Texas A&M once again appears to be significantly underrated by the NCAA Tournament in the second consecutive season. The Aggies have no one to blame but themselves.
A year ago, A&M impressed in an SEC Tournament run to the conference championship game. Many, myself included, considered the Aggies as one of the more dangerous potential lower seeds for last year’s tournament field. The Tournament Committee didn’t quite see it the same way.
Head coach Buzz Williams and company were excluded sending a clear message that teams must schedule quality nonconference foes to secure higher consideration. Williams then took the time to vocally criticize the committee’s decision.
Surely he didn’t believe that showing up the decision makers would help his cause. More surprising is the Aggies’ lack of self reflection in nonconference scheduling.
After being excluded from the 2022 NCAA Tournament for inferior scheduling, Texas A&M ran back another substandard nonconference slate. Months later, some still question why they are seeded so low.
The message is still clear for Texas A&M: Schedule quality opponents. Perhaps the message will be received this time.
A&M vs. Texas would be fantastic second round television if it happens, but it's also a disservice to both teams. 7 seed A&M (18th in NET rankings) gets vastly under-seeded, and 2 seed Texas gets a much tougher second round matchup than they rightfully deserve.
— Robert Behrens (@rcb05) March 12, 2023
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