Thursday, March 15, 2007
Why Texas A&M will make a Final Four run
1. The Law is on their side — The Aggies’ scoring machine went through a 0-16 conference record his freshman year, then spent the next 2 1/2 years being ignored. The NCAA tournament is made for clutch superstars with a chip on their shoulder, and Law fits that profile.
2. The “other guys” — A&M doesn’t have nearly the depth of Kansas or other tourney favorites, but they do have four starters who average 10-plus points to go along with a bottomless bench.
Why Texas A&M won’t make a Final Four run
1. The “other guys,” part II — While Law’s supporting cast was just heralded, it’s been a concern of the team’s as of late. Antanas Kavaliauskas has a tendency to disappear offensively, and A&M’s reserves chip in less than a quarter of the team’s scoring per game.
2. The Bracket — While the prospect of playing in San Antonio is now a real possibility, thanks to the Aggies being placed in the South division, the path to the Sweet 16 has one big roadblock: Louisville, in the second round, in neighboring Lexington, Ky.
Why Texas will make a Final Four run
1. Freshman Phenoms — Kevin Durant is a one-of-a-kind talent who has dominated college basketball this season. Still, his lesser-hyped freshman teammate, D.J. Augustin, has quietly been directing the Longhorns’ offense en route to becoming one of the best point guards in the nation.
2. The “elder” statesman — On a team with practically no upperclass presence, sophomore A.J. Abrams is as close to a senior leader as Texas has. Opposing teams tend to focus too heavily on containing Durant and Augustin, leaving Abrams all alone on the perimeter.
Why Texas won’t make a Final Four run
1. Where’s the D? – As the cliché goes, “defense wins championships.” This raises a red flag on the Longhorn’s chances of making a deep run. Texas ranked ninth in the Big 12 in scoring defense, allowing 71.4 points a game.
2. No Southern Comfort — Despite making it to the Big 12 Championship game, the selection committee didn’t do the ‘Horns any favors by anointing them a No. 4 seed and shipping them to the far northwest for the first- and second-round games.
Why Texas Tech will make a Final Four run
1. Fundamentals — Bob Knight is a no-nonsense coach. Tech ranked second in the conference in turnover margin and tops the chart in free-throw percentage. Playing smart basketball and converting from the charity strip are two dependable ways to win.
2. Senior Status — Knight has made it known he recruits four-year players, going so far as to publicly criticize the new age rule that promotes “one-and-done” players. The Red Raiders’ starting five features three seniors and two juniors.
Why Texas Tech won’t make a Final Four run
1. Because they said so — If the Big 12 is really as weak as national pundits keep saying it is, then shouldn’t its last bubble invitee, a team that finished only fifth in the league and got KO’d early in the conference tournament, be a long shot to make any noise in the NCAA tourney?
2. On again, off again — In January Tech had wrapped up back-to-back victories against Kansas and Texas A&M, and then promptly followed that with a five-game losing skid that included losses to the likes of Nebraska and Missouri.
—Edited by Ashley Thompson
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