As the NCAA Tournament approaches, Texas A&M finds itself in the No. 10 seed position. This year Missouri, Santa Clara, and UCF join them as the other No. 10 seeds aiming to advance past the opening weekend.
Aggies’ Contrasting Style to Saint Mary’s
Texas A&M (21-11) will face Saint Mary’s in the first round. The game will feature contrasting styles of play. A&M favours a fast tempo, ranking 29th nationally (70.5 possessions per 40 minutes), contributing to their high scoring average of 87.7 points per game, which is ninth in the nation.
Saint Mary’s, in contrast, ranks 298th in tempo (65.2 possessions per 40). Despite the slower pace, the Gaels have a more efficient offence, averaging 120.4 points per 100 possessions compared to the Aggies’ 119.7.
Rebounding and Fouling Concerns for Texas A&M
Saint Mary’s appears to have a significant advantage in rebounding. The Gaels, the 12th tallest team, rank fourth in the nation in rebounding margin (11.3 per game). Texas A&M is 228th in Div. I in rebound margin (-0.2).
Saint Mary’s limits opponents to just 64.6 points per game (seventh in the country). The Aggies are prone to fouling, ranking 325th in the nation in fouls per game (19.3). This could be problematic against the Gaels, who lead all of Div. I in free throw shooting (80.5%).
UCF’s Upset Bid Hinges on Key Players
UCF (21-11) enters the tournament, their first since 2019, with notable wins against Kansas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, and BYU. The Knights, led by point guard Themus Fulks, prefer a fast-paced game, averaging 69.2 possessions per 40 minutes (79th in the nation). UCF will aim to dictate the tempo against UCLA, a team that ranks 318th in possessions per 40 (64.7).
However, UCF has lost four of their last five games. Their sole win during this stretch was an overtime victory against Cincinnati at home.
UCLA (23-11) has won four of their last five and six of their last eight. These wins include victories over No. 8 Michigan State, No. 9 Nebraska and No. 10 Illinois.
Injury Concerns for UCLA
UCF’s chances of an upset would improve if UCLA’s leading scorers, Tyler Bilodeau (17.6 points per game) and Donovan Dent (13.5), remain sidelined due to injuries sustained last week in the Big Ten tournament. Dent says he’s back.
Historical Trends Favour No. 10 Seeds
- A No. 10 seed has defeated a No. 7 seed in each of the last 17 tournaments.
- However, only two No. 10 seeds have reached the Sweet 16 in the past eight tournaments.
Whether Texas A&M or any of the other No. 10 seeds can buck recent trends and make a deep tournament run remains to be seen.