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The NCAA Tournament is here, and Texas A&M is gearing up for another run under head coach Buzz Williams!
This year marks a 3rd straight trip to the Big Dance for the Aggies, but the program is still looking for a breakthrough moment under Williams. They have not been out of the opening round of the NCAA Tournament since 2018, but a 4-seed in the South Region is the best seeding for the program since a 3-seed in 2016.
However, the selection committee did no favors to A&M in the opening draw. The Aggies will face 13-seed Yale, winners of the Ivy League, as a team that has found a formula on multiple occasions to stun bigger programs.
Heading into that matchup, A&M is a 7.5-point favorite at DraftKings, and it is bound to be a battle all game long. Be sure to track the March Madness odds throughout the bracket, including 14 SEC teams in action for a historic NCAA Tournament appearance.
As for Yale, here are the things A&M fans need to know about the Bulldogs ahead of tip-off:
Dangerous and efficient offense
Like most mid-major programs crashing the Big Dance, Yale likes to light things up from 3-point range. However, the Bulldogs take things a step further as one of the more efficient teams in the entire country.
Yale checks in 59th in the entire country in adjusted offensive efficiency per KenPom. For comparison, A&M checks in 44th in that same statistic this season.
It’s not hard to see what drives the Bulldog offense. As a team, Yale shoots 38.8% from 3-point range, a mark that ranks 8th nationally.
Ball movement and smart shot selection are also paramount for Yale. The Bulldogs average 16.3 assists per game (31st nationally) with 5 players averaging 1.3 assists or better per game. It allows Yale to attempt just 19.7 3-pointers per game, a mark that ranks 310th nationally while averaging 81.7 points per game.
It will be a test for A&M as the Aggies held teams to 33.4% from deep this season. A similar issue on the offensive end, A&M is shooting just 31.1% from 3-point range, so the Aggies could be in for a long game if they let the Bulldogs heat up early on.
Size not a major issue for Yale
Unlike most other mid-majors, Yale has found a way to keep a few big men on the roster to complement its plethora of sharpshooters. Last year, it was versatile 7-footer Danny Wolf (now at Michigan). This year, it is 6-foot-10 Samson Aletan.
Aletan only averages 1.9 fouls per game, but he also averages just north of 20 minutes per game, so the matchup vs. Pharrel Payne when both are on the court together will be important. Even with Aletan off the court, Yale manages to rotate some healthy size across the board.
Of the 6 Bulldogs available to average 20+ minutes this season, every player is listed at 6-foot-4 or taller. Versatile forward Nick Townsend checks in at 6-foot-7 while leading scorer John Poulakidas checks in at 6-foot-5.
Yale only averages 16.1 fouls per game, so the best bet for A&M in this one is to create some foul trouble early on to stretch the depth of the Bulldogs. The drop-off in playing time and production beyond the 6-man rotation is steep.
Veterans of madness
Anyone who wakes up to see Yale on the other side of the bracket has a reason to be wary in March Madness. After all, this will be the 5th NCAA Tournament appearance for the Bulldogs over the last 9 seasons, and they already have 2 victories in the tournament as a double-digit seed.
In 2016, Yale stunned 4-seed Baylor, 79-75, before losing a spirited Round of 32 game vs. Duke. Facing a Blue Devils team stocked with NBA talent such as Grayson Allen, Brandon Ingram, Luke Kennard and others, Yale fought all the way to a 71-64 defeat.
In 2019, the Bulldogs returned to the Big Dance for a matchup vs. 3-seed LSU. The Tigers were able to fight off the upset but faced a stiff test in a 79-74 win to advance.
Yale also lost to 3-seed Purdue in a 2022 blowout before taking it to Auburn, then a 4-seed, last season. Poulakidas led all scorers with 28 points and 6 made 3-pointers while Yale forced the Tigers into 14 turnovers.
Any mid-major team to pull off that kind of win, and produce a 2-2 record in opening-round matchups over any stretch of time, is doing something right. The Aggies better be prepared for a true dogfight to start dancing or midnight could come early.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
