Texas A&M Basketball Comfortably Included in Preseason Bracketology

Texas A&M Basketball Begins Season as Tournament Team

Texas A&M basketball fans and Joe Lunardi haven’t exactly had the warmest relationship over the last two seasons. After an extremely deserving Aggie team was left out of the Big Dance two years ago, and Lunardi had spent every media appearance right up until his final one speaking about how skeptical he was of the Aggies’ quality, he was a figurehead for many of the frustrated Maroon and White faithful to blame.

This skepticism continued into last season, where—after a trademark slow start for Buzz Williams’s squad put them behind the 8-ball—the Aggies notched a near-unblemished record for the second part of the season, including defeating top-ranked Alabama at home. They ended up losing to the Tide in the finals of the SEC Tournament, but many felt the Aggies were under-seeded at 7 and given possibly the worst matchup they could have expected in the first round, facing off against Penn State. Of course, the Nittany Lions ambushed the Ags in that first round game with a three-point barrage, and the first trip to the tourney in years for Texas A&M basketball ended in disappointment.

Thankfully for Aggie fans, it appears that the grudge has been settled. Lunardi has the Aggies as a four-seed in his initial rankings this year, perhaps portending a season where he is less harsh on this Aggie squad. Big things are expected from this year’s Aggie Basketball team from all corners, and the Ags hope to prove themselves worthy of heightened expectations—not just late in the season, but early on, too, which has been their flaw as of late.