How the heck is Texas A&M #1 in the conference?

[jbcarol]

Brent Zwerneman ‏@BrentZwerneman March Madness

No time for Aggies to lament 'what if' on SEC tourney front, with NCAAs dead ahead: http://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/aggies/article/Kentucky-defeats-Texas-A-M-in-OT-to-win-SEC-6887872.php ... via @HoustonChron

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy allowed his players to grimace, wonder "what if" and frown for about two hours Sunday.

In that span between the end of the Southeastern Conference tournament, and the beginning of finding out where the next part of the Aggies' mission starts in the NCAA Tournament.

"We're disappointed, but we don't have time to hang our heads, or be disrupted in the journey we're trying to accomplish," Kennedy said following the Aggies' 82-77 overtime loss to Kentucky in the SEC tournament title game.

The Aggies hope their journey ends at NRG Stadium in the Final Four, an event Kennedy referenced when drawing motivation from Sunday's tight loss.

"Like I told our players, all week long, everybody has been talking about Kentucky being a Final Four team, the way they've been playing," Kennedy said. "If they're a Final Four team, then we just showed we're a Final Four team."

The Aggies and Wildcats, each 26-8, played one of the best conference tournament finals of the weekend, a game that came down to a couple of late 3-pointers by Kentucky's Derek Willis and Jamal Murray in the extra period.

"It's been a journey," said Murray, in referencing the go-to word for both teams Sunday.

A couple of hours later, the Aggies found out they had earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, tying for highest in program history, and will face Wisconsin-Green Bay on Friday in the West Regional at Oklahoma City.

[jbcarol]

Round-by-round road map for Texas A&M (3-seed in the West region)

Green Bay (A&M's Friday opponent) has been a popular sleeper pick for two reasons this week —

Green Bay loaded up with Power 5 programs/reputable mid-majors during the non-conference schedule (Stanford, Georgia Tech, Wisconsin, Akron, Toledo). The Phoenix also push the tempo like few other schools, currently ranking sixth nationally in scoring (84.2 points per game).

On the archaic front, some pundits and amateur bracket gurus may be snubbing Texas A&M for its lack of hoops tradition. Or, maybe they don't think the Aggies can keep pace with the Phoenix in a one-shot deal ... since they rank just 111th nationally in scoring (75.9 points).

The above figures, however, are a tad skewed.

For starters, Green Bay maintains only a 19-8 record when scoring 75 points or more. Conversely, A&M boasts a robust 16-2 mark when scoring 75-plus points.

[jbcarol]

Brent Zwerneman ‏@BrentZwerneman 15m15 minutes ago

Texas A&M ready to rumble and rumba in NCAA Tournament opener: http://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/college/article/Texas-A-M-ready-to-rumble-and-rumba-in-NCAA-opener-6920976.php ... via @HoustonChron

Third-seeded Aggies (26-8) have every intention of shaking their legs by late Friday night, after facing No. 14 seed Wisconsin-Green Bay (23-12) in the teams' opening game of the NCAA Tournament in Chesapeake Energy Arena.

"We have to put it all together," said Gilder, who like most of his teammates has zero experience in the NCAA postseason. "And hopefully we can get to the Final Four."

In a wide-open field this season, A&M appears to have as good a shot as any other program to be one of the last four teams standing in NRG Stadium on April 2.

Aggies start four seniors who have led the program back into the NCAA promised land for the first time since 2011, but they've also received a potent injection from three talented freshmen: center Tyler Davis, guard D.J. Hogg and Gilder.

Gilder is the least touted of the three.

[jbcarol]

Brent Zwerneman ‏@BrentZwerneman 2h2 hours ago

Aggies overwhelm Green Bay in NCAA tourney; Texas up next?;  http://www.chron.com/sports/college/marchmadness/article/Aggies-overcome-Green-Bay-in-NCAA-tourney-6923147.php?cmpid=twitter-desktop ... via @houstonchron

A&M will tip around 7 p.m. Sunday against either Texas or Northern Iowa, with a trip to Sweet 16 in Anaheim on the line.

[jbcarol]

Brent Zwerneman ‏@BrentZwerneman 8h8 hours ago

An intriguing aspect of Texas A&M vs. Northern Iowa: Panthers coach Ben Jacobson was 2nd to Billy Kennedy as A&M hire 5 years ago.

[jbcarol]

SEC Network ‏@SECNetwork 3h3 hours ago

Texas A&M's 92 points are 10 more than it had ever scored in an NCAA Tournament game. http://bit.ly/1RsRqAY 

[jbcarol]

Brent Zwerneman ‏@BrentZwerneman  16h16 hours ago Oklahoma City, OK
How much has A&M's size advantage helped the Ags of late? Points in paint vs. LSU in SEC tourney: 46-20. Points in paint vs Green Bay: 46-20

[jbcarol]

Brent Zwerneman ‏@BrentZwerneman 15m15 minutes ago Oklahoma City, OK

Seen a lot, but never anything like this. A&M erases 12-point deficit w/ 44 seconds left in regulation to beat N. Iowa 92-88 in 2OT.

[jbcarol]

On-line play-by-play of A&M's comeback to tie the game and eventually beat UNI.

Brent Zwerneman ‏@BrentZwerneman 12m12 minutes ago Oklahoma City, OK

Ben Jacobson: That's 30 seconds we're never going to have an answer for. Nor do we need one. It just happened to go that way.

[jbcarol]

ESPN Stats & Info ‏@ESPNStatsInfo 8h8 hours ago

Another interesting factor in Texas A&M's comeback...

They did not have to foul once in the last 35 seconds of the game.

[jbcarol]

David Worlock
‏@DavidWorlock

ICYMI, Texas A&M's rally from 12 down w/less than 1:00 to play is the largest last-minute deficit overcome to win in college hoops history.

[jbcarol]

Kate Hairopoulos ‏@khairopoulos 7h7 hours ago

Here's a helpful breakdown of A&M's frantic comeback in regulation: http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/college-sports/collegesports/2016/03/20/breaking-texas-ams-14-2-run-final-33-seconds-regulation ...

Northern Iowa took a 12-point lead with 44 seconds remaining in regulation, leading 69-57 on two free throws by Jeremy Morgan. But Texas A&M forced four turnovers in the remaining time to help erase the deficit.  A&M went on a 14-2 run over the final 33 seconds, tying the score at 71 and forcing overtime. A&M eventually won in double overtime, 92-88.

https://twitter.com/marchmadness/status/711752197638365186

[jbcarol]

Andy Staples ‏@Andy_Staples 6h6 hours ago

Comeback. Collapse. Whatever you want to call it, it was amazing. http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2016/03/21/ncaa-tournament-texas-am-aggies-comeback-uni ...

OKLAHOMA CITY — Lisa House always told her son Danuel to never give up hope until the clock hit zero, zero, zero. But that doesn't count when your team trails by 12 with 34 seconds remaining, does it? Because that game is over. Isn't it?

"Never give up," said House, the Texas A&M senior guard who missed his first nine shots Sunday and finished with 22 points. "Never give up."

Before House had even made his first field goal, Aggies guard Admon Gilder put back an Alex Caruso miss with 33 seconds remaining to cut Northern Iowa's lead to 10. Double digits in 33 seconds? Forget it.

House made his first field goal with 25.8 seconds remaining in regulation. After that layup dropped, the deficit in the most mind-bending comeback in NCAA tournament history fell to eight points. Eight points in 25.8 seconds? Impossible.

The Aggies pressed again. Northern Iowa's Paul Jesperson caught the inbound. Jesperson, less than 48 hours removed from a half-court buzzer beater to sink Texas, tried to bounce the ball off Texas A&M's Tonny Trocha-Morelos and out of bounds. Trocha-Morelos dodged...

https://twitter.com/MarkEnnis/status/711739542676578305

[jbcarol]

Michael Carvell ‏@Carvell_AJC 6m6 minutes ago

Texas A&M greeted by raucous crowd after returning to campus Sunday night http://sec.news/21DIjmY

College Station, Texas was "lit" Sunday night as the Aggies returned home following their miraculous 92-88 double overtime comeback win against Northern Iowa in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

The team was welcomed back to campus by a large group of rabid fans, who were clearly fired up after A&M earned its first Sweet 16 appearance since 2007. Loud cheers and chants of "SEC" could be heard on campus Sunday...

[jbcarol]

 Brent Zwerneman ‏@BrentZwerneman 4h4 hours ago

Stakes soar for renewal of A&M-OU rivalry: http://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/article/Stakes-soar-for-renewal-of-A-M-OU-rivalry-6936379.php ... via @HoustonChron

A&M is adopting the "it takes a village to raise a child" approach to guarding Oklahoma star Buddy Hield on Thursday night in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, only with the reverse intent of stunting Hield's development.

Asked who will cover Hield, A&M senior Alex Caruso responded: "Our team. It's going to take a team effort. There's not one guy. I'm not good enough guard him by myself, and I don't think anybody else on our team would say they were either."

In a historic effort on Sunday night, the Aggies wiped out a 12-point deficit with 34 seconds remaining in regulation and went on to defeat Northern Iowa 92-88 in double overtime to make their first Sweet 16 since 2007. The Sooners edged Virginia Commonwealth 85-81 earlier in the evening in Chesapeake Energy Arena to advance to their second consecutive Sweet 16 under coach Lon Kruger, this time in the West Regional at Anaheim, Calif., on Thursday night.

Hield tallied 36 points against the Rams, which would be a game high by any Aggie this season (mayber ever).

[jbcarol]

Kevin Brockway ‏@gatorhoops  2h2 hours ago Georgia, USA
Texas A&M last SEC team standing in postseason. Will play Oklahoma tomorrow night in Sweet 16.

[jbcarol]

A&M player's parents lost hope, left early and missed son's game-tying basket in epic comeback

The freshman guard's parents, Admon Gilder Sr., and Paula Gilder, didn't see their son's game-tying basket to rally from a 12-point deficit with 44 seconds left to force overtime in the NCAA tournament Round of 32 classic. They didn't see the Aggies outlast the Panthers, 92-88, in double overtime.

Like many fans, the Gilders assumed the Aggies' season was over and made an early exit out of Chesapeake Arena in Oklahoma City.

A friendly fan at a gas station notified them of the miraculous events.

"I probably would have left too," Gilder Jr., said

Saved his best 44 seconds for the last 44 seconds in regulation.

[jbcarol]

 Brent Zwerneman ‏@BrentZwerneman 2h2 hours ago

Stakes at their highest for A&M-OU Big 12 reunion: http://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/aggies/article/Stakes-at-their-highest-for-A-M-OU-Big-12-reunion-7004547.php ... via @HoustonChron

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Oklahoma star guard Buddy Hield offered a seven-word scouting report on Texas A&M leading to the former Big 12 foes' collision in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night.

"We know they're capable of a comeback," Hield said.

[jbcarol]

Brent Zwerneman ‏@BrentZwerneman 7h7 hours ago

Brent Zwerneman Retweeted Texas A&M Baseball

Meanwhile back in College Station a marquee baseball series is underway:

[jbcarol]

Aggies went to Disneyland, or at least across the highway from it, but Texas A&M would rather have wound up this season across Loop 610 from the old site of AstroWorld.

"We picked the wrong day," said A&M senior Jalen Jones, as he prepared to remove his maroon uniform for the final time, "for it not to be our day."

Athletes for decades have yelled they were going to Disneyland to celebrate dream championships, but the nearby grounds served as dream killers for the Aggies in their quest to make next week's Final Four in NRG Stadium. No. 2 seed Oklahoma took No. 3 seed A&M for a ride to the tune of 77-63 Thursday night in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in the Honda Center.

The Sooners will face top seed Oregon on Saturday in the West Regional final, while the Aggies return home to mull missing out on the Final Four only 100 miles from their campus.

"Every mistake we made," A&M fifth-year coach Billy Kennedy said, "they made us pay."

[jbcarol]

 Ron Higgins ‏@RonHigg Mar 24

Texas A&M has been watching LSU free throw instructional videos. #clankemifyougottaem

[jbcarol]

A&M's regular-season SEC title and advancement to the Sweet 16 earned Billy Kennedy more than $725,000 in bonuses. The comeback against Northern Iowa (much assisted by Northern Iowa) gave Kennedy an additional $141,667 in bonuses.

[jbcarol]

Brent Zwerneman ‏@BrentZwerneman  23m23 minutes ago
Brent Zwerneman Retweeted Jeff Goodman
Great move for a great man, happy for Kyle & Keller clan. Will is going to miss his running buddy Kemper, though:

Jeff GoodmanVerified account
‏@GoodmanESPN
Stephen F. Austin expected to hire Texas A&M assistant Kyle Keller, sources told ESPN.

[jbcarol]

A&M will hire Ulric Maligi as an assistant on Billy Kennedy's basketball staff

Maligi didn't coach during the 2015-16 season, instead accepting the national scouting director position with John Lucas Enterprises. Known for his recruiting ability, Maligi has held multiple assistant coaching jobs in Texas, spending three seasons at SMU, two at Houston, three at Stephen F. Austin and one at Texas-Arlington.

Maligi will fill the void left by the departure of former assistant Rick Stansbury, who accepted the head coaching job at Western...

[jbcarol]

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN 10h10 hours ago

Michigan grad transfer Spike Albrecht told ESPN that he's looking at Purdue, Wichita State, Indiana, Texas A&M, Syracuse, USC & Milwaukee.

[jbcarol]

Michael Carvell ‏@Carvell_AJC  3h3 hours ago
Four-star Texas A&M hoops prospect Mitchell Robinson decommits http://sec.news/1T7jhb4

6-foot-9 Robinson (Chalmette, La.), is the No. 33 ranked player in the class of 2017 according to 247Sports and had been committed to the Aggies since October 2015.

Robinson also has received offers from DePaul, UMass and Murray State.

A&M finished the 2015-16 season with a 28-9 record.

[jbcarol]

 Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein 23h23 hours ago

Arkansas-Little Rock's Wes Flanigan will hire Mitch Cole as an assistant coach, source told @CBSSports. Cole was at Texas A&M.

[jbcarol]

Michael Carvell ‏@Carvell_AJC May 13

Billy Kennedy rounds out Texas A&M's staff with former Virginia Tech assistant


Isaac Chew was an assistant to Kennedy at Murray State.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/AggieMensHoops/status/735484287554748417

Legendary Troy basketball coach Don Maestri has joined the Aggie basketball staff as a special assistant to head coach Billy Kennedy.

"I am excited to have Coach Maestri join my staff," Kennedy said. "He has been a mentor to me since the eighth grade at Holy Cross School. I am a coach today in part because of the impact he made on me years ago. To add a coach of his experience and knowledge will help our program immensely."

During an impressive 31-season tenure at Troy (1982-2013), Maestri guided the Trojan program to 501 victories, eight 20-win seasons and seven conference championships, most recently the 2010 Sun Belt regular season title, while developing three All-Americans and 39 all-conference players. At the Division II level, Maestri guided the program to the Final Four in 1988 and 1993.

A seven-time coach of the year honoree in five different conferences, he stands out as Troy's all-time winningest coach with a career record of 501-403 (.554) and led the Trojans to eight postseason tournament appearances, including the program's lone NCAA Tournament appearance at the Division I level in 2003.