Texas A&M, after a constant back-and-forth battle against the Auburn Tigers, fell short. Following the heart-wrenching 50-49 defeat in the first round of the SEC Tournament, Texas’ head coach Joni Taylor immediately came to her team’s defense.
Taylor’s team entered the tournament on a high note. They were on a five-match winning streak, with wins over the No.21 Tennessee and No.19 Ole Miss. However, the form didn’t help them as the Tigers made a game-winning layup to snatch the win away from the Aggies. Texas A&M were hoping to get a couple of wins under their belt to confirm their spot in the March Madness.
However, after the loss, Taylor made a case for her team. While talking to the media, she pleaded with the selection committee to look at the Aggies’ resume.
“When you look at the WAB (Wins Above Bubble), we are two points higher than anybody else that sits on that,” Taylor said. “The committee takes into consideration how you’re playing lately, and I think that speaks for itself. Our non-conference schedule keeps coming into question, but we had some teams that dropped us—we can’t control that.”
Texas A&M HC Joni Taylor believes the Aggies are still an NCAA Tournament team despite the early exit in the SEC Tournament.
“There should be 12 teams in the NCAA Tournament from the SEC.” pic.twitter.com/yRiuQf55Eb
— Tyler Shaw (@TylerShawSports) March 5, 2026
Taylor’s frustration comes from the fact that her team took on some of the best programs and came out on top. However, despite that, this loss may put Aggies’ participation in the NCAA tournament in jeopardy.
“We played Georgia Tech at home and won, played a very good Colorado team on a neutral court and beat them. We went to Kansas State and beat them on their home court. Played West Virginia at home—we dropped a loss that game—but our non-conference schedule against Quad 1 and Quad 2 opponents speaks for itself,” Taylor pointed out. “So I think we’ve done everything that we can do to put ourselves in position to be an NCAA Tournament team, considering the conference we’re playing in.”
She also felt that 12 teams from the SEC should be in the NCAA tournament.
Do Joni Taylor and her team have a case?
The SEC might just be the toughest conference, and that is the point Taylor is trying to make as the 12 teams in the conference are ranked in the ‘NET Top 50’, which should tell everyone how competitive it is. Her team made it to the post-season SEC, and they did it in some style.
Before the defeat at the hands of the Auburn Tigers, the Aggies were on a spectacular run. They had won six out of their last seven games and were on a five-game winning streak. During the seven-game stretch, they defeated three ranked teams, out of which two were on the away courts. Their scintillating run also led them to being named the USBWA Team of the Week.
Since February 15, their NET ranking and WAB have risen 31 and 23 spots, respectively. However, having a much higher Strength of Schedule (SOS), playing in a tougher conference like the SEC, Texas A&M have more losses than the mid-major conference bubble teams. Now it will be up to the committee to choose whether to reward the team with more losses, but that plays in a tougher conference, or a team with more wins but fewer quality wins.
So the selection committee now has a tough decision to make. Taylor is hoping they see and recognize their elite wins and book them a spot in the NCAA Tournament.