What are the best case and worst case matchups for Texas A&M basketball in March Madness?
Texas A&M basketball is awaiting their placement in this year's NCAA Tournament. After an early exit from the SEC Tournament, the Aggies are hoping for better returns in March Madness.
There's some concern that A&M could have slipped a seed line or two with this latest loss knocking them out of Nashville after only one game played, but A&M fans are still hopeful that the Ags can remain up at a 3. Even so, fans will have to be eyeing both the three-seed route and the four-seed route given how things have played out.
Let's take a look at where the Aggies could land and which matchups would be most to their advantage. These projections are based on Jerry Palm's bracketology, which was released on March 15.
Best case: Three seed in West region
If things stack up like Palm has them here, there is a path for the Aggies to get all the way to the Elite Eight, if not further. The first round game would be against Robert Morris, who is 139th in the NET, so absent any shenanigans the Aggies should be moving on.
Then, they'd have the 6th-seeded Louisville. The Cardinals are not going to be the easiest of outs, but the ACC has been really weak this year, and Louisville never really contended.
The Aggies would then most likely face the weakest 2 seed in the tournament in St. John's. Pitino has done wonders for the Johnnies this year, but they're down at 13th in the NET, below a couple of teams that the Aggies have already beaten this year.
Then, the Ags would face off against Florida, who is the lowest-ranked one seed in the NET, down at 4th. Their previous matchup didn't go well for A&M, but maybe in a neutral site things could go differently.
Worst case: Four seed in East region
This would give the Aggies some issues. They would face off against High Point in the first round, the Southern Conference champion. At 82 in the NET, this isn't a terribly tough draw, but things get really tough from there.
Then they would most likely face the 5 seed Purdue. Texas A&M basketball has beaten Purdue already in this season, but the Boilermakers are by far the toughest 5 seed in the entire field, sitting at 19 in the NET— just behind the Aggies, who are at 18.
If the Ags pull through in that one, they'd have Duke to welcome them. Of course, that's if the Blue Devils can get by 8 seed Gonzaga, who is an eye-popping 8th overall in the NET. Talk about being under-seeded!
This is a draw that would see the Aggies lucky to get to the second weekend. A&M must avoid this path at all costs.
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