COACH: Mark Turgeon, four years at Texas A&M, four years in NCAA tournament.
HOW THEY GOT IN: At-large bid.
GO-TO GUYS: Forward Khris Middleton is the most dependable offensive threat for the Aggies. Big 12 rivals picked up on that and hounded the 6-7 sophomore late in the season. Still, Middleton's progression from being just another reserve at the beginning of last season into A&M's top scorer has been impressive. He poses matchup problems because he creates shots from beyond the arc but can disappear if overplayed. Forwards David Loubeau and Nathan Walkup stepped up late in the season to take over some of the scoring burden thrust on Middleton.
X FACTOR: Guard B.J. Holmes is listed at 5-11, but looks smaller because of his boyish face. Still, he can be lethal if left open along the 3-point arc. This isn't something that is easy to detect considering the Aggies ranked 11th in the Big 12 in 3-point makes. But Holmes not only can sneak outside, he also helps G Dash Harris run the offense and is adept at getting A&M into the right sets as a heady senior.
STRENGTHS: Defense and rebounding. The Aggies exude the same grit their coach exhibits and try hard to grind out wins. A&M is not loaded with high-profile recruits. But it typically plays good basketball down the stretch and did again this season, winning six of its last eight Big 12 games. It allowed 63.7 points in conference play, not only by defending well, but by executing a deliberate offense designed to find high-percentage looks. Loubeau was particularly deadly, shooting 50 percent or better in seven of the last nine Big 12 games.
