Aggies’ goals bigger than high ranking
Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy says it’s time for the Aggies to move into a “new” season — the start of Southeastern Conference play at 5 p.m. Saturday at Alabama. Save for a handful of suspensions and one key injury, the Aggies drew plenty of confidence from a solid “old” season.
“It’s a great start, but now we’ve got to be able to do it in conference play; this is when it really counts,” Kennedy said of A&M’s No. 5 ranking and 11-1 beginning.
In their quest to make their first Final Four, the Aggies have matched their highest Associated Press ranking in school history.
“We’re still not satisfied, and the top five really doesn’t mean that much to us,” senior guard Duane Wilson said. “We still haven’t reached our goal of being No. 1, or winning a championship.
“We’re still hungry and still motivated to win more.”
They had better be, considering the position a few of their key players have put them in over the first dozen games. Starting guard D.J. Hogg will sit out the second of a three-game suspension against Alabama, and he should also miss the Tuesday league home opener against Florida.
Fellow guards J.J. Caldwell and T.J. Starks also missed the Aggies’ 8973 home victory over Buffalo on Dec. 21 because of a one-game suspension, but they should be back against the Crimson Tide. All three suspensions were for undisclosed violations of university and team rules, and it was Hogg’s second suspension of the season.
Hogg, star forward Robert Williams and guard Admon Gilder, the team’s top defender, all were suspended to start the season, again for undisclosed violations.
“We’re ready to get those guys back,” Wilson said. “But the younger guys did a great job of stepping up and being ready to play. Those guys feel bad; they made a mistake. We forgave them.”
That forgiveness comes in part because the Aggies really need them, if they intend to make the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three seasons after missing it last year.
Gilder also has missed the last two games, wins over Northern Kentucky and Buffalo, with a knee injury. He won’t play against Alabama, but Kennedy is hopeful for his return against Florida on Tuesday.
A&M has been aware since the end of last season that the Final Four is in San Antonio this spring. The team’s core group is comprised of juniors who made the Sweet 16 two years ago as freshmen, behind the leadership of then-seniors Danuel House, Alex Caruso and Jalen Jones.
Last season’s 16-15 finish provided a heavy dose of humility for the group led by center Tyler Davis, and the Aggies spoke openly in the offseason of not just reaching the NCAA Tournament but making a trip to San Antonio in late March.
“I don’t think there’s an easy game in league play,” Kennedy said. “Last year, there was a couple of teams that you knew you could beat at home and on the road. This year, everybody is proving they’re capable of winning high-level games.”