In a Year Full of Cinderellas, the Aggies can't Dance with Their Two Left Feet
It has taken me nearly a week to write this blog. I have been just so distraught about our loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Texas A&M that I haven't really wanted to think about it since then. Not so much that we lost, all but one team will eventually lose, I'm more upset about how we lost. I honestly believed this year would be the year that we would break through to at least the second round.
Maybe I am just getting too greedy though. I love my school and I love our basketball team and they had a great season and one loss isn't going weaken my affection for them one bit. Besides I spent my childhood years rooting for Idaho State who never came close to even making the Big Dance, much less winning a game if they ever got there. We had a good season and a good team, we beat BYU, who won a first round game, had a heartbreaking five point loss to St. Mary's, who is in the Sweet 16, and dominated a Witchita State team who was competitive all season long with Northern Iowa, a team who knocked off overall #1 seed Kansas last weekend.
It has been a year completed dominated with story lines of upsets and Cinderella teams such as the aforementioned St. Mary's and Northern Iowa. The Ivy League's Cornell even made it to the Sweet 16. Murray St., Ohio, and Old Dominion each pulled off first round upsets as well. The little guys are putting there mark on this years tournament, showing they can play with the teams from the six power conferences.
So whats missing for the Aggies? Coach Morril said that our team hadn't played anyone as good as Texas A&M. Maybe it's time to swallow some of that "not playing anybody unless they play home and home" pride. If we go on the road and get beat but get the experience necessary to win a tournament game, wouldn't the loss be worth it? I think so. I would love to see us play at least two schools from power conferences in the preseason every year. Be it we play them away, in a holiday tournament, or even in the friendly confines of the Spectrum. Us playing the teams could be the missing link to a NCAA Tournament victory. Look at Cornell, they played Syracuse and Kansas in the preseason. Northern Iowa plays in-state rivals from power six conferences in Iowa and Iowa State. As I was looking at the schedules of these "Cinderella" teams, all had played at least one "big" school prior to the tournament. It's time for the Aggies to do the same!
My preseason predictions for the Ag's were not too far off. We had 27 wins, were regular season champions once again, and I DID get to sing the Scotsman after we beat BYU on my birthday! Not to bad of a season. With four returning starters in their senior season next year, I'm already ready for the next edition of Utah State Aggie Basketball!
Maybe I am just getting too greedy though. I love my school and I love our basketball team and they had a great season and one loss isn't going weaken my affection for them one bit. Besides I spent my childhood years rooting for Idaho State who never came close to even making the Big Dance, much less winning a game if they ever got there. We had a good season and a good team, we beat BYU, who won a first round game, had a heartbreaking five point loss to St. Mary's, who is in the Sweet 16, and dominated a Witchita State team who was competitive all season long with Northern Iowa, a team who knocked off overall #1 seed Kansas last weekend.
It has been a year completed dominated with story lines of upsets and Cinderella teams such as the aforementioned St. Mary's and Northern Iowa. The Ivy League's Cornell even made it to the Sweet 16. Murray St., Ohio, and Old Dominion each pulled off first round upsets as well. The little guys are putting there mark on this years tournament, showing they can play with the teams from the six power conferences.
So whats missing for the Aggies? Coach Morril said that our team hadn't played anyone as good as Texas A&M. Maybe it's time to swallow some of that "not playing anybody unless they play home and home" pride. If we go on the road and get beat but get the experience necessary to win a tournament game, wouldn't the loss be worth it? I think so. I would love to see us play at least two schools from power conferences in the preseason every year. Be it we play them away, in a holiday tournament, or even in the friendly confines of the Spectrum. Us playing the teams could be the missing link to a NCAA Tournament victory. Look at Cornell, they played Syracuse and Kansas in the preseason. Northern Iowa plays in-state rivals from power six conferences in Iowa and Iowa State. As I was looking at the schedules of these "Cinderella" teams, all had played at least one "big" school prior to the tournament. It's time for the Aggies to do the same!
My preseason predictions for the Ag's were not too far off. We had 27 wins, were regular season champions once again, and I DID get to sing the Scotsman after we beat BYU on my birthday! Not to bad of a season. With four returning starters in their senior season next year, I'm already ready for the next edition of Utah State Aggie Basketball!
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