March Madness Predictions: Aggies vs Aggies?
by Dave D
The NCAA Tournament continues on Friday afternoon as two sets of Aggies clash. Utah State takes on Texas A&M in Spokane, Wash.
Utah State Aggies vs. Texas A&M Aggies
Friday, March 19th – 5:05 PM ET
Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, Spokane, WA
Broadcast: CBS
: Texas A&M -3
The Week That Was: Utah State
Coach Stew Morrill’s team didn’t win the Western Athletic Conference Tournament, but it did just enough to become one of the last at-large teams in the NCAA Tournament.
The “Blue Aggies” – to distinguish them from Texas A&M’s maroon-colored Aggies – got an at-large berth in the Big Dance because they managed to reach the WAC Tournament final in Reno, Nev. On Thursday, March 11, Utah State – the top seed in the event – blew away eighth-seeded Boise State, 84-60. Three different USU players scored 18 points, as the Blue Aggies scored 49 points in the second half and cruised to a 24-point win.
On Friday, March 12, Utah State spanked Louisiana Tech in the WAC semifinals, 85-55. USU bolted to a 46-24 lead and hit a ridiculously good 59 percent of its field goal attempts. USU went 10 of 19 from 3-point range.
On Saturday, March 13, the Blue Aggies could have sewn up an automatic bid to the NCAAs, but they were forced to sweat out Selection Sunday because they lost to New Mexico State in the WAC championship game. USU dropped a 69-63 decision as New Mexico State made each of its last 10 field goal attempts down the stretch.
The Week That Was: Texas A&M
The maroon-colored Aggies didn’t win the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, but they gave the No. 1 team in America a good run before bowing out.
An upset was brewing on Friday, March 12, in the semifinals of the Big 12’s postseason basketball bash. Mark Turgeon’s team led top-ranked Kansas – which was also the top seed for the tournament – by a 47-40 margin with 15:40 left in regulation. However, the Jayhawks showed the full measure of their skills and talents in the next 11 minutes. KU uncorked a 32-10 run over that span of time to accumulate a 72-57 bulge with just 4:40 remaining. Texas A&M played 25 really solid minutes, but Kansas simply proved to be better. KU beat A&M, 79-66, to advance to the Big 12 final. There’s no shame in that kind of a result for the Aggies.
Before losing to Kansas, A&M topped 12th-seeded Nebraska, 70-64, in the Big 12 quarterfinals on Thursday, March 11. Donald Sloan scored 23 points to lead the Aggies to the six-point win, and A&M’s Bryan Davis converted a key three-point play to extend a four-point Aggie lead to seven with just 1:01 left in regulation time.
Outlook & Pick:
Utah State runs beautifully-crafted halfcourt sets and employs a maximum of passing on offense. USU doesn’t allow the ball to hit the floor any more than it needs to, and that’s why the “Blue Aggies” won the regular-season WAC title by a margin of three games. Yet, as good as Utah State might be, A&M is a tough and rugged defensive team that can disrupt its opponent on Friday afternoon. The maroon-colored Aggies have overachieved this season in the eyes of most experts, and an overachieving team is not the kind of opponent Utah State prefers. USU wants to take on a lazy and underachieving team that is unwilling to chase the Blue Aggies on various screens and cuts. A&M will work hard on defense, and that’s the main reason why the fourth-place team in the Big 12 will survive and upset bid.
