Somewhat agree: however, these were Buzz' players that he had for 3-4 years. Unfortunately, Buzz has likely peaked at what he can do. I actually like Buzz but not sure he can go the distance (SEC or NCAA tourneys) given how this entire '24 - '25 season went with his experienced team of seniors.

chick79 said:

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Our ROI is unquestionably the worst in the country. The sooner you realize (accept) we suck as an athletic program the happier you're going to be.

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i think anybody who been paying attention for any time at all has probably moved past denial (ie. to realization). to have a shot at being happier they will need to work through anger, bargaining, depression, before finally breaking through to acceptance. seems to be where the op has gotten to. i can't do it but good for him.

91AggieLawyer said:

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AggieCrew44 said:

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91AggieLawyer said:

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Quote:

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you put way too much stock in single elimination hoops

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That's like saying the NFL puts too much stock in good quarterbacks. Single elimination is how NCAA basketball works! It does that at all levels. The good teams find a way to win under that setting, or at least, go farther in the tournament than the 2nd round.

No team I've ever heard that was worth a darn said, "we didn't go very far in the tournament but damn, we beat a couple of number ones during the year..." 1983 NC State, on the other hand, said "we lost a bunch mid to late season but put together a run that is still memorable."

Give me NC State -- or even the cardiac teams that went to the FF with a double digit seed out of nowhere. Your comment is the not only the acceptance but the justification of mediocrity.

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You took that way out of proportion

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I responded to what you said. It was a silly (at best) comment.

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Its really not. Success over a season is way better predictor of mediocrity than what happens in a single elimination tourney, but you know that

We'd all take 1983 NCstate type run. Of course. No idiot wouldn't. It's also not a way to measure mediocrity or lack there of

Hell ncstate last year made a miracle run last season, but the coach is now fired because the rest of his tenure was awful

welp, thought we get to S16...

there is always next year
this feels like A&M football...

We could have won the regular season, or the SEC tournament, or the NCAA tournament. But we didn't.

Only in Aggieland, would a season where you win nothing be considered GREAT!

Look no further to the ultimate problem with Texas A&M athletics.

AGDAD14 said:

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We could have won the regular season, or the SEC tournament, or the NCAA tournament.

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pshaw! win a single-elimination tournament? i don't think so.

Not a great season. The buildup was for more. The expectation was for more. They limped in and got kicked out by a team that was somewhat similar but did it better.

AggieCrew44 said:

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91AggieLawyer said:

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AggieCrew44 said:

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91AggieLawyer said:

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Its really not. Success over a season is way better predictor of mediocrity than what happens in a single elimination tourney

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I think this is where the disagreement lies.

This season was 34 games in length. Here's the breakdown of the entire season without focusing on a "single elimination game":

Non-Conference: 13 Games (38% of schedule)

The Ags went 11-2 with wins over major tournament teams. This is greatness and the best noncon results Buzz has produced in his tenure.

The Ags were also 5th Place finishers in the Players Era Festival Tournament (2-1).


Early Conference: 9 Games (27% of Schedule)

The Ags started conference play 6-3. They won as expected with the exception of the second half collapse against Texas. Hopes were high but a daunting late season schedule loomed.

This was a good start to conference but not great. Great would've been 7-2 and sweeping Texas.


Late Conference: 9 Games (27% of Schedule)

The Ags went 5-4.

The second half started with a 3-0 run against tournament teams. There were talks about a high 2 seed and potentially an outside shot at a 1 seed. The 9-3 Conference mark had us in play for a regular season conference championship. Up to this point we're in the territory of GREAT (73% of the season).

Then the Ags lost in Starkville and entered a 4-game spiral. They lost contention for the regular season title, slipped 2-3 seeding positions for the NCCAT, lost the double bye for conference tournament play, and entered risky territory to lose more. The Auburn win was huge, but it was a bright spot in an overall bad quarter of play.


Post Season: 3 Games (8% of Season)

The Ags went 1-2 when it mattered most and finished the season with zero accolades.

They lost to Texas in Double OT.

Then they failed to live up to their seeding in the NCAAT.

In Post Season play, the Ags failed to meet minimum seeding expectations in both tournaments. This is unsuccessful at best.


Season Summary

The first 65% of the season was great.
The final 35% was a train wreck.

Final Objective Standards

SEC Regular Season: 5th Place
SEC Tournament: 0-1
NCAAT: Round of 32 (11th Team in School History)

Players Era Tournament: 5th Place

Final Subjective Standards

Final Regular Season Rank: 14 (2nd Highest in School History)
Final NCAAT Seed: 4 (3rd Highest in School History)


Final Analysis

Was this season great?

Objectively, the primary accomplishment was entering the Round of 32. This was only the 11th Texas A&M team to do so in 50 years.

Subjectively, the team received some of the greatest rankings and seeding in school history. However, they never fulfilled these expectations in a competitive setting.

Overall, the team returned the most experience in the NCAA and dominated its early schedule. The later schedule consisted of teams surpassing them and the Ags finishing the last 25% of their season at 3-6. When the season entered the territory of greatness, the Ags collapsed and ended with a successful season (by school standards) but no objective accomplishments and fulfilling no subjective expectations.

You can goal tend all day about "single elimination games" not defining a season. The reality is that this was a really good team with a historically successful season that lost the chance at greatness in the final 9 games. And that's going to sting for a few people.