Texas A&M basketball takes on Tennessee tonight in last best chance to get on track
Texas A&M basketball needs a huge performance tonight to take down Vols, build NCAA tournament case
The last time that Texas A&M basketball won a game, it was a win that Aggie fans saw as certification of the fact that the season had turned around. The Ags had gone from barely squeaking out wins over middling teams to blowing out a top-5 team at home. That team, of course, was the Tennessee Volunteers.
Near the end of the game, Rick Barnes lit into the officials for what he felt should have been a technical foul call on Buzz Williams, as the Aggie head coach had come out onto the court to call a timeout. I am not entirely sure, but I would not be surprised if this was also a tactical decision, knowing that the two teams would be matching up again in Knoxville in a short time, in order to bring a little juice when the Aggies came to town.
Juice is what the Vols were lacking last time the two teams played. Under a barrage of scoring from the Aggie guards, the Volunteer defense was never quite able to settle in. Now, though, I think the Vols will come out of the gate focused and ready to play.
The Aggies could be bringing some confidence into this matchup as well, however. Blowing out the Vols beforehand helps, but I think it’s hard to imagine that the Ags come into this one overlooking their opponent due to the previous result.
Texas A&M basketball is riding a humbling 3-game losing streak, and are in desperate need of a win. That combined with the fact that they are clearly unafraid of what the Vols bring is potentially a good sign.
That’s not to say that this will be an easy game at all. There’s a reason that Tennessee is favored by double digits. This is a game that the Vols want badly, especially as they consider their own seeding with Selection Sunday looming. They’re not in danger of missing the tournament, but a top-3 seed may hang in the balance.
This is not the Aggies’ last stand when it comes to the Big Dance. But it is pretty close to it.