Aggies draw No. 7 seed in Midwest Region, will play 10-seed Penn State

NASHVILLE — Tears from a year ago changed to cheers on Sunday as Texas A&M basketball players celebrated confirmation they would be included in March Madness.

Watching the NCAA Tournament Selection Show in a ballroom on the second floor of the Renaissance Hotel, the Aggies burst into cheers when Texas A&M’s name flashed onto a projection screen.

The Aggies (25-9 )are the No. 7 seed in the Midwest Region. They will play No. 10 Penn State (22-13) on Thursday in Des Moines, IA.

The reaction was in stark contrast from a year ago in Tampa when the Aggies were stunned to be omitted from the 68-team field.

“I was just telling my parents, last year, it was sad tears, and this year, it’s happy tears,” junior forward Henry Coleman III said. “Just being able to go to the ‘Dance.’ Just being given the opportunity to compete is a blessing. There are a lot of teams that are going to go home and not see their names come across CBS.

“Just for us, as a team, we’re excited. We know we have to go there and do a lot of work. Sixty-eight teams actually get there, but only a couple are the ones that can really make some noise.

“I think us, as a team, we have a lot of potential to make some noise. We’re just going to play Texas A&M basketball.”

Yet, the NCAA Selection Committee — which picks the teams, assigns seedings and sets matchups — appeared less than impressed with Texas A&M basketball.

The No. 7 seed could be interpreted as a slight at A&M, which was ranked No. 18 in the NET rankings prior to the SEC Tournament final on Saturday.

The NET rankings are supposedly used as a guideline for the committee. A&M dropped to No. 19 in the NET after losing to Alabama, 82-63, in the SEC Tournament final.

Xavier is a No. 3 seed despite having the same record as A&M and being ranked 22nd in the NET. Indiana (22-13) was a No. 4 seed despite a No. 30 ranking in the NET.

A&M star sophomore guard Wade Taylor IV didn’t care about the seeding.

“We’re blessed to be here,” he said. “Hearing our name called on Selection Sunday is everything we’ve worked for. Starting from where we was to where we are now is a happy place to be.

“The seeding don’t matter when we get on the court.”

However, coach Buzz Williams appeared to be annoyed by the No. 7 seed.

Williams raised questions about the selection process last year when A&M was not included. He had more questions after this year’s bracket was revealed.

“This morning, in the NET, we were 18,” Williams said. “According to how the bracket is revealed, we’re 26th. So, we dropped eight spots in the NET — if the NET is a part of the major calculation — with a loss to the No. 1-overall seed (Alabama).

“As I’ve been saying all along, and it started this time last year, and I probably shouldn’t be the spokesperson, I think transparency is needed. We’re all trying to play in the NCAA Tournament. Not just the head coach, the assistant coaches, the players, the support staff and all the families they represent.

“With so much at stake and the exposure and all that comes with it, I think there is a better way that smart people can figure out how we can all be on the same page on how this works.”

Cynics might suggest — probably with accuracy — that the committee manipulated the seedings to set up a possible second-round clash with arch-rival Texas.

The Longhorns are a No. 2 seed and will play Colgate on Thursday. If A&M and Texas advance, they would play next Saturday with a trip to the Sweet 16 at stake.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Texas A&M’s lone All-SEC first-team selection, Wade Taylor IV is the Aggies’ top scorer and averages 16.5 PPG.

Perhaps not coincidentally, the committee tried to set up a second-round showdown between No. 3-seed A&M and No. 6 seed Texas in Oklahoma City in 2016.

That matchup didn’t occur because No. 11 seed Northern Iowa upset Texas in the first round.

The Aggies are well aware of who they could face in the second round, but made it clear they did not would look past Penn State.

Penn State reached the final of the Big Ten Tournament. The Nittany Lions fell to top-seed Purdue, 67-65, on Sunday.

Junior forward Julius Marble II transferred to A&M from Michigan State, so he has some familiarity with Penn State to share with his teammates.

“They (Penn State) kind of change up their plan a little bit since I played against them,” Marble said. “They have a good guard. (Jalen) Pickett, he did phenomenal this year. He’s probably going to be a key player that we keep an emphasis on.

Pickett averages 18.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game. He scored 11 points against Purdue.

Marble acknowledged there was some discussion about possibly facing Texas. He said even the out-of-state players, like freshman Solomon Washington, understand the significance of playing Texas.

“Even the freshmen know what’s going on,” Marble said. “Solo (Washington) knows how much we have a dislike for people at UT. We’ll be fine.”

But Taylor reiterated the Aggies will be focused on Penn State, not Texas.

“We’ve talked about that (facing Texas), but we want to take care of Penn State, of course,” Taylor said. “If that match-up happens, it’ll be a good show.

“That’s a story for another day.”