potential tournament team on the road in Mississippi State.
To avoid the proverbial mud-throwing, Texas A&M is still unfairly judged for their two early seasons “bad’ losses to Murray State and Wofford, and while credit has been given as of late by most media members, Lunardi has kept the Aggies as a 7-seed in his newest bracket, unchanged from his last update on Sunday, which is honestly unsurprising, but it does send a message to Head coach Buzz Williams.
In order to move up, winning the SEC Tournament is perhaps the only thing that will finally put the Aggies on Lunardi’s good side because if Texas A&M happens to lose their Quarterfinal matchup on Friday to either Auburn or Arkansas, expect them to actually move down in the bracket. Either way, this team will not be swayed towards worrying about the “What ifs” ahead of Friday’s game, completely focused on the task at hand, knowing that their accomplishments this season will finally reward on Selection Sunday.
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