Eagle Staff Report
After a hectic week, the Aggies spent some down time at Texas A&M basketball coach Mark Turgeon's house on Selection Sunday.
That doesn't mean the Aggies didn't get excited at their gathering when they heard A&M's name announced in the West Regional.
Texas A&M (24-10) garnered the No. 9 seed in the West and will play No. 8 seed BYU at 6:25 p.m. Thursday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. The Cougars (27-7) won the Mountain West Conference regular season title and lost to UNLV in the conference's tournament final.
The winner will play the winner of No. 1 seed UCLA vs. No. 16 seed Mississippi Valley State on Saturday at either 5:45 p.m. or 8:15 p.m..
"We're thrilled to get into the NCAA Tournament. We've had a tough week with everything that's gone on, but you have to take what life throws at you and deal with it," Turgeon said. "Things have started to click with us recently and [Donald] Sloan's situation has brought us together. We have some confidence now, but we know we have to continue to improve."
Sloan's mother died on Thursday in Dallas. The funeral is Tuesday.
It's the Aggies third straight NCAA appearance after never having made the tournament in back-to-back seasons.
Seniors Dominique Kirk, Joseph Jones, and Beau Muhlbach and junior Josh Carter have been on all three teams.
"To make the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year just shows how far we've come as a program," Jones said. "It feels great because it gives us another opportunity to show what we can do."
The Aggies lost 77-71 to Kansas, the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Regional, in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament on Saturday.
"It was good to hear our named called again," Muhlbach said. "It means a lot to the seniors to play in three straight NCAA Tournaments. It just shows that hard work pays off."
A&M was a No. 3 seed in 2007 and a No. 12 seed in 2006. The Aggies are 3-2 in the tournament over the past two years, winning first round games against Syracuse and Penn and beating Louisville to get into the Sweet 16 last season.
Texas A&M played last season at the Honda Center, losing 65-62 to UCLA in the Wooden Classic.
Tickets are $51 each and will be available to Texas A&M students beginning at 8 a.m. on Monday at the Kyle Field Ticket Office. There is a limit of two tickets per student, and students who purchase first round tickets will automatically receive and be charged for second round tickets if the Aggies advance.
A limited number of tickets are available for 12th Man Foundation members, season ticket holders and Texas A&M affiliates. Tickets are $51 each plus a $20 processing fee. All tickets will be distributed at the game site.
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