SEC gauntlet ahead of Texas A&M basketball in Nashville is second to none

Could Texas A&M basketball be set to take home the hardware in SEC Tournament?

Why not Texas A&M basketball?

In all honesty, there are probably plenty of good answers to that question when it comes to the SEC tournament. This is a field in Nashville that is as loaded as it ever has been, and the Ags are not even a top-four seed.

But at the same time, you can squint and see how the Aggies' candidacy for SEC Tournament Champion may not be all that unrealistic. They did, after all, just take down the Auburn Tigers by a larger margin than anyone in the country has done this year. Knocking off no. 1 like that shows that you've got some serious chops.

It wasn't fluky, either. The Auburn defense was unable to stop the Aggies from getting to the basket, and the ferocious defense A&M played buoyed their chances on that end.

But it's the inconsistency we've seen time and again out of Buzz Williams's teams that give fans pause on that front. Just because the Aggies rose to that level of play last week doesn't mean they can again this week— much less in four straight games, as they would have to win in order to take home the title in Nashville.

Today's game will be their least challenging of the tourney, and it's against a top-50 NET team who has beaten the Ags once. Oh, and it's also their bitter rival.

So it's just as likely, if not more so, that the Aggies are a one-and-done in Nashville as it is that they advance into the late rounds. On paper, at least, this is maybe even a tougher task than winning the NCAA tournament— at least in March Madness, you can stumble into some favorable matchups late in the bracket. No such luck here in Nashville.

If the Aggies wish to win the tournament for the best conference in the land, they'll have to dig deep. Find something special for this four-game run.

If recent rumors are true, this could be a personal postseason for this Aggie senior group. They'll be digging deep each and every game, giving it their all.

When they do that, there are very few teams in the country that can go toe-to-toe with them. It's just a matter of putting that product on the floor each and every game— but if there's one venue in which we've seen the Ags be able to do that, it's in Nashville.

So don't count the Aggies out before you have to. This could be a special run for the maroon and white— and it all starts today, with this rivar