NCAA Tournament Preview - Oklahoma & Texas A&M

By Big12-Fans Writer Josh Cline


As expected, four Big 12 teams made the 2006 men’s NCAA Tournament when the field was announced on Selection Sunday. Texas earned a two seed for their regular season championship, while Kansas probably moved to a four from a five seed because they beat Texas in the Big 12 Championship Game. Oklahoma backed their way into the tournament garnering a six seed after two straight losses to end their season. Meanwhile, Texas A&M is the surprise team to make it, at least considering preseason expectations, as they snuck in with a twelve seed. Below are previews of what the teams can expect to face in their first weekend of the Big Dance.

Without further ado, here are our Thursday game previews.

#6 Oklahoma (20-8/At-Large Selection)

First Round opponent: #11 Wisconsin-Milwaukee (21-8/Horizon Champions)
Thursday, March 16th @ 12:25 pm ET

What to expect: Oklahoma comes into the tournament losing big at Texas, which could have been expected, and losing to Nebraska in the conference tournament, something that should not have been expected. The team lacks a true point guard, and while Terrell Everett racks up the assists, he also dishes out quite a few turnovers to go along with them. Taj Gray has had a disappointing year, going from surefire first round NBA pick to a likely second round or free agent signing. Kevin Bookout has been injury plagued over his career, but has been Mr. Consistent in terms of getting close baskets and rebounds. The key to the team is whether they can set enough screens to get Michael Neal an open shot.

UWM is in its first year in their post-Bruce Pearl era, but they run the same philosophies now under former Milwaukee assistant, Rob Jeter. They will press and trap and are a pretty up-tempo team. The Panthers are led by Joah Tucker and Bob Davis who average 16.4 and 16.0 points per contest, respectively. Everett will have to be more careful with the ball than usual with this un-Big 12-like style of defense.

Oklahoma has to be wary of the upset here because they are not used to the tempo. They have the athletes to run all over this team, but they might not have the ball handlers or the team makeup. The 2003 team might have been just as athletic as this squad, but OU had a solid team foundation with Hollis Price and Aaron McGhee leading the way. This team seems to be leaderless. I think there is a 50/50 chance OU loses this one, so don’t be surprised if this is an upset special.

What lies ahead: #3 Florida or #14 South Alabama. Assuming Florida wins, the Sooners might have a better chance with the Gators than in their first round match. Florida had trouble with South Carolina in their three games (they went 1-2 vs. the Gamecocks) and it was because USC slowed it down. Kelvin Sampson knows a little bit about slowing down the games and passing it around the perimeter. If OU can maybe pass it inside once or twice, they might be able to get past Florida.

#12 Texas A&M (21-8/At-Large Selection)

First Round Opponent: #5 Syracuse (22-11/Big East Tournament Champion)
Thursday, March 16th @ 9:40 pm ET

What to Expect: Texas A&M has won 8 of their last 9 and that streak propelled them into the tournament as one of the last four or five teams in. Acie Law average 16 points per contest and big man Joseph Jones gets 15.6 points and 6.7 boards per game. The Aggies also took Texas down to the wire in the Big 12 semifinals on Saturday.

Syracuse just ran the gauntlet against some of the toughest teams in the nation, beating bubble team Cincinnati, #1 UCONN, Georgetown, and Pitt in four consecutive days. The Orange were considered a bubble team before that run and somehow parlayed it into a 5 seed (I’m still convinced they accidentally switched Syracuse and George Washington and now it’s too late to correct it). However, before that run Syracuse had been mediocre and losers of three in a row and was beaten by 39 points at DePaul (not in the postseason). The heart and soul of Syracuse is guard Gerry McNamara, as you all should know now if you’ve watched ESPN.

Texas A&M’s chances in this game depend greatly on how they can handle the zone defense. If they can get through it even adequately they have a great shot to win this game because Syracuse has to be tired after their emotional run in the Big East tournament. If they get flustered, Syracuse will be able to outscore A&M who sometimes has a propensity to score in the 40’s. I like A&M in an upset special, but it might be close to a 50/50 game like OU’s.

What lies ahead: Either #4 LSU or #13 Iona. Iona comes from the high-paced MAAC while LSU pounds the ball inside and has been talked about as the team that can handle Duke in the Atlanta Region. The first round game should be a good match of contrasting styles. Obviously A&M will be rooting for Iona because they should feel confident in slowing them down to their snail’s pace. If it’s LSU it’s going to be a war of attrition and the outcome could be determined by how much the referees swallow their wistles.

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