Sweet Sixteen!
Penn.
Louisville.
Watching the NCAA Tournament when you are a die-hard Aggie fan is like having an ice cream headache. You look forward to the games, you crave them, but then when its crunch-time, your head aches till its over. But this season, the pain has been worth it.
The Aggies now stand at 27-6 and are in the Sweet Sixteen in the tournament which resumes in San Antonio this coming weekend. San Antonio should provide them a home court advantage and they will certainly need it with possible foes like Memphis and Ohio State still alive in their region.
Today’s game was so intense. Every possession mattered. There were ties, there were lead changes, and there were momentum swings. The largest lead was 6 by any team. Both teams played excellent defense; both teams featured outstanding point guard play. Free throws decided the game.
My advice for Billy Gillispie is to double up on the free throw shooting time this week in preparation for the game. They were 55% against Penn and 74% against Louisville. For the season, they are 71%, but I think they need to step it up to give themselves a chance to win. Let’s face it, all these games are going to be close. Every game A&M plays is close. Aside from the “blowout” by LSU (lost by 12), the rest of their losses are by 3 (once), 2 (three times), and 1 (once). So basically, they are always in the game and a point here and there matters greatly.
Game Balls:
Acie Law: My mind is never so at ease as when he has the ball. This goes double against a pressing team.
Dominique Kirk: Huge shots from a guy known for his defense. Maybe we need to give him credit for not being one-dimensional.
Marlon Pompey: For driving the lane and getting the Louisiville frontcourt into foul trouble and more importantly, making free throws at a critical point in the game.
So on we go and here’s hoping I get to write another entry after next weekend anticipating the Final Four!