Every year there’s a team that just catches fire during their conference tournament. Some win the whole thing, but most just knock off a top-seed. Providence beat Xavier and nearly pulled off another upset, but lost to Villanova in overtime.
Texas A&M were on the other side of an upset in their conference tournament. Alabama freshman Collin Sexton hit a buzzer-beater to send the Aggies home. They made a bonehead mistake on defense that led to the shot.
Will Providence come into this game flat after three-straight overtime games?
Who do you think will win?
Do you have #7 Texas A&M Aggies or #10 Providence Friars?
The Texas A&M Aggies are a stacked team. Their roster might be the best in the SEC. They go deep in their rotations and are efficient with the basketball. They are also one of the best rebounding teams in this tournament. Sophomore forward Robert Williams made a smart decision to stay another year in school. He is playing his way to being a first-round pick in this year’s NBA Draft. He just needs to stay out of foul trouble.
The Providence Friars had an amazing week. They needed a deep run in the Big East conference tournament to secure an at-large bid. They beat Creighton in overtime, then knocked off Xavier in overtime…but then fell to Villanova, in overtime. They earned every accolade they received this week. Sophomore guard Alpha Diallo was the most consistent player of the tournament. I worry all the overtime games back-to-back-to-back will be a little too much. Teams can catch lightning in a bottle during a conference tournament and then play flat in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Aggies are too talented of a team to fall in the first round. Their offensive rebounding can kill a team’s morale. The Friars are a nice story, but I don’t see them moving on in this tournament.
Prediction: #7 Texas A&M Aggies
**Check out the rest of our NCAA Tournament picks**
Follow us on Twitter @Sweetbob & ‘LIKE’ us on Facebook!
About the Author…
Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.