It's too bad the Texas A&M basketball teams aren't playing closer to home, but their draws give them a great chance to still be playing next week. That's what the NCAA Tournament is all about -- moving on.
It's also not that far-fetched that both programs could reach the Final Four. That means the men would have to win a regional championship in Houston, while the women eventually would end up in San Antonio.
That would be monumental for the growth of the programs. You couldn't put a price on the national attention the Aggies would get if that happened. They are getting their fair share this week, but as the field narrows, the survivors get more and more publicity. A&M has several great story lines that the nation would love to hear.
For the men, there's head coach Mark Turgeon, who took over for Billy Gillispie and made the program better. There's guard Donald Sloan, one of the best players a lot of people don't know about. There's the awful injury that sidelined guard Derrick Roland.
For the women, there's Danielle Adams, who has shed pounds to become a potential All-American. There's the Sydney guards -- Colson and Carter -- who make the Aggies go. And head coach Gary Blair has enough stories to overload cyberspace.
All those stories have a chance to make the national wires -- if the Aggies keep winning. There's also the sheer enjoyment surrounding a deep playoff run. We've really only had little tastes of March Madness around here.
The men's Sweet 16 march to San Antonio in 2007 was so exhilarating because it just hadn't been done, at least not like that. Sure, A&M reached the Sweet 16 in 1980, beating North Carolina in two overtimes before losing to eventual national champ Louisville in overtime. That certainly was a neat accomplishment that has stood the test of time, but the NCAA Tournament now has such a bigger presence, almost Super Bowl-like.
It was breathtaking three years ago to see so many maroon-clad fans at the Alamodome among the crowd of 26,060. The only trouble was by the time everyone realized how great of an experience it was, Memphis had eked out a 65-64 victory and the rush was over.
The same thing happened to the women two years ago. The Aggies, seeded No. 2 for the first time in school history, had a five-point lead over Tennessee in the regional championship with six minutes left. The Aggie fans at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City were loving it, but Tennessee finished strong for a 53-45 victory en route to a national championship.
The men's Sweet 16 run and the women's Elite Eight journey just whetted everyone's appetite for more, which this year's teams could deliver.
Both squads are playing their best basketball, which is why the women are a No. 2 seed for the third straight year and the men have climbed to a No. 5 seed, which means no top-seeded team will be waiting in the second round.
Yes, it's a bummer that more local fans can't get to Seattle or Spokane, Wash., but that doesn't mean they can't be part of March Madness.
Programs like Kansas, Kentucky and Duke have legions of fans wherever they play, but more importantly they have thousands more throughout the country who basically stop what they are doing to watch their beloved team. That's why you see so many folks proudly wearing their team's hats and T-shirts this time of the year -- even if they are a thousand miles away.
I can assure you, if Duke makes it to Houston, there will be legions of Dukies from the Southwest at the game. There will be a few fans from Durham, N.C., who will make the trip. But it will be loyal Duke fans from this area who will be the ones in the stands.
Texas A&M has a chance to become that kind of basketball program. There are strong Aggie clubs throughout the country, but now it's time for them to get excited about basketball. This is a great weekend to be an Aggie fan if you live in Bryan-College Station, or Bangor, Maine, or anywhere in between.
"A program is only going to be as good as your fan base," said A&M women's basketball coach Gary Blair, who built programs at Stephen F. Austin and Arkansas that also made Sweet 16 trips. "Our fan base all across the country is as good as anyone in the nation. Now, what we have to do is make sure to do it regionally and locally, instead of being just a read-about-it team."
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A&M senior guard Tanisha Smith and junior post Adams are among 52 regional finalists for the State Farm Coaches' All-America Women's Basketball Team.
The two players were on the Region 5 team along with
Nebraska forward Kelsey Griffin, Baylor center Brittney Griner, Iowa State guard Alison Lacey, Oklahoma State guard Andrea Riley and Oklahoma guard Danielle Robinson.
Adams is averaging a team-leading 16.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. Smith is averaging 15.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.2 steals per game.
The 52 finalists will be cut to 40 on Tuesday. The 10-player team will be announced during the Final Four.
Nebraska's Connie Yori was the region's coach of the year.
Gonzaga guard Courtney Vandersloot made the Region 8 team. Gonzaga plays North Carolina in Saturday's other first-round game in Seattle after the Aggies take on Portland State.
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The odds for the Texas A&M men winning the national championship are 100-1, which is tied for 25th. Kansas is the betting favorite at 9-4, followed by Kentucky (4-1), Syracuse (13-2) and Duke (7-1). Odds for the other Big 12 teams are Kansas State (22-1), Baylor (35-1), Texas (75-1), Oklahoma State (100-1) and Missouri (150-1).
A&M's odds to win the South Region are 18-1. Duke leads at 1-1 followed by Villanova (3-1), Baylor (6-1) and Purdue (15-1).
Sloan is a 125-1 pick to be the tournament's most valuable player. Kansas' Cole Aldrich is 4-1, followed by Kentucky's John Wall (5-1). Kansas' Sherron Collins is 15-2 and Iowa State transfer Wesley Johnson, now at Syracuse, is 10-1. Odds for other Big 12 players are KU's Xavier Henry (15-1), Kansas State's Jacob Pullen (30-1), Baylor's LaceDarius Dunn (50-1), Oklahoma State's James Anderson (125-1) and Missouri's Kim English (200-1).
TEXAS A&M BASKETBALL
* NCAA Tournament first-round games: Texas A&M men (23-9) vs. Utah State (27-7), approx. 4 p.m. Friday in Spokane, Wash. (KBTX Ch. 5 and WTAW 1620 AM); Texas A&M women (25-7) vs. Portland St. (18-14), 7:06 p.m. Saturday in Seattle (ESPN2 Ch. 28 and KZNE, 1150 AM)