Dancing in Denver: A&M faces Yale in first round of NCAA Tournament

Click HERE to view Texas A&M’s Sunday press conference.

Though assured inclusion in the NCAA Tournament, Texas A&M forward Henry Coleman III was nervous before matchups were revealed on Selection Sunday.

“I’ll be honest, I still was scared,” Coleman said on Sunday afternoon. “I knew we were getting in, but still, there’s anxiousness.

“The whole time I’m thinking, I’m nervous.”

Based on A&M’s 22-10 record, there was no reason for Coleman’s angst before matchups were announced.

But afterward, they were announced there sure as hell was.

Yale?

Go ahead if you dare and think of the Elis as a bunch of over-privileged eggheads in raccoon coats waving pennants and singing: “Boola. Boola. Boola. Boola.”

Last year, No. 4 seed Auburn might have thought that way of No. 13 seed Yale. Of course, that was before the Bulldogs put the madness in March Madness and upset the Tigers 78-76.

Whaddya know? Yale is again a No. 13 seed and facing No. 4 seed A&M, which was obviously docked a seed line because of its double-overtime loss to Texas in the SEC Tournament.

What else do you know? Well, not much, according to Aggie head coach Buzz Williams.

“I know they’re in the Ivy League,” Williams said. “I know coach (James) Jones, but I don’t know anything else, so we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Drawing an Ivy League opponent in the NCAA Tournament can make a strong team cringe. Those brainiacs can play like maniacs.

They often play keep away until somebody breaks open for a layup on a back door cut or pops open for a 3-pointer.

Just two years ago, No. 15 seed Princeton stunned No. 2 seed Arizona, 59-55, in the opener. The Tigers weren’t finished either. They followed up with a 78-63 thrashing of Missouri to reach the Sweet 16.

Harvard defeated Cincinnati in 2015. Yale also beat Baylor in 2016.

Obviously, it’s a mistake to underestimate an Ivy League opponent.

Maybe that’s what Auburn did. The Tigers held a 10-point lead with just under 10 minutes remaining. However, Yale hit a trio of 3-pointers and a bunch of free throws down the stretch.

Of course, this isn’t the same Yale team that beat Auburn.

Zoe Kelton, TexAgs

This will be the third consecutive season Buzz Williams & Co. have received a bid in the NCAA Tournament.

Last year’s leading scorer — 7-foot center Danny Wolf — presumably took a bag of cash to transfer to Michigan, which the Aggies could face in the second round...if they get by Yale.

This season, Yale’s top scorer is 6-foot-6 guard John Poulakidas, who had 28 points and hit a half dozen 3-pointers against Auburn last year.

Poulakidas now averages 19 points. Fellow guard Bez Mbeng averages 13.3 points. Forward Nick Townsend averages 15.3 points.

They all scored in double figures and combined for nine of Yale’s 13 triples in a 90-84 Ivy League Tournament victory over Cornell.

But Yale can score, especially from the 3-point line. Yale is 16th in 3-point percentage at 38.03 percent. Yale averages nine 3-pointers per game.

Maybe you’ve noticed teams that consistently hit open 3-pointers often give the Aggies problems.

But Yale hasn’t played near the competition that A&M has faced. The Aggies have faced 17 teams in the NCAA Tournament field. Yale faced one — No. 13 seed Akron.

Of course, A&M is more athletic, taller and more physical.

“We’re going to look back and study film and do the right things in practice,” Coleman said. “We’re going to play hard and play Texas A&M basketball. They still have to guard us, too.”

That’s the right approach. The Aggies should be confident. They didn’t get into the NCAA Tournament by accident.

Just remember, Auburn probably felt the same way last year.

So, it’s OK to be nervous.