Texas A&M Aggies
SEC (24-9, 11-5)
Just like the Texas A&M football team stormed into the SEC and delivered a blow to Alabama during the regular season, the women’s basketball team stormed into Atlanta in its inaugural season and walked away with the SEC tournament championship. The Aggies have had a consistently strong program over the years, but they entered the SEC tournament as the fourth seed. Texas A&M later proved seeds don’t matter, as evidenced by wins over Tennessee and Kentucky in the tournament that led to the team’s celebration. Can Texas A&M duplicate its tournament success with a long trip through the NCAA tournament? If A&M plays anywhere near the level it did during the regular season and tournament, the answer could be a resounding yes.
Big Wins: 1/20 at Georgia (64-46), 1/31 Vanderbilt (60-52), 2/10 at South Carolina (50-48)
Bad Losses: 11/9 at Louisville (45-47), 2/24 at Vanderbilt (51-61), 3/3 LSU (52-67)
Coach: Gary Blair
Why They Can Surprise:
When it comes to neutral courts, Texas A&M has succeeded. The Aggies won five of six games on neutral courts, with the only blemish coming in an 83-74 loss to Notre Dame in a game at Las Vegas. That’s not too shabby to come within nine points of one of the top teams in the nation. When you have a player like junior Kelsey Bone, whose 17 points and 10 rebounds have made her one of the favorites for National Player of the Year honors, it makes things easier. Bone is already one of the best players in the nation and with the graduations of players like Skylar Diggins and Brittney Griner, Bone could rise right to the top. Also keep an eye on Texas A&M’s shooting percentage, which at 46.0 percent is ranked sixth in the nation in the NCAA Division I statistics. That suggests a great-shooting team.
Why They Can Disappoint:
If Texas A&M is to succeed it must avoid a stretch of games like it played just before the SEC tournament got underway. Texas A&M lost three straight games to Vanderbilt, Tennessee and LSU in late February and early March, but it recovered to win three straight in the conference tournament. Still, the specter of that losing streak could haunt the Aggies down the stretch. Those losses were all by double figures, suggesting the Aggies could be hot or cold. Of course, they did come back to beat Kentucky and Tennessee in the tournament, so who knows what could happen down the road?
Probable Starters:
Adrienne Pratcher, Senior, Guard, 9.2 ppg, 4.3 apg
Courtney Walker, Freshman, Guard, 10.7 ppg, 2.7 apg, 4.2 rpg
Courtney Williams, Freshman, Guard/Forward, 5.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg
Kristi Bellock, Senior, Forward, 10.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg,
Kelsey Bone, Junior, Center, 16.9 ppg, 2.3 apg , 9.6 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Peyton Little, Freshman, Guard, 4.5 ppg, 1.2 rpg
Jordan Jones, Freshman, Guard, 2.8 ppg, 2.2 apg
Karla Gilbert, Junior, Center, 5.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 70.3 (34th in nation, 3rd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 57.4 (81, 4)
Field-Goal Percentage: 46.0 (6, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 37.8 (126, 7)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 3.4 (293, 12)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: n/a
Free-Throw Percentage: 67.6 (216, 9)
Rebound Margin: 4.9 (53, 5)
Assists Per Game: 17.2 (7, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 15.1 (62, 3)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2012 NCAA Round of 64 win over Albany
2012 NCAA Round of 32 win over Arkansas
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Maryland
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over McNeese State
2011 NCAA Round of 32 Win over Rutgers
2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Georgia
2011 NCAA Regional Final win over Baylor
2011 NCAA National Semifinal win over Stanford
2011 NCAA National Final win over Notre Dame
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over Portland State
2010 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Gonzaga
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Evansville
2009 NCAA Round of 32 win over Minnesota
2009 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Arizona State
2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over Texas-San Antonio
2008 NCAA Round of 32 win over Hartford
2008 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Duke
2008 NCAA Regional Final loss to Tennessee
*all team stats through 3/7
See All Women’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
