Yes, the rhyme in the title was intentional.
But let’s get to the important matter at hand: Texas A&M is really good at basketball.
The third-seeded Aggies rolled to a 92-65 win over Green Bay in Friday’s first round game in Oklahoma City, setting up a showdown with No. 11 Northern Iowa on Sunday.
Of course, the Panthers had to win in a much different way to book their spot in the second round.
Yes I was that idiot. Do it for the vine Northern Iowa https://t.co/mr0SEZaeHV
— Sam Duren (@Sam_Duren) March 19, 2016
Texas A&M had a much easier path. The Aggies were able to slow down the fast-paced attack of Green Bay, and thus won the game convincingly behind yet another balanced output.
Winning the rebounding battle by 20 (45 to 25) didn’t hurt.
Danuel House did what Danuel House does and scored 20 points, with the most encouraging statistic for him being his 8-of-12 shooting from the floor.
And then there was another masterful performance off the bench from sophomore center Tonny Trocha-Morelos, as the big man had 15 points and six rebounds. He played well during the SEC tournament in Nashville and showed no signs of slowing down in game one of the NCAA tournament.
Tyler Davis had 12 points of his own, while Jalen Jones and Admon Gilder added 11 a piece.
Balance, balance, balance. It’s what got Billy Kennedy’s team to this point. It’s what helped them capture a share of the SEC regular season title and lock up a No. 3 seed in the process.
It’s also what made them a Final Four team in my bracket. The Aggies are the little hope that I have left after MTSU up and ran Michigan State off the floor in the 2/15 matchup, and sent one of my Final Four teams home packing.
Still have all the confidence in the world in this Texas A&M team to get there. It was able to slow down down the Phoenix, and the matchup against Northern Iowa is more favorable than a matchup against Texas would have been.
The biggest team standing in the Aggies’ way – Oklahoma – didn’t look overly impressive against CSU-Bakersfield.
Consistency matters, and Texas A&M has been consistent in all facets of the game.
Don’t tear up your bracket just yet if you have the Aggies in the Final Four. Because Friday’s performance shows that they have more than enough to get there.