ANALYSIS:

Keys for Tennessee:

The Lady Vols don’t have to do anything special. They have the best player in the country surrounded by the best team in the country and led by the best coach in the history of the game. Tennessee needs to show up, not underestimate Texas A&M and play to their ability. If those things are done the Lady Vols should roll to win over the Aggies.

Candace Parker is possibly the most impressive female basketball player of all time. She has all the skills of a guard, all the skills of a post, and is 6-4. She will be the biggest mismatch for the Aggies. Imagine Danielle Gant five inches taller and you would get close to Parker. Parker is the star but Bobbitt and Hornbuckle drive the Cadillac that is the Tennessee attack. The Vols like to pressure the ball and score in transition. Look for a great matchup between those two and the Aggie combo of Starks and Franklin.

Parker will get her points and look like a superstar no matter what the Aggies do. Therefore the Hornbuckle and Bobbitt have to play their game and control pace and tempo through their defense for Tennessee to stroll into Tampa looking for the national championship.

Keys for A&M:

A&M and Tennessee play similar styles. They both pressure the ball with tremendous defense and rely on superior athleticism in order to score in the half court. We somehow have to neutralize the one thing they have that we don’t. A bevy of 6-4 posts. Tennessee will try to dominate the offensive and defensive boards to pull away from the Aggies. Patrice Reado, LaToya Micheaux, and Dmitria Buchanon will have to play great in order to neutralize Tennessee tremendous advantage. In addition to rebounding, our guards have to outplay and dominate their guards. We have no answer for Candace Parker, but if Starks, Franklin, Atunrase, and Gant can outperform their Tennessee counterparts A&M can stay in the game and possibly win late.

Prediction:

Most of you are probably saying “Notre Dame was up at half time, we have a chance!!!” Let me dispel that rumor. We are not the Fighting Irish. They play an entirely different style than we do and it is a style that gave Tennessee fits until they made adjustments. The same thing would have happened to us if we had played Notre Dame.

If the Aggies want to make the trip to Tampa for the Final Four and play for the national championship they will have to outplay Tennessee at Tennessee’s style. Because of the strength of Franklin, Stark, and Gant this could happen. However, the fact remains no one at A&M can match up effectively with Parker. Micheaux will have to stay out of foul trouble, Franklin will have to pressure the ball like she has the past few games, and Gant/Starks will have to make almost every shot they take.

Keeping Micheaux out of foul trouble will be no easy task since she will be facing more athletic and more aggressive post players than she normally does. For Franklin to control the pace and force turnovers like she needs to, she will have to outplay guards that are better than what we have faced thus far in the NCAA tournament. If Gant/Starks are going to dominate the game offensively they will have to do it against one of the best defensive teams in the country.

If the Aggies can effectively perform each of the tasks listed above they should win. However, Tennessee still has Candace Parker and she is the best player on the court and in the nation. As much as I hate to say it, I am taking Tennessee in a game that should remain close till the final five minutes when the Lady Vols will kick it into overdrive on their way to Tampa. I hope I am wrong. Good Luck Ags!

-COACH DALE

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#2 Texas A&M (26-7) v. #3 Duke (25-9)

ANALYSIS:

Keys for Duke:
Every player that steps onto the floor for Duke will have been some sort of All-American in high school. Duke has so many high school All-Americans that some aren't good enough to even get on the court this year. Of course they will be there in future and that is why Duke never rebuilds but only reloads. They like to pressure the basketball, force turnovers, get down the floor quickly, and score in transition. Does that sound familiar to Aggie fans? I think I have seen it a few times this year at Reed Arena. There will be two teams that like to play fast on the court come Sunday night, the one that plays better will win.
On defense Duke pressures the ball with their superior athletes and tries to funnel their opponents into the lane where they have to do with six foot five Chante Black. She maybe the most athletic six foot five players any of us have ever seen. She blocks shots, changes shots, and rebounds the ball. It's her job to get the ball to the guards so they can force the tempo.
On offense Duke wants to force tempo with their playmakers like All-American Abby Waner and uber-athletic Wanisha Smith. When things are forced to slow down the Blue Devils will try to either penetrate and dish or just dump the ball inside Black. The one chink in Duke's armor is their 27% shooting from beyond the three point arc. However, they are one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country.

Keys for A&M:
A&M doesn't have the blue-chip recruits, high school All-Americans, or prestige that Duke has, but what they do have can't be measured by quantity. The Aggies are some of the physically and mentally toughest players in the country. They know what it means to take advantage of every opportunity, work hard, and play hard.
On the offensive end of the floor A&M has two choices: play better fast than Duke or slow the game down to a crawl. If A&M can't beat Duke in the up-tempo game they will have to slow everything down to a crawl. This really puts A&M in a bind. Coach Blair has to decide quickly if they will be able to stay with/beat Duke in the up-tempo style he prefers. If they can't keep up with Duke he will walk the ball up the floor and try to beat Duke in the half court. This presents two problems: 1) Blair has to make the decision to slow down before A&M is getting blown out and 2) A&M isn't very good in the half court. Either way A&M is going to rely on Takia Starks and Danielle Gant to shoot a high percentage and score quite a bit. If the Aggies can manage 15 points and 15 rebounds from the Dmitria Buchanon/LaToya Micheaux rotation at center they are controlling the boards and preparing for Tennessee on Tuesday night.
Defensively the Aggies need to do a variety of things in order to keep control of Duke. First and foremost Duke can't get inside the three point lane. The pressure Aquonesia Franklin, Sydney Colson, and Morenike Atunrase put on the ball will have to slow Duke down and control guard penetration. That same pressure will make it difficult to for Chante Black to catch the ball in a position where she can score. Another key for A&M will keeping Duke off of the offensive boards. Duke is not a good three point shooting team, but they will often shoot it just so they can get a rebound and put it back in. If A&M can control the boards, pressure Duke's All-American guards, and keep Black under control A&M should be able to win.

Prediction:
This is the Aggies first trip to the Sweet Sixteen since 1994 and these girls are under a tremendous amount of pressure. It's been a long time since newspapers from all over the country and ESPN have written feature articles on the girls. On the other end of the spectrum is Duke. They are one of the elite powers in women's basketball that just happens to be having an off year. My prediction is Duke will jump out to an early lead while the Aggies battle back. However, the early lead will be too much and the Aggies will lose a tight one. I hope that isn't the case and I hope the Aggies pull out a victory. I am just not sure Duke is the best match-up for our ladies.

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This weekend, Plunk, and myself are leaving 12th MC to enjoy the greatest city in the world, LAS VEGAS. Can you tell me a better weekend to be in the sportsbooks? The Sweet 16 & Elite 8?! Pure gold. Though, I am sure several things will go untold from our excursion to Sin City, we are going to keep up with every bet, won and lost, and reporting back to you on Monday. Like all aspiring gamblers, we are doing our homework before the big test. Here are our picks for the Sweet 16.

But first, a little Vince Vaughn:

The Lines:

12th Manchild Picks:

If you are a degenerate like me, you may need more movie clips and gambling links. Click more for.....more.

Click "Read More" for the rest...

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Aggieathletics.com

Initial Thoughts: The women's team is headed to the Sweet 16 after 2 DOMINATING wins this weekend. Tonight, the Lady Ag's handled Hartford easily posting a 64-39 win. It is absoulutely amazing how much our men's and women's team have grown in the past 4 years. Both teams have gone to the tourney 3 consecutive years!

Why we won: (1)The women pulled out to a controlling 34-19 halftime lead which gave them a nice cushion down the stretch. (2) The Lady Ag's forced Hartford into 25 turnovers. (3) We had 34 points in the paint compared to 16 by Hartford

A&M Player of the Game: DANIELLE GANT - Gant scored 21 points on 9 of 11 shooting, grabed 2 rebounds, and also had 3 steals. Gant helped push the Ag's to next weeks Sweet 16 which just happens to be Gant's hometown.

What does it mean? It means the Lady Ag's will face Duke next weekend hoping to advance to the Elite 8. The only other Sweet 16 visit for the Lady Ag's was in 1994. Tonights win also marked the 11th straight for the women.

Thoughts on the Stats: I like our chances anytime we force 25 TO's and have 14 steals.

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Plunk has more of a post game break down coming

(probably when he gets over his hangov.....errr out of his Easter service)

but in the meantime, the in between time, this is killing me:

This is a little interesting isn't it?

From the LA Times:

I hate to spoil a great game with this cheap "what if" talk, but as an Aggie fan, that is a lot of contact Kevin.

Not that it matters, Sloan only hits 67% from the line, plus we would have had to survive overtime, and our offense was starting to sputter, and Love and Collison were taking over.

But still interesting. Thoughts?

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vs.

PROBABLE STARTERS:

UCLA	Ht.	Wt.	Pos.	Yr.	Hometown	PPG	RPG	APG
Kevin Love	6-10	260	C	FR-HS	Lake Oswego, OR	17.2	10.6	1.8
Darren Collison	6-1	165	G	JR	Rancho Cucamonga, CA	14.9	2.7	3.9
Josh Shipp	6-5	220	G	JR	Los Angeles, CA	12.8	3.2	2.3
Russell Westbrook	6-3	187	G	SO	Hawthorne, CA	12.5	3.8	4.4
L.R. Mbah a Moute	6-8	230	F	JR	Yaounde, Cameroon	8.8	5.4	1.5

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A&M Notes: From AggieAthletics.com

• A&M Coach Mark Turgeon is 3-1 in NCAA Tournament play. His 2006 Wichita State team advanced to the Sweet Sixteen with wins against Seton Hall (86-66) and Tennessee (80-73) before falling to eventual Final Four participant George Mason (63-55).

• A&M and Kansas are the only Big 12 schools to record at least 21 wins in each of the last four years.

• A&M’s 25 wins are the third most in school history (27-7 in 2006-07; 26-8 in 1979-80).

• A&M is 52-16 in the last two seasons, ranking it among the winningest schools in the country in that span.

• A&M is 5-1 in neutral site games this season with the only loss being to Kan- sas (77-71) in the Big 12 Tournament.

• n the last six games, A&M’s opponents have made just .296 (34-of- 115) from three-point range.

• A&M has posted 146 blocked shots, the third most in school history and the most since a record 181 in 1989-90.

• In A&M’s last 17 wins, no Aggie player fouled out.

• A&M has had at least 20 points in the paint in all 25 wins. The Aggies have also out-rebounded or equaled their opponent in all 25 victories. A&M is 0-5 when it loses the battle of the boards.

• In the last two games, A&M has averaged a +11.0 rebounding margin. The +10 margin vs. Kansas was the largest against the Jayhawks this year. A&M had a +12 advantage in the first round win against BYU, including a +11 margin in the final 15 minutes of the game.

• A&M is 24-4 when its opponent scores under 70 points, including a 9-1 mark in games away from home (including neutral site games).

• The Aggies have held 13 of their last 16 opponents to 69 points or less. Just eight opponents have crossed the 70-point plateau.

• A&M has beaten a top-10 team in four straight years, but has never had two top-10 victories in a season. The Aggies defeated No. 10 Texas (80-63) on Jan. 30 in College Station, handing the Longhorns their worst loss of the season.

  Prior to 2004-05, A&M had beaten a top 10 team just four times in its history.

• The highest ranked team A&M has ever defeated was No. 5 Texas in 1981-82 in Austin (71-69 in overtime). Kansas was ranked No. 6 when the Aggies won last year in Lawrence (69-66).

• A&M has appeared in three straight NCAA Tournaments for the first time in school history and has won three straight first-round games. The Aggies are 4-2 in NCAA Tournament play in the last three years. Including the 2005 NIT, A&M has made postseason play four straight years.

• A&M is 7-9 all-time in NCAA Tournament competition.

• The Aggies are 15-0 this season when making at least 50 percent from the field and is 19-1 when making at laset 45 percent. The Aggies’ shot .543 against BYU on Thursday, a school record for NCAA Tournament play.

• A&M is 21-3 when leading at halftime this season.

• A&M is 22-3 when its opponent makes under 45 percent from the field, includ- ing a 16-1 mark when its opponents makes less than 40 percent.

• A&M is 17-4 when it had 13 or fewer turnovers.

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TALKING POINTS:

• What's at stake?-After a big win over BYU, the Aggies have nothing to lose. In fact, only .9% of the brackets submitted to ESPN have the Aggies beating UCLA tonight. I didn't pick it, Plunk didn't pick it, but Hildy sure did. You have to think that whoever comes out alive tonight is the favorite to get to the Elite Eight after what happened in Tampa yesterday (See Mark Schlabech's article).

• Keys for A&M - (1)Get Josh and Joe involved early.- Even though I don't want to see us get in a shootout with UCLA (they have too many weapons, we need consistency from our best offensive players. Every game I think back to how we opened up at home vs. Texas: feeding Joe the ball the first dozen times down the court. I am not saying he should get our first dozen shots, but I want to see us run our offense through him on the block. Make Kevin Love work on both ends of the court and see if we can't get some easy 3's opened up for Josh by making UCLA collapse on Joe in the paint.

  (2) Milk the clock. - UCLA has four players that average double digits, we have two. Tonight is not the night for Sloan to get carried away. If he plays within himself and gets us in our half court set every time down the court, we may have a chance to do the unthinkable tonight.

  (3) Rebound. - Davis, Jordan, Junior, and Joe need to locate a body and box out tonight. Even if they don't get the rebound, it could open up lanes for Josh and Sloan to crash in on the loose ball. Getting bodies on Love and Mbah a Moute early and forcing them to get some stupid fouls could be huge in the long run.

• Prediction - This isn't uncharted territory for the Aggies. Most of our team suited up against Louisville in the round of 32 last year. We have played teams as good as UCLA this year. We beat Texas by 17. We played Kansas relatively close twice. I think UCLA, out of all the #9's, would want to play us the least. We have talent, size, athleticism, and are battle tested. UCLA has everything to lose, we have everything to gain. What more could you ask for. I predict that this game comes down to the final two minutes, but free throws jump up and bite us in the pants: UCLA 64 - A&M 59.

  WE DEFINITELY HAVE OUR HANDS FULL TONIGHT.

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  PLEASE LEAVE ALL YOUR COMMENTS ABOUT SATURDAY'S GAMES BELOW

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Women's Basketball: UTSA Preview

By J Lou Section: Basketball
Posted on Fri Mar 21, 2008 at 06:32:08 PM EST

Texas A&M (26-7) vs.Univ. of Texas-San Antonio (23-9)

vs.

Saturday, March 22nd, 2008 | 11:00am

Pete Maravich Assembly Center | Baton Rouge, LA

Television:

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TALKING POINTS:

• Keys for UTSA-The Road Runners are making their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance following their first ever Southland Conference Title. However, this is not their first taste of success. They appeared each of the last three years in the Southland Conference tournament final before breaking through this season. This team also posted a school record 23 wins and the second twenty win season under head coach Rae Rippetoe-Blair.

  First team all conference junior guard Monica Gibbs is the key cog in the UTSA lineup. She is the schools all-time leader in assists, second leading rebounder, and third leading scorer. Every UTSA bucket will either be created by Gibbs or scored by Gibbs. Onika Anderson has been the primary beneficiary of the playmaking ability of Monica Gibbs. Anderson made second team all-conference this season as the leading scorer and rebounder for Road Runners. Whitney York is another interesting piece for UTSA. Last season she led Bryan High to the Regional Final, falling to eventual state champion Rockwall, after transferring to Bryan from Huntsville. Out of high school she wanted to play for Coach Blair at A&M but chose to sign with UTSA in the end. Watch for her to play with a little motivation against the hometown team.

• Keys for A&M -

  For some second seeded teams, keys to victory include getting off the base and not oversleeping. This probably isn’t the case for Texas A&M. Facing an in-state school like UTSA and playing against girls many of our players played against in high school could create and interesting dynamic in this game. Both teams should come out highly motivated. It is important for the Aggies to come out and have a great start. If the Aggies can put away the Road Runners early in the ball game this could turn into a rout. However, if A&M allows UTSA to stay in the game the Road Runners will gain confidence and the Aggies will be ripe for the upset.

  Defense is going to be the name of the game in this contest and every contest for the rest of the season. Lucky for the ladies from Aggieland, they have superior athletes, talent, and coaching. There are variety of players that will match up with Gibbs are will be charged with keeping her out of the lane. You will see Franklin, Gant, Starks, Colson, and Atunrase defend Gibbs throughout the game. A bevy of fresh bodies should wear Gibbs down. That leaves York to do the creating. Franklin should defend her most of the game and she is way to physical for York to stay with her for 40 minutes.

• Prediction -

  Look for the Aggies to win big. They are tired of listening to people say they don’t deserve a second seed. A&M should jump out to a big lead and coast to victory. Even if the game does stay close for a half, A&M’s guards are too big, too experienced, and too physical for UTSA to keep up. Offensively watch out for Danielle Gant. There isn’t a single Road Runner that can effectively defend Gant. She should have at least 20 (if she plays enough minutes). In summation, there isn’t a single Road Runner fast enough, tough enough, or strong enough to stay with the Aggies.

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Texas A&M vs BYU Game Recap

By Plunk Section: Basketball
Posted on Fri Mar 21, 2008 at 10:40:50 AM EST

Texas A&M 67 - BYU 62

Initial Thoughts: Like any A&M game, I was expecting us to blow it at any moment. We built an early lead only to give it back before halftime. It was encouraging to see the Ag's make a comeback and they did not get rattled when the stormin mormon's made their runs. Josh Carter is the reason we won that game.

Why we won: See Above (Josh Carter) - If Josh does not play out of his mind, we don't win. He kept us in the game with his 3's and key rebounds. I was really impressed by his rebounding last night and I really hope we see this Josh on Saturday.

A&M Player of the Game: JOSH CARTER. See above. 26 points on 10 of 16 shooting, plus 5 boards says enough.

BYU Player of the Game: No one specific stuck out but Trent Plaisted played well in the 2nd half. BYU had their balanced scoring w/ Plaisted putting up 13, Cummard putting up 12, and Tavernari putting up 15.

What does it mean? It means that the Ag's have WON a NCAA tournament game three years in a row. Right now, every Aggie needs to chill out, and say "Thank You" because Aggie Basketball has come a long, long way. Teams such as Duke, Kentucky, Indiana, and Kansas have not won a tourney game 3 straight years. I still can't believe how far our basketball program has come in such little time. Ok, now we play UCLA, a #1 seed who many have coasting into San Antonio for their 3rd straight final four (which is crazy).

A&M	Key Stats	BYU
37	Rebounds	25
(25-46) 54%	FG %	(24-54) 44%
(8-16) 50%	3FG %	(7-22) 32%
(9-17) 53%	FT %	(7-14) 50%
0	Blocks	1
2	Steals	6
13	Turnovers	7

Thoughts on the Stats: It scares me that we shot 54%, out rebounded them by 12, and shot 50% from beyond the arc, yet we barely won that game. Hope this changes before Saturday.

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BYU vs. Texas A&M Preview

By Plunk Section: Basketball
Posted on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 10:24:29 AM EST

Texas A&M (24-10) vs. BYU (27-7)

vs.

March 20, 2008 | 6:25 (CT)

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Honda Center (17,608) | Anaheim, CA

Television:

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PROBABLE STARTERS:

Texas A&M	Ht.	Wt.	Pos.	Yr.	Hometown	PPG	RPG	APG
Dominique Kirk	6-4	185	G	SR-3L	Dallas, TX	8.6	3.4	3.5
Donald Sloan	6-3	205	G	SO-1L	Dallas, TX	9.4	4	3.4
Josh Carter	6-7	200	G/F	JR-2L	Dallas, TX	11.9	4.0	1.4
Joseph Jones	6-9	255	F/C	SR-3L	Normangee, TX	10.4	5.1	1.3
DeAndre Jordan	7-0	260	C	FR-HS	Houston, TX	8.2	6.2	0.4

BYU	Ht.	Wt.	Pos.	Yr.	Hometown	PPG	RPG	APG
Lee Cummard	6-7	185	G	JR	Mesa, AZ	15.8	6.4	3.5
Sam Burgess	6-3	190	G	SR	Alpine, UT	8.8	3.6	2.0
Ben Murdock	6-2	185	G	SR	Bountiful, UT	4.0	2.4	3.7
Jonathan Tavernari	6-6	215	G/F	SO	San Bernardo, Brazil	13.1	5.3	1.5
Trent Plaisted	6-11	245	F/C	JR	San Antonio, TX	15.6	7.8	1.5

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A&M	Key Stats	BYU
71.5	Points PG PG	74.1
46%	FG %	46%
36%	3FG %	38%
64%	FT %	66%
4.2	Blocks PG	4.5
4	Steals PG	6
12.8	Turnovers PG	14.2
39.3	Rebounds PG	42

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TALKING POINTS:

• What's at stake?-A Saturday matchup against #1 seed UCLA. All the speculation of what a win would do for the Aggies is over...it is simple, lose and the season is over.

• BYU Season Recap - BYU won the mountain west conference regular season title, and the cougars also were undefeated at home this season. I hope Aggie fans are not taking BYU for granted and alredy looking ahead to UCLA because this team could easily beat the Ags if we are not careful. The cougars are an extremely balanced team with 3 players averaging over 13 points per game. Balance like this is huge come tourney time because if one player is off, they have 2 others to pick up the slack. The cougars are led by their center Trent Plaisted who is from Clark HS in San Antonio. He averages 15 and 8 and can also shoot from the outside. One thing that scares me is how well their guards rebound so the Ags will have to be strong on the glass. BYU is a very good and patient team and I have no doubt this game will come down to the wire.

• Keys for A&M - (1) defend the permiter - BYU's big guys can all step out and hit a jumper and this has been a problem for A&M (see Texas Tech for example), so A&M MUST play tough nose defense all over the court.

  (2) Push the ball - A huge advantage I see for A&M is the fact that we are more athletic than they are and I think we must try to push the ball and finish on the fast break.

  (3) Josh Carter - to be blunt, he must score for us to win. He has to break out of his slump and I think he needs to get to the FT line more often. As Josh goes, the Ags go so we need him to step up.

• Keys for BYU - (1)Force TO's - one of the Ag's biggest weakness is our tendency to turn the ball over. BYU will look to win the TO battle and if they do so, it could result in a first round exit.

  (2) Keep A&M off the offensive glass - Brian Davis, Joe Jones, and DJ have made a killing on the offensive glass and BYU must win the boards battle.

  (3) Shoot the 3 - BYU shoots tons of 3's and in order to win they must shoot the ball well.

• Prediction - A&M wins 62-58 in a tough battle. I think this game could go either way but A&M brings its A game and pulls out a tough victory.
  PLEASE LEAVE ALL YOUR COMMENTS ABOUT THURSDAY'S GAMES BELOW

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Tourney Chat with Hildy

By J Lou Section: Basketball
Posted on Wed Mar 19, 2008 at 02:40:12 PM EST

To help pass the time as we approach the big day, Hildy and I got together for a little tourney chat. We tried to stay on topic the best we could. If you like this first part, click READ MORE at the bottom to see the full conversation

J Lou: If you view A&M from a non fan's view, what do you think?

Hildy: I think we are a relative unknown to people outside of Texas and the Big XII... people probably think we are a Arizona St-esque team that shows up every few years and disappears right after. ASU is probably not the right comparison... maybe st. Joes

J Lou: I agree with that. I think people still view us as Acie Law.

"THAT'S WHAT I DO!"

Hildy: Even more... Billy

J Lou: Long term, I like that Turge has his views on establishing a steady program. He won't move after this. He is a family guy. He has seen what Roy Williams and Dean Smith have accomplished at long tenured stays, and I think he wants that.

Hildy: I hope that is true... I hope we want him around and I hope he wants to stay

J Lou: Short term, I think that the normal basketball fan is bored to tears by the way we play. We are sloppy, inconsistent, and go long stretches with no scoring.

Hildy: Definitely. It is similar to when Billy arrived; he slowed things down big time until he found somebody he trusted to handle the ball. I have to applaud Turge's tactics over the Big 12 Tourney and a few weeks before: minimize possesions and try to get a good shot on each trip down the floor. Very boring and mathotical but that is why we were in the game agains KU.

J Lou: You mean methodical, and yes, that is the best way for us to play. I think that you will see that change in the next few years. Thursday will be all about playing smart basketball. I am high on team's like Drake right now, b/c they don't turn over the ball. They play within themselves, and stick to their game plan.

Hildy: You can bet BYU will do the same. I don't think our game will have the highest TV ratings of Thursdays games, but as long as we win, right?

J Lou: Well before we get to BYU, lets step further away from Aggieland and look at the whole tourney. Who are your Final Four teams?

Hildy: Currently... Tenn, Kansas, Pitt, and Duke. I have not arrived at a final draft, yet. Who are yours?

J Lou: Playing your cards close to your chest huh? I respect that. My final four isn't fancy: UNC, Georgetown, Memphis, UCLA

Hildy: 3 one seeds... very bold

J Lou: I really feel the #1 seeds are that much better this year. I could see Duke in that group, but I never have and never will predict them in a bracket.

Hildy: I was virgin before yesterday in that regard

J Lou: Guards win you tournament games, and Texas has plenty of them, but they have no depth. I really think that Memphis, after two straight Elite 8's, takes the next step. The players are there, and Rose is the missing piece.

Hildy: So I suppose UCLA is going to the championship then?

J Lou: Yeah, but bowing out to my beloved Tarheels in close 83-77 contest.

Hildy: Nice. I have Kansas edging Tennessee in 92-89 thriller

Click "Read More" for the rest...

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A&M Women's BBall Update

By J Lou Section: Basketball
Posted on Wed Mar 19, 2008 at 12:24:03 AM EST

We have neglected one of the greatest stories out of B/CS long enough. To get our 12th MC readers up to date, we have brought in one of our most dedicated visitors, Coach Dale:

The Lady Ags react to receiving a school record #2 seed

Let's take a look at what the Aggies have to face in the Midwest Region of the 2008 Women's NCAA Tournament. Most experts will tell you the Oklahoma City regional is by no means the toughest, but the Aggies must march through tough competition that includes defending National Champion Tennessee, perennial power Duke, and the incredibly difficult and familiar Oklahoma. Do the Aggies have a chance to win the regional and make the Final Four? Sure, but so does sixteenth seeded Oral Roberts.

The Aggies Road to the Final Four:

Life is simple in Aggieland these days. If we play defense, we win. If we don't, then we lose. Everything the Aggies are trying to do comes from their defense and their guards. A'Quonesia Franklin and Takia Starks will key the Aggie's run through the NCAA tournament with their defense and their ability to push the ball in transition. If there is one weakness it is the half court offense. We have no one that can consistently score in the half court. Damitria Buchanon has come on as of late, Takia Starks is making everything she shoots, and Danielle Gant is the perfect mismatch. In order for the Aggies to make a run in the NCAA tournament all of the above must continue playing as they have lately. If the Aggies want to beat Tennessee, then all hands need to be on deck. Specifically Morenike Atunruse has to return to the form that made her one of the best players in the country her freshman and sophomore years.

The Favorites in Oklahoma City

• There is Tennessee and everyone else. Tennessee is the defending champ and they have the best player in the country in Candace Parker. Oh, they also have the greatest women's basketball coach of all time.

• Duke has to be considered another favorite in the region based on talent alone. Most of the players on the team are what Coach G left when she jumped on the cash and went to tu. They are very talented and should play a great game against the Aggies in the Sweet Sixteen.

• Many experts are saying Utah maybe the women's version of George Mason. Personally I doubt it because they would have to beat Tennessee in the second round. That ain't gonna happen.

• As long as OU has the Paris twins they are dangerous. There aren't very many girls that are that big, that mobile, and that good. They do what they want, when they want, and how they want. The big question for OU is, will their guards get in the way of the Paris twins?

My Prediction for the Aggies

The Aggies should advance past the second round for the first time under Gary Blair. They will fight hard against the Blue Devils and the odds on winning that one are 50/50. However, it just doesn't matter because Tennessee will go to Tampa and play in the Final Four.

As the Aggies advance I will try to post more updates and analysis. Good luck to the ladies, they have worked hard and earned their time on the national stage.

-Coach Dale

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