It's hard to get optimistic after today's game, especially with it being when we want to clicking and different than having poor games in November or even January, BUT there are things we can lean on to give us hope. And of course I mean for the NCAAs.
1. The 2018 Nevada Sweet 16 team narrowly escaped the first round of the MWT against 8th place UNLV
2. The FDU team that upset Purdue had a close game in the first round of their conference tournament against 7th place Saint Francis Brooklyn.
3. Closer to home, the same team that narrowly lost by 3 to Kansas ALSO had at overtime game in the Big West quarterfinals against 6th place Cal State Fullerton, a team that would finish close to bottom of this years MW. Yes, we still lost to Kansas BUT we will almost certainly get to play a team not nearly as good as that Kansas team.
4. One thing easily forgotten about our debacle against Cal State Northridge is Pacific, a team that upset Providence in the NCAAs and hung with Kansas, also narrowly won against that same poor Cal State Northridge team.
5. The 21-22 Richmond team that advance to the round of 32 had a narrow escape in the first round of their conference tournament against an 11th place 15-16 Rhode Island team.
6. One thing easily forgotten about the infamous Sam Merrill shot is that team a few nights earlier had to rally from behind to beat 7th place New Mexico. Yes, that wasn't on the stage of the NCAAs like we wanted BUT it was a team that would have been a 1 seed, or only slid to a 2 seed cause of losing to us, hence the reason we were(and still are) heartbroken the tournament was taken away from us and hopeful we would have made a run that year.
7. The 2018 Loyola Chicago Final Four team narrowly escaped in the quarterfinals of their conference tournament against 8th place Northern Iowa.

Transitive property doesn’t apply here.

Our inability to consistently hit 3s will be our undoing in the NCAAs. It will be another one-and-done...but what a season it has been.

I'm wondering if it's just a match-up issue with Fresno. That was the same game as the one we played in Fresno. We'll be ready tomorrow.

El Chapin wrote: ↑

March 14th, 2024, 5:07 pm

I'm wondering if it's just a match-up issue with Fresno. That was the same game as the one we played in Fresno. We'll be ready tomorrow.

Yeah, we seem to have issues with Fresno small ball. Hopefully we are more dialed in tomorrow.

AggieMeister wrote: ↑

March 14th, 2024, 5:06 pm

Our inability to consistently hit 3s will be our undoing in the NCAAs. It will be another one-and-done...but what a season it has been.

I'm not buying this. I believe that this season is different for our Aggies due to Darius Brown II.

AggieMeister wrote: ↑

March 14th, 2024, 5:06 pm

Our inability to consistently hit 3s will be our undoing in the NCAAs. It will be another one-and-done...but what a season it has been.

We've won all year without good outside shooting. This team just finds away. We go on so many scoring slumps but the defense keeps us in it. I think we finally break through.

They need to watch the last few minutes of this game and see how poor shot decisions let Fresno back in. Pound the rock or pass more. No more 3's with time clock left when your ahead.

AggieFBObsession wrote: ↑

March 14th, 2024, 5:20 pm

AggieMeister wrote: ↑

March 14th, 2024, 5:06 pm

Our inability to consistently hit 3s will be our undoing in the NCAAs. It will be another one-and-done...but what a season it has been.

I'm not buying this. I believe that this season is different for our Aggies due to Darius Brown II.

I want to believe, but the Aggies losing in the first round is a beloved annual tradition. Won’t believe until I see it.

ineptimusprime wrote: ↑

March 14th, 2024, 6:41 pm

AggieFBObsession wrote: ↑

March 14th, 2024, 5:20 pm

AggieMeister wrote: ↑

March 14th, 2024, 5:06 pm

Our inability to consistently hit 3s will be our undoing in the NCAAs. It will be another one-and-done...but what a season it has been.

I'm not buying this. I believe that this season is different for our Aggies due to Darius Brown II.

I want to believe, but the Aggies losing in the first round is a beloved annual tradition. Won’t believe until I see it.

I hear you, but we've never had a PG like this before. The closest one was Jared Quayle. And that team almost beat Marquette with two NBA dudes on the roster. Some would say that it was poorly officiated. I was at the game, and I don't remember that, but I do know that we wouldn't have been in that game and had a chance if it weren't for stellar PG play.

The same will be true with Darius Brown II leading the Aggies, except I don't see us losing because of seeding. Big difference between an 11 or 12 seed and a 5 or 6 seed.