Texas A&M women's hoops earns #2 seed, will open tournament against Troy

After a 708 day hiatus, Gary Blair’s ball club is amped for the madness to begin. It was a foregone conclusion that Texas A&M would be dancing, but the reality of the Aggies being among the tournament favorites came to a head tonight, as the Maroon & White secured a #2 seed.

“It’s very exciting. Last year around this time, there was no tournament with the lockdown,” said Kayla Wells. “I’m just grateful that people have made the effort to make it safe for us to play during the pandemic.”

Texas A&M earned the #2 seed for the Mercado Region, marking the fifth time The Maroon & White has earned a #2 seed in NCAA tournaments.

“We wanted to be #1, but we came up short against Georgia,” said Ciera Johnson. “When you don’t handle business, that’s what happens. You have to reap the consequences.

“I feel like we’re in a good spot, and it doesn’t matter where we are seeded, we just got to win and that’s what we’re going to do.”

The Aggies are set to face 15th-seeded Troy (22-5) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. A&M will play Monday, March 22, at 5 p.m. CT in Austin. The contest will be aired on ESPN2. The neutral site will likely play to the Aggies’ advantage.

“It’s good for our parents, especially the ones living in-state,” said head coach Gary Blair. “I think we will have a big following down there, and I look forward to it.”

With a win Monday, A&M would play either #10 Michigan State or #7 Iowa State next Wednesday.

After securing the SEC regular-season crown against South Carolina, Texas A&M rolled over LSU in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals, 77-58. The Aggies head into the NCAA tournament, coming off a loss from the SEC tournament semi-finals to No. 16 Georgia (68-74).

“The loss against Georgia was a wake-up call that we needed,” Wells said. “I’d rather it happen in the SEC tournament than March Madness where we’d be going home for good.” 

The Maroon & White are 23-2 on the year with nine wins over ranked opponents. This season, the Aggies achieved their highest ranking in program history (No. 2) and were a perfect 13-0 at home. Texas A&M was ranked No. 4 in the final regular-season AP poll.