robert.cessna@theeagle.com
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March Madness seems like a long time off, but it’s really just around the corner.
The Texas A&M basketball teams already have enjoyed time in the limelight.
The women knocked off Duke at home and beat host Cal to win the Colliers Classic. That’s allowed the Aggie women to spend much of the last month in the Top 10.
The men defeated Clemson and Minnesota at the 76 Classic in Anaheim to bust the Top 25.
But both programs have stubbed their toes.
The women blew a double-digit lead at TCU or the Aggies would be ranked No. 3 or No. 4 in the country. Let me repeat that. The Aggies are one play away from being No. 3 or No. 4 in the country.
The A&M men lost to New Mexico in Houston, knocking them out of the Top 25 by the coaches. The Aggies remained at No. 23 by AP and climbed to 19th this week.
The A&M women bounced back to beat 14th-ranked Arizona State and Gonzaga in Las Vegas over the weekend, while the men beat The Citadel.
The men will be at 22nd-ranked Washington on Tuesday night in a big game. Only problem is, it’s a late game. Texas plays Michigan State and Cal takes on Kansas in earlier games. And in football, it’s a pair of Top 20 teams in the Las Vegas Bowl. In other words, A&M isn’t going to get a lot of national love.
The Associated Press ran national stories Monday on Brittany Griner of the Baylor women’s team and the job Steve Alvord is doing with the New Mexico men’s team. And rightfully so. But what if New Mexico hadn’t beaten A&M? They’d have just found another good story.
It’s a long season. If both A&M teams keep on winning, the national attention will come — plenty of it. That’s the beauty of playing in a power conference. For the men, there’s five ranked teams by AP including KU and UT at the top. On the women’s side, half the league’s teams are ranked and Oklahoma State is No. 26.
Don’t get hung up on March Madness, January and February will be exciting enough at Reed Arena.
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