ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has Texas A&M firmly in the NCAA Tournament field

Texas A&M (14-4, 4-1 SEC) is coming off one of its best wins of the season after defeating Texas on the road 74-70 for the first victory in the Moody Center since 2002. Rivalry aside, this served as the Aggies’ second Quad 1 win, and after two straight road games, the Aggies are headed back to Reed Arena for consecutive home matchups against Mississippi State and South Carolina.

Led by senior forward Rashaun Agee’s 17-point, 11-rebound double-double, senior guard Rylan Griffen matched Agee with 17 points, all in the second half, including four 3-pointers that kept Texas A&M in the lead for the rest of the game. Continuing to dominate on offense, the Aggies are currently shooting 48% from the field and 37% from beyond the arc.

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Spanish sharpshooter Ruben Dominguez still leads the team with 13.6 points per game and is averaging an impressive 45.6% from 3-point range, and has continued to make clutch shots, and will be heavily depended on as the SEC schedule reaches its toughest slate next month.

Before hosting Mississippi State on Wednesday, first-year head coach Bucky McMillan has praised his roster, but understands that, in order to make the NCAA Tournament, winning ten more games in conference play, currently sitting at 4-1, is mandatory to earn a bid.

Still, after the impressive start, which now includes road wins against Auburn and the Longhorns, ESPN Bracketology expert Joe Lunardi has placed Texas A&M in the NCAA Tournament field as a 9-seed, and the 35th-ranked team, which has been sitting on the periphery for the last two weeks, is another example of the Aggies garnering national respect thus far.

After hosting Mississippi State and South Carolina, road tests against Georgia, Vanderbilt, and Arkansas await, paired with a challenging home contest against the Florida Gators, who are tied atop the SEC standings at 4-1.