'Hungry for success': No. 18 A&M eager to prove itself further in Nashville
NASHVILLE — Hot chicken and pulled pork frequently satisfy the appetites of visitors to Music City.
But the Aggies, in town for the Southeastern Conference postseason basketball tournament, are craving more than the local cuisine.
“There’s no ceiling for hunger,” Texas A&M junior forward Henry Coleman III said. “This team is starving. We’re hungry for success. We’re hungry to be one of the best teams in the country. We have a chip on our shoulder. We have to prove to everybody that Texas A&M has a really good basketball team.”
A No. 18 Associated Press ranking and No. 2-seed in the SEC Tournament would seem sufficient evidence of A&M’s basketball prowess.
That’s obviously not enough for the Aggies (23-8) to rest their case. Even though a berth in the NCAA Tournament field is expected, they’ve come to Nashville intent on winning the SEC Tournament.
That would require A&M defeating Arkansas, a 76-73 winner over Auburn on Thursday, in the quarterfinal finals at 6 p.m. CT on Friday and then posting victories in the semifinals on Saturday and the final on Sunday.
A&M split the series against the Razorbacks this season. The Aggies lost 81-70 in Fayetteville and prevailed 62-56 at Reed Arena.
“Who doesn’t want to win the SEC Championship?” senior guard Dexter Dennis said. “With the great opportunity we have presented in front of us everybody is just motivated to do a little more.
“Of course, we had a great regular season. We’ve done some great things. Why not add more to the chapter? Why not add more to our journey?”
Junior forward Julius Marble II echoed those thoughts.
“The job is not finished,” Marble said. “One of our goals was to win the regular season (SEC Championship). We couldn’t do that. So, now try to win the tournament. We’re really in a position to do that.”
The Aggies, who finished just one game behind Alabama in the regular season race, are in that position because of an incredible resurgence from a disappointing 6-5 start.
They were largely dismissed after a loss to Wofford on Dec. 20, but steadily improved and established themselves among the nation’s best.
As impressive as the turnaround has been, it has not been that uncommon for the Aggies under coach Buzz Williams.
In 2020 the Aggies won five of their last seven games to close the regular season. They were a team no opponent wanted to play.
Alas, no team had to. The SEC Tournament was canceled because the pandemic.
Last year, the Aggies won four of their last five regular season games. Then they defeated Florida, No. 4 Auburn and No. 15 Arkansas to reach the SEC Tournament final where they fell to No. 9 Tennessee.
Despite that strong finish the Aggies, who were then 23-12, were snubbed by the NCAA Tournament selection committee.
They enter their Friday game having won eight of their last nine. That includes victories over Alabama, Tennessee and Arkansas, who are among the top 20 in the NET rankings. Alabama is No. 2, Tennessee is No. 3 and Arkansas is No. 18.
Clearly, Williams has a knack for getting his teams to play at their highest level in March.
Although an NCAA Tournament berth is certain, Williams said he’s confident the Aggies will approach this year’s tournament with the same sense of urgency they did a year ago.
“I think they’re excited because they want to win it,” Williams said. “I think there’s a little disappointment that we didn’t win (the regular season championship). I think there’s a little disappointment that Dexter Dennis was not on the (SEC) All-Defensive Team. It’s not anything I’m saying. It’s just what they’re saying to me.
“They’re playing with phenomenal energy. I do think they will attack it the same way.”
