No. 7 Texas A&M (25-9) is just hours away from their March Madness opening-round game versus No. 10 Penn State (22-13), but the Maroon and White already have the backing of one prominent sports analyst.
According to ESPN’s Marty Smith, a quick peak into the crystal ball has unveiled the four teams that will play for a national championship in Houston. Three of those teams may not be a shocker, but his pick out of the Midwest Region is a bold prediction.
Smith has No. 1 Alabama, No. 5 Duke, and No. 4 UCONN making it out of their respective regions.
As for his remaining Final Four selection? He’s going all-in on the No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies.
🤷🏼‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/J47rrCyYfW
— Marty Smith (@MartySmithESPN) March 15, 2023
Take a quick glance at the comments and you’ll find a common expression from a typical Aggies basketball cynic: “Is this the same A&M team that lost to Wofford earlier this season?”
The easy answer? Nope, this isn’t the same. This is an Aggies team that went 16-4 in their final 20 games with victories over Alabama, Tennessee, Missouri, and Arkansas. This is an A&M team that finished second in the SEC and punched their ticket back to consecutive conference title games.
Don’t let that No. 7 seed fool you: this basketball team has the highest NET ranking (19) of all No. 7 seeds in this tournament while ranking 25th in KenPom and 17th in the final AP and USA TODAY Coaches polls.
Is Smith’s prediction of the A&M to the Final Four all that bold? Aggie fans know it isn’t, but it’s nice to see the larger public coming to grips with reality.
Be sure to catch the Aggies take on the Nittany Lions tonight at 8:55 p.m. CT, with the game airing on TBS.
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