By ROBERT CESSNA
Eagle Columnist

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BATON ROUGE, La. -- Texas A&M's game against Hartford on Monday is the biggest in the program's history.

At stake is the obvious, a spot in the Sweet 16. But it's all the added benefits that would be immeasurable -- like recruiting and national exposure.

More importantly, the women have a chance to earn top billing in Aggieland for at least a week. They've had a remarkable four-year climb and garnered national attention, but they've seldom grabbed the headlines in town by themselves.

That's because the men have been equally amazing. The women reached the WNIT quarterfinals in 2005, but the men did so in the NIT.

Two years ago the women reached the NCAA Tournament, but the men made it to the second round, losing a heartbreaker to eventual Final Four participant Louisiana State.

Last year the women's team won its first NCAA Tournament game since its lone Sweet 16 appearance in 1994, but the men also made the Sweet 16, losing by a point to Memphis.

This time the women can be on their own -- barely. The men almost knocked off No. 1 seed UCLA on Saturday, which might have paved the way to the Elite Eight or Final Four.

Now, the women have that same chance.

"It would mean so much for our area," A&M head coach Gary Blair said. "We're in the business of selling season tickets. Yes, I've been disappointed, but we still have a 33 percent growth in season ticket sales. [But] we're eighth in the league attendance, OK?

"That doesn't satisfy me, not if you're Big 12 champions. I want to go on to the next level."

That starts on the court.

Monday night is the last chance for Blair's seniors to make the Sweet 16. They've rewritten the record books, won over thousands of admirers, but they have to reach Oklahoma City. That school-record No. 2 seed won't mean much if A&M can't get past 10th-seeded Hartford.

The seniors have helped put A&M in position for national attention by winning 10 straight and 14 of the last 15, but now each added victory will count tenfold.

"It's time to quit playing close and be satisfied," Blair said. "It's time to have that little bit of hunger. These [seniors] are never going to get another chance."

It's certainly taken the program awhile for a second chance.

The school has advanced past the second round only once, in 1994.

That year, the No. 13 seed Aggies upset No. 4 Florida at G. Rollie White Coliseum, 78-76. Florida was unable to host because of a concert.

A&M then won at fifth-seeded San Diego State in overtime, 75-72, before the run ended in an 82-56 loss to No. 1 seed Purdue.

Unfortunately, A&M never built on that success former coach Lynn Hickey and her players worked so hard for.

A&M eventually suffered through eight straight losing seasons, becoming the Big 12 Conference's losingest program. The Aggies didn't win another NCAA Tournament game until last year.

Monday night, they'll get a chance to do a whole lot of good for the program.

Hopefully, Aggies on Wednesday will be talking about A&M's Sweet 16 matchup with Duke or Arizona State, not the status of Stephen McGee's shoulder.

Did I mention that first-year football coach Mike Sherman opens spring drills Tuesday?

• Robert Cessna's e-mail address is robert.cessna@theeagle.com.

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