Texas A&M Looks To Prove National Worth Against No. 11 Tennessee

One step at a time. That's how Texas A&M Aggies star guard Henry Coleman III looks at conference games in the Southeastern Conference. 

The margin for error is slim amongst the giants of college hoops. And yes, there are giants in the SEC. There's a reason why Alabama is currently the No. 2 team in the country. The same could be said for Tennessee, the betting favorite to win the SEC East entering the final weeks of the season. 

Coleman doesn't care about records. He doesn't view the chance of beating any opponent as an impossible challenge. Maybe at one point, Texas A&M men's basketball did. 

Not anymore. 

“We’re not even really focused on (the game) too much," Coleman said Monday. "We have to have a good film study, a good prep for practice, a good pre-practice and a really good practice. We have to go 1-0 today.”

The No. 25 Aggies were once viewed as a lost cause before the holidays. An embarrassing 67-62 loss to Wofford in December had fans wondering if this could be the end of the Buzz Williams era in College Station. 

Two months later, there are now skyrocketed expectations for a program that started 6-5. The Aggies (20-7, 12-2 SEC) have won five straight games in conference play. Their 12 wins against SEC opponents are the most since Williams arrived from Virginia Tech in 2020. 

Now comes the challenging part of the schedule. The No. 11 Volunteers enter Reed Arena Tuesday night to not only gain ground in the SEC standings but also at the national level. 

As for A&M, their mission is clear. To be the best, you have to hang with the big boys. And yes, Tennessee (20-7, 9-5) is about as big as it gets. 

“They are as physical and as talented and as good as any team we play regardless of prior results,” Williams said on Rick Barnes' roster. “You’re going to lose in this league. You’re going to get beat up in this league. They’ve been playing without some of their players." 

The Aggies are surging. The Vols are fading. Losers in four of the last six contests, Tennessee has played erratic over the last month, topping then-No. 1 Alabama in Knoxville only to lose by 12 in Lexington to a less-than-stellar Kentucky program. 

Still, this is Tennessee, a program with the prestige to win national titles on the regular. A roster filled with prospects that could be making the jump to the professional level come June during the NBA draft. 

“There is a lot of experience on that team," Williams said. "Numerically, defensively and from a rebounding standpoint, they’re in the upper echelon of all teams in the country.”

Take nothing away from A&M's bountiful 2023 season. One loss separates the Aggies and Crimson Tide for first place in the SEC standings, but the non-conference losses have hampered the program's persona in the national spotlight. 

A loss to Wofford wasn't the only setback A&M suffered at the start of the year. The Aggies also found themselves on the losing side of games against Murray State, Memphis, Boise State and Colorado. According to ESPN's Joe Lunardi's latest bracketology rankings, only the Broncos and Tigers are slated to make next month's NCAA Tournament. 

The Volunteers and Crimson Tide haven't been perfect, but their non-conference losses could have been expected. Alabama dropped a pair of early games to UConn and Gonzaga, both of whom remain ranked in the AP's top 25. Tennessee fell to Colorado and Arizona, though the Wildcats are currently slated as the No. 2-seed in the West Region of Lunardi's poll. 

Tuesday will mark a rematch of a last season's SEC tournament title game in Tampa, Fla. Tennessee picked up their first SEC conference championship in the Barnes era, leaving A&M in the dust regarding postseason seeding. The last time the Vols touched down in College Station, they won by 14. 

A&M might be playing its best ball in years, but voters still might not be sold on the program's potential. A way to garner respect? Winning against a top-15 opponent, is something Dexter Dennis believes is possible. 

Even if the Volunteers empty the kitchen sink over 40 minutes. 

"We’re going to expect their best, and I hope we’re at our best, too," said Dennis.