Texas A&M basketball has righted the ship after a four-game losing streak rattled the confidence of Aggie fans everywhere, especially with losses to teams like Missouri mixed in there. With only four games remaining until the conference tourney begins, the Aggies are on the verge of entering Selection Sunday all but assured of their status in the NCAA Tournament field.
So what do the Aggies need to do to know that they will be in the field of 68? Obviously, you'd rather make it in more than a little above the cutoff point rather than right at it, but there's still a little bit of leeway for the Aggies, which is nice.
This Wednesday is the Aggies' toughest game left on their schedule, at least as concerns the NET rankings, with their showdown with Arkansas. Darius Acuff Jr. is a lottery pick and elite scorer at guard, something that could give Bucky Ball a real fit if he's able to manage the press well.
Texas A&M is very close to locking up NCAA Tournament status with only four games to go
The Aggies are not favorites in that game, as is understandable. John Calipari's squad is battling for a top-four seed, and are perfect in non-Quad 1 games. As the Aggies enter that contest at 42nd in the NET, they would be a Quad 2 contest for the Hogs.
Then, the Aggies will have another rivalry matchup with the Texas Longhorns. The first game went Texas A&M's way despite being in Austin, and it stands to reason that the rematch in Reed should go their way as well. However, Sean Miller's squad (which also boasts a likely lottery pick in Dailyn Swain) has been playing a lot better of late, so this is no guarantee.
The Aggies get another game at home the following Wednesday when Kentucky comes to town. If the Ags have lost to Arkansas, this is the big game that they'll have to have circled as a statement win possibility. Kentucky currently ranks 29th in the NET, and the Aggies' best win is currently over no. 33 Auburn.
They close the season with a road contest against LSU— a team that should not be taken for granted, but doesn't stack up with any of the other three opponents the Aggies will be facing. Texas A&M won by three at home early on in their conference schedule, so they'll have to stay frosty on the trip to Baton Rouge.
Going 1-3 down the stretch here would be cause for concern, but 2-2 may be enough to be assured of a Tournament berth. 3-1 would stamp the Aggies' ticket, for sure. Winning against Arkansas on Wednesday would go a long way, but that is probably the least likely win of the bunch.
All would not be lost at 1-3, however, as the Aggies still have the conference tournament ahead of them. A&M would be vulnerable to a stolen bid from the lower-conference level, but they'd also have the chance to get a big win of their own with a possible rematch against the top shelf of the conference.
Hopefully, the Aggies are able to get at least three wins out of these last four games— we've seen that Bucky Ball can compete with some of the high-end teams in this conference, even if they've failed to execute down the stretch of those games. We'll see the Aggies in action this Wednesday against Arkansas.