Eighth Place for the Aggie Men? No way

This is not an eighth place team. Some preseason polls said that the Aggie Men would finish in eighth place because of the loss of last year’s top scorers but based on how they have played thus far in 2010-11, I think we can finish near the top of the MEAC.

One thing I can say about last year is that if you got in the game, you had a chance to shoot. The 3-point shot was king and it scared a lot of conference teams we played. The Aggies were in most games they played, however, it was the finishing of the games that ultimately hurt them. Now Thomas Coleman (13.8ppg, 11.1 Reb, 3.3 blocks) has emerged as the league’s best big man in my opinion. He always possessed defensive skills, but now he has added rebounding and scoring to his resume. More importantly, the Aggies can now command a double team inside which opens up the offense.

FAMU and Bethune-Cookman come into Corbett Sports Center for the Saturday/Monday games not knowing what to expect. Will the fans inside the Dawg Pound be hyped? Will the Aggies be ready to play? Will the Aggies’ 3-point shot fall? Well, I don’t know, but it has the makings of a potential double sweep, with the A&T men and women winning both games.

Nic Simpson (13.7ppg) and Marc Hill (11.4 ppg, 3.5 apg) have provided the stability in the backcourt that the young team needed. The few turnovers that they have made this year have occurred while trying to make a play, instead of throwing the ball away facing a new defensive look. The team is playing better. The team looks better. It averages 70.1 points per game and 42 rebounds per game. First and second place in the conference respectively, as of Jan 5. And while Simpson went for 20 points at Stanford and 17 points at Arizona St., it seems like he has still been cool and will soon catch fire.

Eighth Place is reserved for someone else. This is a good time for Aggie Basketball.