Billy Kennedy
Jalen Jones
Texas A&M Basketball
No. 17 Aggies set for SEC Tournament with NCAAs looming
Theoretically, Texas A&M has the easier road to the Southeastern Conference Basketball Tournament finals on Sunday.
As the No. 1 seed, Texas A&M gets a double bye and plays lower-seeded opponents.
But there is a theory that the Aggies might not even want to get that far.
A&M (24-7), which will face No. 8 seed Florida (19-13) on Friday at noon at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, already has clinched a berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Aggies are generally projected as a No. 4 seed in the NCAAs.
Some coaches assured a place in the 68-team NCAA field would rather coast in the conference tournament. The theory is that it’s counterproductive to play three games in three days, then turn around to play a possible Thursday first round game in the NCAAs.
“There’s some truth to that, but you want to play well (in the conference tournament),” A&M coach Billy Kennedy said on Wednesday. “I do think if you play three games and win the SEC Tournament it’s more difficult to come back and play on Thursday no matter where you’re at. I’ve never experienced that, but I’d love to have the opportunity to experience it.”
Senior forward Jalen Jones, for one, isn’t buying into the idea that the Aggies should take it easy in Nashville and save their energy for next week.
“I think that’s what separates the great teams,” he said. “You’ve still got to be locked in and try to win the SEC Tournament and not worry about the NCAAs so fast. I think we’re trying to be locked in and just worry about the SEC.”
Matt Sachs, TexAgs
The Aggies may benefit in the rest category from going one-and-done, but Jalen Jones insists keeping their edge is more important.
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An SEC Tournament championship could conceivably raise A&M to a No. 3 seed in the NCAAs. That possibility might provide a boost in motivation.
However, Kennedy just wants the Aggies to keep improving.
“We can get better,” he said. “We want to get better. You’re playing in a tournament atmosphere, playing with brand new basketballs, in an arena that’s on top of an ice rink. It’s a different environment. Everything is one-and-done. We can get some experience out of it.”
Getting better is a lot to ask.
The Aggies enter the SEC Tournament on a six-game winning streak. That includes consecutive lopsided victories over Auburn, Missouri and Vanderbilt, which enabled them to clinch a share of the SEC championship.
Obviously, the Aggies are playing very well.
“Defensively, and as a team, our mentality and our attitude is great,” Kennedy said. “Offensively, we can play better, with guys making shots when they’re open and guys taking better shots. That’s something we’ve talked about all year long and we’re going to need that.”
Getting better for A&M may equate to getting better shooting from Jones and senior guard Danuel House, who’ve rarely been accurate in the same game.
"We’re going to need both of them to be big for us if we’re going to win the SEC Tournament, or win in the NCAA Tournament,” Kennedy said.
Jones echoed that.
“If it’s both our nights, it can be tough for any team to beat us,” Jones said. “Hopefully, we can get that connection back in the SEC Tournament.”
Then, perhaps they will shoot well in the NCAAs, too.
As the No. 1 seed, Texas A&M gets a double bye and plays lower-seeded opponents.
But there is a theory that the Aggies might not even want to get that far.
A&M (24-7), which will face No. 8 seed Florida (19-13) on Friday at noon at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, already has clinched a berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Aggies are generally projected as a No. 4 seed in the NCAAs.
Some coaches assured a place in the 68-team NCAA field would rather coast in the conference tournament. The theory is that it’s counterproductive to play three games in three days, then turn around to play a possible Thursday first round game in the NCAAs.
“There’s some truth to that, but you want to play well (in the conference tournament),” A&M coach Billy Kennedy said on Wednesday. “I do think if you play three games and win the SEC Tournament it’s more difficult to come back and play on Thursday no matter where you’re at. I’ve never experienced that, but I’d love to have the opportunity to experience it.”
Senior forward Jalen Jones, for one, isn’t buying into the idea that the Aggies should take it easy in Nashville and save their energy for next week.
“I think that’s what separates the great teams,” he said. “You’ve still got to be locked in and try to win the SEC Tournament and not worry about the NCAAs so fast. I think we’re trying to be locked in and just worry about the SEC.”
Matt Sachs, TexAgs
The Aggies may benefit in the rest category from going one-and-done, but Jalen Jones insists keeping their edge is more important.
{"Module":"photo","Alignment":"left","Size":"large","Caption":"The Aggies may benefit in the rest category from going one-and-done, but Jalen Jones insists keeping their edge is more important.","MediaItemID":66497}
However, Kennedy just wants the Aggies to keep improving.
“We can get better,” he said. “We want to get better. You’re playing in a tournament atmosphere, playing with brand new basketballs, in an arena that’s on top of an ice rink. It’s a different environment. Everything is one-and-done. We can get some experience out of it.”
Getting better is a lot to ask.
The Aggies enter the SEC Tournament on a six-game winning streak. That includes consecutive lopsided victories over Auburn, Missouri and Vanderbilt, which enabled them to clinch a share of the SEC championship.
Obviously, the Aggies are playing very well.
“Defensively, and as a team, our mentality and our attitude is great,” Kennedy said. “Offensively, we can play better, with guys making shots when they’re open and guys taking better shots. That’s something we’ve talked about all year long and we’re going to need that.”
Getting better for A&M may equate to getting better shooting from Jones and senior guard Danuel House, who’ve rarely been accurate in the same game.
"We’re going to need both of them to be big for us if we’re going to win the SEC Tournament, or win in the NCAA Tournament,” Kennedy said.
Jones echoed that.
“If it’s both our nights, it can be tough for any team to beat us,” Jones said. “Hopefully, we can get that connection back in the SEC Tournament.”
Then, perhaps they will shoot well in the NCAAs, too.
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