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Texas A&M Gets Tough Draw in March Madness Bracket

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Gabriel King | Last updated Mar 17, 2025 7:32 AM ET

After an early flameout in the 2025 SEC Tournament, Texas A&M basketball will look to redeem itself with a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. Given its draw in this year’s bracket, that will be a difficult task.

The Aggies earned the No. 4 seed in the South Region in this year’s tournament and will face No. 13 seed Yale in the first round. The two teams will play in Denver, Colo. on Thursday.

While a trip to Denver was not the worst case scenario for Texas A&M, its first round matchup and potential second round opponents are cause for concern. Yale won its second straight Ivy League title on Sunday and beat Auburn, this year’s top overall seed, in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs’ top five scorers were on last year’s team, including guard John Poulakidas, who scored 28 points in last year’s win over Auburn.

Much like Texas A&M, Yale plays at one of the slowest paces in the country, ranking 301st in Division I. Both teams are also top 15 nationally in rebounding margin and top 25 in defensive field goal percentage. Yale’s experience and nearly identical playing style make this a dangerous matchup for Texas A&M.

Keeping Yale off the glass will be the biggest key for Texas A&M and forwards Andersson Garcia and Henry Coleman III will be impact players in that area. The duo combined for nearly 12 rebounds per game in the regular season.

While Yale’s physicality and experience make them a threat for Texas A&M, the Aggies hope their prior NCAA Tournament experience can help them avoid the upset. This is the Aggies’ third straight NCAA Tournament appearance, all under Head Coach Buzz Williams. "Our group has three NCAA Tournament games of experience. That's healthy. Hopefully, we can accumulate more over the next few weeks,” Williams said. The Aggies began preparing for their game against Yale after the selection show on Sunday.

I'm told Buzz Williams is gathering his Texas A&M team late tonight to get a head start on prepping for their first round opponent.

Midnight Yale Practice.
— Robert Behrens (@rcb05) March 16, 2025

If Texas A&M gets past Yale, its second round matchup would be another stiff test. The Aggies would play either No. 5 seed Michigan or No. 12 seed UC San Diego and both teams are top 35 in the NET rankings. Michigan won the Big Ten on Sunday while UC San Diego won the Big West in its first year of Division I postseason eligibility.

Further in the bracket, Texas A&M could face a rematch with No. 1 seed Auburn in the Sweet 16. The Aggies defeated Auburn 83-72 on March 4 in College Station.

The Aggies tip off against Yale on Thursday at 6:25 p.m. CT, looking to fend off an upset and spark a deep tournament run.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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