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DRAGGIELAND SUES
FIRE represents Queer Empowerment Council in lawsuit against top university officials
By Nicholas Gutteridge Editor-in-Chief
The Queer Empowerment Council, or QEC, the student organization that hosts and organizes Draggieland, has filed a federal lawsuit against the nine members of the Board of Regents alongside its student regent, Chancellor John Sharp and Texas A&M President Mark A. Welsh III.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, or FIRE, is representing the group. The lawsuit comes days after the Board of Regents banned on-campus drag shows across the 11 universities in the A&M System, including the flagship campus in College Station. The resolution, passed unanimously by the regents last Friday, said drag shows were “inconsistent with the system’s mission and core values of its universities, including the value of respect for others.”
“We refuse to let Texas A&M dictate which voices belong on campus,” a QEC statement reads.
“Drag is self-expression, drag is discovery, drag is empowerment, and no amount of censorship will silence us.”
FIRE is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that defends free speech nationwide. The group is currently representing students who are suing the A&M System and West Texas A&M President Walter Wendler after they weren’t allowed to hold a drag show on campus in 2023.
In the 27-page lawsuit, FIRE’s lawyers ask a court in the Southern District of Texas to halt enforcement of the drag ban, claiming it violates the First Amendment. Draggieland was originally scheduled for March 27 in Rudder Theatre before the regents forced its cancellation.
On Friday, QEC president and materials science & engineering graduate student Sophia Ahmed told The Battalion that Draggieland had sold over 150 tickets before the ban. The group began distributing refunds on Monday. Draggieland is funded exclusively by the QEC after the university stopped sponsoring and funding the group in 2022.
“Public universities can’t shut down student expression simply because the administration doesn’t like the ‘ideology’ or finds the expression ‘demeaning,’” FIRE attorney Adam
Steinbaugh said in the statement. “That’s true not only of drag performances, but also religion, COVID, race, politics, and countless other topics where campus officials are too often eager to silence dissent.”
The FIRE statement calls the regents’ ban illegal and claims it constitutes “viewpoint discrimination,” noting that taxpayers fund the A&M System and the universities under its umbrella.
“If other students dislike or disagree with Draggieland, the solution is simple: don’t go,” FIRE attorney Jeff Zeman said in the statement. “Or they could organize a protest, as students opposing drag have in the past.
The First Amendment protects drag and the ability to criticize drag — and it forbids the government silencing the side it disagrees with.”
To be considered harassment, the Supreme Court has established that speech must be “objectively offensive,” “severe” and “pervasive.” FIRE said a “oncea-year drag show in an enclosed theatre that requires a ticket to enter doesn’t even come close to satisfying those strict conditions.”
QEC has announced a “Day of Drag” protest for Thursday, March 6, and has asked students to dress in their “best drag outfits” across campus to prove that it “is not disruptive or inappropriate.” A separate protest, led by the Texas Aggie Democrats but supported by QEC, supporting student speech is planned for the same day from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Academic Plaza.
“The more people who participate, the stronger our message: drag deserves its place on campus, and so do we,” the council’s announcement reads.
The ban has provoked statements from further advocacy groups as well, including GLAAD and and ACLU of Texas. GLAAD, a nonprofit group supporting LGBTQ+ rights, posted Draggieland’s cause to its 444,000 followers on Instagram.
The ACLU of Texas, a legal group that aims to defend civil liberties, similarly posted a statement on Tuesday, March 4.
“Texas A&M is using hate, fear, and misinformation against the LGBTQIA+ community to ban drag,” the statement reads. “No matter what they say, drag is here to stay.”
An A&M System spokesperson said the System could not comment on pending legal matters. A university spokesperson said the A&M System received notice of the lawsuit Wednesday afternoon, “and the Office of General Counsel is reviewing it now.”
Drag queen Hanna Santanna performing to “Roar” by Katy Perry during their head-to-head lip-sing battle with drag queen Lily Adonis Kline at Draggieland
‘Es un ataque a la educación’: Aggies protestan contra ICE
Nueve organizaciones estudiantiles denuncian la administración política y exigen un campus con seguridad por todos
By Sophie Villarreal Social Media Editor
Más de 150 estudiantes y miembros de la comunidad se organizaron el miércoles, 5 de marzo para protestar contra las políticas migratorias implementadas recientemente por el presidente Donald Trump.
Dirigido por los Jóvenes Socialistas Demócratas de América y ocho otras organizaciones comunitarias y estudiantiles, los manifestantes marcharon por el
campus para denunciar los recientes informes sobre la autorización de la presencia del Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas de Estados Unidos, o ICE, en el campus de Texas A&M. Los organizadores dijeron a los inmigrantes indocumentados a no asistir al evento.
El evento duró desde las 3 hasta las 7 de la noche e incluyó discursos, creación de carteles, una marcha por el campus y terminó con una vigilia.
Varios participantes cargaban banderas de varios países, incluyendo México, Venezuela y Colombia entre otros.
Emigdio Chapa III, estudiante de tercer año de historia, compartió la trayectoria de su tío en la obtención de la ciudadanía. Chapa III dijo que la lucha por la ciudadanía no es suya, sino de
sus seres queridos. “Tengo un tío que, gracias a Dios, ahora si ya tiene documentación, pero antes era muy difícil”, Chapa III dijo. “No podía venir porque no tenía ciudadanía. No lo había visto hace años y por fin lo vi ahora que lo obtuvo. Pero, es un proceso muy largo, muy difícil y uno que no es valorado en el sistema de justicia de hoy en día y necesita ser reformado”.
Francisco García dijo que estaba motivado para asistir y mostrar su apoyo en nombre de amigos, familiares y Aggies. Los estudiantes estadounidenses acudieron a la protesta para apoyar a los estudiantes indocumentados, a quienes se les sugirió quedarse en casa por razones de seguridad.
¿El motivo de Daniel Carranza? Amplificar las voces de quienes han sido silenciados.
“Vine a hablar por aquellos que no pueden hacer todo, que no tienen documentos y que no pueden asistir a esta protesta porque tienen miedo”, Daniel Carranza, un estudiante de tercer año de ingeniería, dijo. “Vine a hablar por ellos”.
El 56% de la población votante de Tejas votó por Trump en las elecciones de 2024, guardando el estado rojo. En el clima político actual, Carranza dijo que es más importante que nunca alzar la voz en zonas que actualmente apoyan más conservadoras. “Para mí es importante porque nos da la oportunidad de tener una voz en un lugar que tiene menos hispanos que otras universidades”, Carranza dijo. “Nos da una oportunidad para hacer más cambios en esta universidad que es
mayormente republicana”.
Para algunos estudiantes, la protesta fue más que denunciar a ICE en el campus. Chapa III dijo que se trataba de denunciar las malas acciones del gobierno. “Yo creo que no es solamente contra ICE, tienen que tomar mayor control del estado también”, Chapa III dijo. “Como otros dijeron, el gobernador y el presidente han dicho muchas cosas feas y han hecho cosas feas — y lo que quieren hacer, no pueden simplemente dejarlos hablar así. No pueden dejar que el gobernador hable así de nuestra gente, a nuestro director. Tan feo decir que puede quitarte todo en un día — es algo que te enfurece, es una ataque a la educación y no está bien”.
English coverage can be found at thebatt.com.
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‘A Colorful Dream’: A look into childhood
The Forsyth Galleries is featuring a temporary exhibit until March 16
By Aubrianna Cecil Life & Arts Writer
She awakes in a colorless room, and her steps draw her toward the door. As the girl strides through, the ambiance shifts to a deep red, surrounding her like an ember. A red telephone box stands in the center. She lifts the phone to her ear. Suddenly, the floor drops, sending her tumbling into a bed of leaves. Surrounded by orangelit lamps and fluttering monarchs, the sunset casts a soft glow over the scenery.
“A Colorful Dream” by Adrien Broom is a set of images exploring the vibrancy and emotion behind colors through dreamlike scenes. The project begins devoid of color in a girl’s bedroom. Then, the viewer follows her as she takes
on new adventures through the colors of the rainbow — red to violet. Finally, she returns to her bedroom.
What was once a blank canvas is now adorned with the colors of emotion, growth and discovery.
Located on the second floor of the Memorial Student Center in the Forsyth Galleries, this exhibit is on display until March 16.
“These pieces paired well with the fascinating technology going on in the 19th century to create new colors within glass,” associate director of the University Arts Galleries Elizabeth Appleby said. “It highlights how color can really impact emotions and feelings.”
As associate director, Appleby finds exhibits that pair well with their permanent gallery, the Bill and Irma Runyon Art Collection.
In the 1980s, Bill Runyon ‘35 and his wife Irma Runyon donated their glass collection and provided funding to establish the Forsyth Galleries, a collection consisting of 19th- and 20thcentury European and American
art. Now, Appleby works to unite the antique exhibit with modern art, accentuating the hard work that goes into glassmaking.
“This exhibit shows the detail that goes into carving glass,” Appleby said. “ … If you make a mistake, you have to start over again. It takes up to three to four weeks.”
Cameo, blown, pressed and cut glass are the focal points of this collection, highlighting the innovations of these centuries-old glassmakers.
Forsyth Galleries’ directors also find unique pieces to display alongside the glasswork to make the collections shine. The biggest challenge for Appleby was finding a project to tie it together.
“Luckily, we were able to include all pictures from the piece, including the stop motion,” Appleby said.
The stop-motion film featured in this gallery was also created by artist Broom, offering a behindthe-scenes glimpse into the threeyear creation of her project.
The film takes viewers through the process Broom followed to craft each set, piece by piece. Every set shows a dedication to detail and passion for creating enchanting, dreamlike scenes that transport the viewer to another world. These imaginative sets convey the essence of each color in the spectrum. Broom takes pride in her work, with no postproduction editing.
“It highlights how photos really only capture a moment in time, even as people grow up,” Appleby said.
The girl ages slowly, though not linearly, throughout the series. As she journeys through the colors of the spectrum, her aging highlights the wisdom and depth gained along the way.
Her age fluctuates in the different sections, illustrating that the artist did not capture the images chronologically, despite the final project photos following the sequence of the rainbow.
“I know it sounds cliche, but it really does transport me back
to when I was like 10 years old,” architecture sophomore Anna Bergman said. “ … All of the photos depict a dream and how a child would see it, and I think I would see it the same way.”
A vibrant, surreal world surrounds the model as she explores the world of color and imagination. Through her journey, she experiences major transformations and self-discovery, leading to her colorful room at the end. Each scene is filled with whimsical, dreamlike landscapes, encouraging a sense of inspiration and awe for all viewers.
“Sometimes you make a show that’s just beautiful. … To me, her piece is an organism,” Appleby said. “It has an environment that fits with the whole piece, and you let people explore it as they go.”
The Forsyth Art Galleries combine older sculptures, such as their glass collection, with a modern take, bringing a new meaning to both collections and defining Forsyth Galleries as an artistic spotlight.
Drag artists fight for freedom of expression
Draggieland performers condemn Texas A&M’s on-campus drag ban
By J.M. Wise News Editor
On Friday, Feb. 28, the Board of Regents adopted a resolution banning drag performances across the 11 campuses that make up the Texas A&M System.
In response to the resolution, the annual drag event Draggieland, hosted by the student organization Queer Empowerment Council, or QEC, has been forced to reschedule or move venues.
Backlash to the regent’s amendment has been swift across the state.
GLAAD and Texas ACLU, two organizations that advocate for LGBTQ+ representation, have issued press releases supporting the show and condemning the regents’ unanimous decision.
Faith, a drag king originally scheduled to perform at Draggieland, who goes by the performance name of Sir Loin Long, has been part of the BryanCollege Station drag community since 2019. He was the first drag king to perform at Draggieland and prolifically documents his drag performances on social media.
Long described the Board of Regents’ decision as “total B.S.”
“Just say you are homophobic,” Long said. “No need to hide it by saying it goes against Core Values. They allowed neo-nazi Richard Spencer to speak on campus, despite a large protest due to freedom of speech, so why is it suddenly a problem for the queer community?”
Long was mentored by drag kings in Houston and was one of the few kings to perform at Draggieland. Drag kings — performance artists who personify male gender stereotypes — have historically been rarer than queens, though both have the same roots
in LGBTQ+ history.
“Every year we put on Draggieland, we are hit with an obstacle,” Long said. “Whether it be official statements saying, ‘You are not affiliated with us,’ removing all school funding for the show, or outright banning it. ...We have not only overcome this obstacle, but we have sold out every year.”
Marco Martinez, the Brazos Valley’s Pride Community Center’s secretary, was set to be Draggieland’s emcee.
He said the resolution has a chilling effect on the local community.
“I wish I could say it was a surprise,” Martinez said. “We’re extremely disheartened that A&M and the Board of Regents are using this queer art form to vilify our community, especially when it’s based on unfounded fears and misinformation that are being fed to the public.”
Martinez said that in light of increasing rhetoric and introduced legislation that aims to remove marriage rights for LGBTQ+ couples, the Pride Community Center, the only community center in the Brazos Valley that provides outreach and education for the LGBTQ+ community, has begun to plan workshops and legal assistance for those who would be affected by the bills.
“Understandably, there are people who are angry and upset about the decision,” Martinez said. “ … Drag is an art form that symbolizes resilience of the queer community, and we all share a knowledge of how important drag has been in the queer liberation movement of the ‘70s. It goes without saying that … a lot of people are taking it as foreshadowing of what is to come.”
In an interview conducted before the Board of Regents banned drag shows, former showrunner and Ph.D. student in biochemistry and molecular biophysics Kelly Risch discussed the logistics of planning the event.
“Draggieland does make
money, and all of the money that is made just goes right back into hosting Draggieland and hosting the other events,” Risch said. “We do have donors … all the money goes just right back into the queer students and the queer events here.”
A recently-enacted policy interpretation letter from the Department of Education faces a lawsuit over vague language that could ban universities from distributing funds for organizations deemed to cater to diversity, equity and inclusion.
“So much goes into an event of this scale,” Risch said. “ … It takes a year to plan. We have four teams
… Each of those teams have about four Texas A&M students on it. … Working on something of this magnitude within the scope and the rules of the university takes a huge coordinated effort.”
Draggieland has faced multiple challenges since its inception in 2020, starting with protests and the defunding of the organization by the university in 2022.
“If you are a queer person and afraid because the negative voices seem to be 10 times louder than the positives, keep strong,” Long said. “You belong here. You have a family here. And our fight is not over until we are treated like human beings.”
QEC has planned a “Day of Drag” protest for Thursday at Academic Plaza, and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, or FIRE, is representing QEC in a federal lawsuit to stop the ban. The lawsuit will join others from FIRE, as the group aims to defend other student groups stopped from putting on drag shows.
“They saw how important it was, so it really stresses that point — queer people are so resilient,” Risch said. “You can do whatever you want, you can try to get rid of us but we’re here. We’re here to stay. You’re not getting rid of us that easily.”
Photo courtesy of Draggieland Faith, a drag king who previously performed at Draggieland, poses for a photo.
Left to right: Adrien Broom’s “A World of Color” at “A Colorful Dream” in the Forsyth Galleries at the MSC on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. Adrien Broom’s “A World of Blue” at “A Colorful Dream” in the
Forsyth Galleries at the MSC, on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025.
Photos by Paola Luzuriaga — THE BATTALION
LIFE & ARTS
From Lone Star State to Los Angeles stage
How Greg Kwedar started his filmmaking journey to the Oscars
By Joshua Abraham Opinion Writer
In the 2000s, Greg Kwedar was a student at Texas A&M planning to enter the business industry. Fast forward nearly two decades and Kwedar is now a film director, producer and writer nominated for three Oscars at the 97th Academy Awards for his film “Sing Sing”.
“I’ve always had vision and would have goals in terms of where I wanted to be, whether that was athletics, sports or on-campus leadership,” Kwedar said. “I’ve always been an ambitious person and competitive, and yet, that’s kind of a dream that’s too big. I grew up watching the Oscars, and maybe there’s some small part of you being like, ‘Well, what would I say if I was up onstage?’ but I wasn’t allowing myself to think in those terms. It was more like, ‘Can I make a film? And if I can make a first film, can I make a second film?’”
And he did make a film — two in fact. His directorial feature debut, “Transpecos”, premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival, and his next feature, “Sing Sing”, was named one of the best films of 2024 by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute.
But before the accolades and success, Kwedar attended A&M. Recruited to play rugby, he was always entrepreneurial and was enrolled in the Professional Program in Accounting.
“I had a DJ business and a window-cleaning business in high school, and the Mays Business School felt like a natural extension of some of the things that I was interested in,” Kwedar said. “I just wanted to be in the best program
at one of the best schools on campus.”
However, while interviewing for internships in New York, he contemplated whether there were other things he was meant to do.
“I decided to walk uptown from the financial district, and I was wearing this very ill-fitting suit,” Kwedar said. “I just remember walking through Washington Square Park in New York City and seeing all the energy. There were artists there, there were hippies, there were all sorts of personalities kind of clashing together. And I was like, ‘I love this city. I want to be in New York, but I don’t want to be in New York wearing this suit.’”
He began to write and pursue that spark of passion the next summer during a trip to Sydney, Australia to play on a rugby team.
He toured a film school in the city and worked as a production assistant for a short film on tour.
There, he fell in love with the process of making films.
“I showed up on this film set, and the second I stepped onto the set, I knew it was my home, my people,” Kwedar said. “It was like this amazing artistic collaboration across all of these disciplines working to tell one story, and I felt alive in a way I hadn’t before. I came back to my senior year of accounting, and halfway through my first exam, I dropped out in the middle of the test to become a filmmaker.”
But as Kwedar tried to break into directing his own film, it just never seemed to come about. It wasn’t until an unfortunate accident while he was producing a film in Thailand that his life was put into perspective.
“We were in our van driving to our hotel and as we were turning, a truck T-boned us, and we got in this terrible car accident in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the night in southern Thailand,” Kwedar said. “We all should have died in that car accident. I just
remember sitting amongst all the wreckage being like, ‘I got another chance at this, and I’m not gonna rest until I actually really go for my dream.’”
After that trip, he went allin to make “Transpecos”, which allowed him to make his next film, which was released eight years later, “Sing Sing”.
“Sing Sing” revolves around a real non-profit program in prisons called “Rehabilitation Through the Arts,” where inmates are given the opportunity to perform in arts such as theatre, dance and creative writing, among others. The narrative film features real alumni of the program, some of whom served time at Sing Sing Correctional Facility, where the film was made, hence the title. Kwedar could’ve never imagined the reception this film received from audiences.
“We were always talking about when we were making ‘Sing Sing’ that we never wanted the experience to be transactional, but an exchange,” Kwedar said. “It was an exchange between artists through love and respect and connection, and that is transferring now to places where we screen it and what happens in these audiences.”
Now available in over 1,000 prisons for free to over a million incarcerated people to watch. Kwedar hopes audiences relate to the film the same way incarcerated individuals have at showings in Sing Sing Correctional Facility and San Quentin Rehabilitation Center.
“There are things that happened in that room that I don’t think could happen anywhere else unless you were going through incarceration,” Kwedar said. “I just hope that us on the outside of the walls find that empathy and yearn for men inside to be able to feel that wind on their face again, and that when we do feel it again that we don’t take it for granted, that we know how precious a gift it is
to
to be able to move freely out in this world.”
Through his success in the film industry, he hopes for Aggies to view his story and to realize the hidden potential that may lie within themselves.
“I just hope that this may reach someone on campus who has an artist inside them that maybe they’re afraid to listen to,” Kwedar said. “It took me a while for that voice to get
act on it. But we need artists in
world just as much as we need the engineers that build our bridges, roads and buildings, as much as we need the veterinarians and the doctors and all the amazing disciplines on campus that are helping change the world. We need artists, too. So to the artists, because I know there’s not many on campus, we need you too.”
Specialty Chocolate takes over Aggieland
Mitch Siegert recalls the many reasons the doors stay open, from hot cocoa bombs to family and faith
By Kennedy Long Life & Arts Writer
Mitch Siegert, owner of Truman Chocolates, has taken on many culinary endeavors, from his time at the Culinary Institute of America in New York to working on the Food Network channel alongside names like Bobby Flay and Rachel Ray, Siegert said. Now, he intends to remain within the comfort of his hometown shop, going strong for 19 years.
The family-owned chocolate shop has been crafting assorted artisanal chocolates far beyond the reaches of Brazos County since its opening in 2006, according to the Truman Chocolates website.
“I never set out to do this, ever,” Siegert said.
Siegert earned two degrees from the Culinary Institute of America — one in Culinary Arts and the other in Baking & Pastry Arts — never having a specific interest in chocolate along the way. It wasn’t until he noticed the groundbreaking work going into colored chocolate that he wanted
to do his own experimenting.
“The way we were making [chocolates] was really new. There were only maybe four or five people that were making colorful chocolates,” Siegert said.
Siegert said he was interested in discovering the allure of chocolates that didn’t have the signature brown look.
“I didn’t care about anything else, I wanted to make chocolates that were shiny and colorful and that people were drawn to,” Siegert said. “That’s basically what got me here.”
Siegert expected Truman Chocolates to be wholesale oriented, meaning the shop would be focused on filling large orders to be shipped to hotels and businesses out of physical reach. As it turns out, he was wrong.
“When we opened up, we were just blown away by the retail side of it, just people wanting to come in and get chocolates, and so that’s where we’ve been ever since we opened,” Siegert said.
In December of 2020, The Texas Bucket List helped put an already-booming Truman Chocolates on the radar of Texas residents. Hot cocoa bombs had recently been introduced to the shop, and Siegert said he was working overtime to fill orders for the holidays.
“We couldn’t keep up no matter what we did,” Siegert said.
After visiting and creating hot cocoa bombs in the Truman
Chocolates kitchen, The Texas Bucket List host Shane McAuliffe declared that the treats make a visit to Truman Chocolates worthwhile, according to The Texas Bucket List website.
“[The episode] didn’t air until the 15th of December, and when it aired we didn’t get caught up on orders until the end of January,” Siegert said.
The exposure from The Texas Bucket List caused customers to flock to the doors of Truman Chocolates two hours before the shop even opened, just hoping to get their hands on Siegert’s unique treats.
“Our best sellers are the Crème Brûlée, Red Velvet, Strawberry Cheesecake, Cupcake, Key Lime, and S’more,” Siegert said.
Truman Chocolates offers 36 chocolate flavors and six unique bars, including a few that taste more like a full dessert than a bitesized chocolate.
Although the chocolates boast incredible flavors, Siegert said that the chocolates are so beautifully crafted that people don’t want to eat them.
“Most people come in and they’re just blown away by the fact that they don’t look like chocolate,” Siegert said. “They’re shiny and they’re colorful and that’s pretty much the draw.”
Unlike other industries, Siegert sees the artisanal chocolate industry as more of a family than a group of competitors.
Siegert believes that the chocolate industry poses more as inspiration than something to keep up with, he said.
“There are very few people that work in kitchens that want to keep everything a secret anymore,” Siegert said. “It’s more enjoyable to see other people trying to do things that you do.”
Two key factors that have fueled Truman Chocolates’ success are the support of Siegert’s family and his faith, he said.
His 6-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son are the reason he keeps going, and with Truman Chocolates going steady, Siegert hopes to find more time outside of the kitchen to watch them grow up.
“I love my family, they take care of me,” Siegert said. “I can’t do anything without them.”
Siegert’s faith can be plainly seen in his kitchen, from the Bible verses and reminders to connect with God on the whiteboard above his desk to the way he speaks about the source of his perseverance.
“Everything that has ever come good in my life has come from my faith,” Siegert said. “That’s what gave me the strength to not worry about failing.”
Siegert also believes having employees whom he regards as family has made a significant impact on both the business’ success and its environment.
“Having people that care about
the way things come out matters so much,” Siegert said. “That’s really what makes working here so great.”
Siegert says he has two employees who have stood out for their dedication in the last two years.
Juliette Moffett has worked at Truman Chocolates for three and a half years and is bound for Sweden, where she’ll learn how to make authentic Swiss chocolate, she said.
“She can do everything that I can do, and she’s going to Sweden to learn how to really make chocolates,” Siegert said. “We can’t wait to hear about that.”
Bailey Ray has worked at Truman Chocolates for two years and has plans to attend the same New York culinary school that Siegert attended.
“She just got accepted,” Moffett said. “I’m gonna be so sad when she leaves, but I’m so excited for her, too.”
With worldwide shipping, Truman Chocolates has reached both near and far, and Siegert is proud of the impact his family has made within the walls of the small shop. Fulfilling orders to places like France and Rome has reminded Siegert that bigger is not always better.
“I kept everything as small as I could and I made every mistake you could possibly make,” Siegert said. “And we made it to the other side of it.”
Photos by Kennedy Long — THE BATTALION
Photo courtesy of Eshani Yeragi
Left to right: Truman Chocolates employee Juliette Moffett and owner Mitch Siegert stand in the kitchen of Truman Chocolates on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. Freshly-made chocolates from Truman Chocolates on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025.
Photo courtesy of IMDB
Anxiety isn't kryptonite, it's a power
You run fastest when something is chasing
By Maddie McMurrough Opinion Columnist
This past weekend, my sister, her boyfriend, our good friend and I took a trip to Vail, Colorado for a concert.
For anyone who hasn’t been to Colorado in February, it’s very snowy. We were under constant avalanche watch throughout our three-day stay, m throughout our three-day stay, meaning, an avalanche could occur at any time at any time. By attending a jam-packed concert in the valley between two ski slopes, we were tempting fate.
My anxiety was through the roof. On the almost two-mile hike up the mountain to the awaiting concert venue, my sister and I discussed our avalanche plan. We planned what how would escape if we were trapped by the snow.
Now, many of you may think it’s nihilistic to plan for and fear the worst, but I’ve always said, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” With a solid plan, how could I be afraid?
I could enjoy my time at this concert because I knew what I’d do if the mountain decided to swallow us whole. Having that plan tucked into my mind’s file cabinet let my anxiety fall away like the gentle snow that coated us that evening.
I once thought my anxiety was something that crippled me, but I’ve come to accept it –– less as my Kryptonite and more as my
superpower. My anxiety ensures that I think about and plan for anything and everything. I have a zombie apocalypse plan, a societal collapse plan, a plan for all social interactions and events. Basically, I’m always thinking. I know what to do in almost any bad situation that could befall a person and how to turn it in my favor. If you’re wondering when someone would have the time to think about all of this, I’ll tell you: It’s at 3 a.m. when sleep evades me.
But I don’t think of it as an evil voice detailing all of the horrific ways I could die, or worse, be embarrassed. It isn’t some voice that holds me back. Instead, I think of it as an insecure doubter that drives me forward. Someone that I can easily prove wrong with proper planning and confidence.
It’s my internal motivator. I do some of my best work when I have something to prove. It makes the win all the more satisfying when there are bets against you, and nothing is more satisfying than proving yourself wrong. So, when I walked down the mountain after the concert, no avalanche having occurred, I felt like I won against that voice.
Haha, you were wrong. I was right. No matter the situation, I was going to come out on top. And that I did.
Most of my friends don’t have anxiety. They think my need to plan is something that hinders my life. Something that derails me at every turn.
What they don’t understand is that my desire to plan is what keeps me at peace. I can’t stop an
avalanche or prevent a societal collapse, but I can ensure I know what I can control if things do spin out of it. My anxiety keeps the rational part of myself locked on track, moving at high speed toward my goals and peace.
A good analogy is that you’ll run fastest when something is chasing you.
I have achieved so much in the 22 years I’ve been on Earth. Many of the things I have achieved, my internal motivator doubted I could. I really owe it all to the fact that my anxiety has been chasing me for all those years, and being the stubborn girl I am, I refuse to let it catch me.
Uncle Ben once said, “With great power comes great responsibility.” How you use your anxiety is up to you. You can let that beast catch you, cripple you and keep you down, owning it as your weakness. Or, you can run as fast as you can, prove that voice wrong and achieve the greatness you never thought you could.
Blessing or curse, the anxious people of the world have been given something that the nonanxious people haven’t. It’s like the Hulk. Bruce Banner thought being the Hulk was a curse, but then he found a way to harness that gift into something positive.
Harness your inner Hulk and use it for good. Find the blessing in the curse. Like it or not, we’ll always have this Bruce and Hulk dynamic, but we can choose how we view our internal doubters.We can listen to it, or we can prove it wrong. It’s up to you.
Find the strength in yourself to control your actions when you
Satire: ‘Trump Gaza’
Analyzing Trump’s very serious bold new plan to create the “Riviera of the Middle East" in Palestine
By Kaleb Blizzard Opinion Writer
Amid a flurry of executive orders ranging from spending freezes to renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, President Donald Trump has recently released a bold new foreign policy proposal to the American public: Trump Gaza.
“What exactly is ‘Trump Gaza?’”You might be wondering.
Thankfully, we’ve received a clear, Generation Z-friendly answer in the form of a short video Trump reposted a couple of weeks ago.
Featuring opulent sports cars, stunning high-rises and Trumpthemed golden statues, the Trump Gaza video reimagines the Gaza Strip as a lavish locale where Palestinians, Jews and other people from around the world get to enjoy the natural beauty and extraordinary wealth of a future Gaza. All thanks to Mr. Trump, of course.Nonetheless, we can’t get excited too quickly; the Trump Gaza plan demands critical analysis.
First, let’s start with the obvious: What does the video tell us about how Trump Gaza might be created?
In the first part of the video, we can see the opening scene begins with a group of Palestinians walking through rubble. However,
as the video progresses, the surroundings become less and less degraded; skyscrapers are built, rubble is cleared and before you know it, Gaza is transformed into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
It’s also important to listen to the lyrics here. The voice in the background can be heard singing “Donald is coming to set you free, shining the light for all to see. No more tunnels, no more fear. Trump Gaza is finally here.”
One thing that’s interesting to note about the first section of the video is that it places a high emphasis on real estate development. This makes sense: Trump already has a lot of experience in real estate. As such, we can expect Trump Gaza to be funded largely through publicprivate partnerships with Trump’s current businesses and perhaps with other real estate developers.
Since the entire point of building Trump Gaza is to pacify the region through the economic development associated with these public-private partnerships, the plan is also likely to be successful in bringing an end to the Israel-Palestine conflict. Multiple analyses have shown that increased economic development correlates strongly with peaceful conduct between nations. So when “Trump Gaza is finally here,” there will be no more wars in the Middle East from that point forward.
However, there is one slight issue. Multiple things can be seen in this video that seem to conflict severely with the current Palestinian religion and culture, among them women in revealing clothing, gambling, transgender
Movie Review: ‘The Monkey’ Not
funny, didn't laugh
By Joshua Abraham Opinion Writer
Horror comedies aren’t my thing.
I love horror movies and comedies — separately. But put both of them together and I always find myself having a lessthan-fun time, questioning the ethics of shooting or blowing someone up for comedic relief.
But, when I heard Osgood Perkins, director of one of my favorite horror movies of 2024, “Longlegs”, was coming out with a new horror-comedy starring Theo James, Tatiana Maslany and Elijah Wood, I was hooked.
belly dancers and a whole host of other things that many Palestinians may consider degenerate.
The reason many Palestinians dislike these things is — at least in part — due to Islam’s influence on their cultural and moral beliefs. And it’s not like this is a new thing, either — there has been an Islamic influence in this area for at least 1000 years now.
For obvious reasons, it’s hard to get rid of an entire religion in such a short period of time. So, is Trump Gaza doomed to fail? Can the Trumpian dreams of lewdly dressed women, gambling and transgender belly dancers be realized?
Only if Trump creates a new state religion. And the Trump Gaza video indicates he will.
Golden Trump balloons, mini golden Trump statues, a large Trump statue in the middle of a roundabout: Trump is everywhere, and he’s revered like a god.
Indeed, the deification of the “Messianic Trump” isn’t just limited to the visuals, it’s in the lyrics, too. Trump is “shining the light for all to see,” a clear reference to Matthew 4:16, which says that “the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”
Where is Gaza but the land of the shadow of death, who are the people living in darkness but the Palestinians, and who is the light but Trump?
Relax, liberals: Trump Gaza is finally here.
Kaleb Blizzard is a philosophy sophomore and opinion writer for The Battalion.
The film follows Hal, a kid who finds a wind-up monkey amongst his dad’s belongings with his twin brother, Billy. They face the consequences of the monkey’s power throughout their childhood.
Fast forward 25 years — when another accident happens, Hal suspects it might be the actions of the monkey, and he sets out to stop it from doing more damage.
Here’s the cold, harsh truth: I didn’t even laugh once.
Maybe my expectations were something else, but I wasn’t anticipating this much comedy and for it to be so unfunny. It genuinely feels like a seventh grader playing with his action figures wrote the jokes. Should we really accept such a low standard of comedy?
It was to a point where a character would make a joke and I would literally curl up into a ball and squirm from cringe. I don’t want to do that when I’m watching a movie.
The horror was fun, though. I enjoyed about 50% of the kills, which is a high percentage compared to other films. The
horrific parts play out pretty well, until they’re canceled out by some unnecessary joke. For the most part, the acting was acceptable. James, who plays Hal and Bill, does great in his dual role. Maslany and Wood also nailed it. Acting in horror films goes unrecognized, but it deserves all the praise. I also have to compliment the runtime. As films feel like they’re getting longer every year, there’s an art to brevity. Standing at an hour and 38 minutes, “The Monkey” does exactly this. Honestly, it could’ve still used a couple more minutes.
This movie doesn’t have anything to say. Each character is incredibly stagnant, and by the end of the film you’re sitting in your seat thinking about what to get for dinner instead of what you just watched. It just felt like a waste of time and a poor use of $10 — money you could’ve put toward that dinner you’re thinking about now.
I came into this expecting a vibe like “Longlegs”: cold, brutal and horrific. I was genuinely scared watching that film and I had nightmares about it for the next few days.
This film relies more on comedic relief. Someone dying from jumping into an electric pool of water shouldn’t be funny, but Perkins makes the claim. There’s a time and place for comedy, and this wasn’t it. Now, maybe horror comedies are your thing. In that case, this might be the perfect movie for you. But to have a horror comedy, you must excel at both genres, which this film fails to do.
This belongs in one genre and one genre only: cringe.
Joshua Abraham is a kinesiology junior and opinion writer for The Battalion.
Hulk out, because that side of you will never go away, but you can learn to love it, live with it and thrive because of it.
Maddie McMurrough is an agricultural communications and journalism senior and opinion columnist for The Battalion
Photo courtesy of @realDonaldTrump on Truth Social
ENTERTAINMENT
Taylor-made history
Graduate guard Wade Taylor IV’s jersey hung in the rafters after beating No. 1 Auburn
By Ian Curtis Managing Editor
Graduate guard Wade Taylor IV let the tears flow.
With his jersey hanging from the Reed Arena rafters after the final home game of his Texas A&M men’s basketball career, Taylor did the only thing he could think to do. He cried into his parents’ arms.
“They put me in this position,” Taylor said. “They made all the sacrifices, so I was able to let out some real emotions with them. All the long talks we’ve had at night … making sure that I move on to the next thing, no matter what’s going on in the world.”
When Taylor first arrived in College Station, the Aggies hadn’t made the NCAA Tournament in three seasons. Fans could practically sit anywhere they felt like in a near-empty Reed Arena on any given night.
Four years later, in a jampacked Reed Arena, Taylor and the seven other seniors playing their last home game as Aggies helped deliver something the 12th Man had never seen before, as No. 22 A&M defeated No. 1 Auburn 83-72 on Senior Night.
It’s the Aggies’ first win over AP No. 1 in school history.
“We’ve been through the good, the bad, the ugly, the losing streaks,” Taylor said. “When we went through this one, we really wasn’t shocked. We knew that we was getting better everyday, no matter what the outcome of the game is. ... We were excited for the night, come in and make history. And we did.”
After the final buzzer sounded, coach Buzz Williams pleaded with fans over the public address system to “stay, please stay,” as the senior class was honored and Taylor’s jersey was hung from the rafters.
“IV’s impact on our program in his four years has been distinct,” Williams said. “I think who he is on and off the floor represents all of the things that this institution is about.”
History made
Things began poetic for the Maroon and White, as their first 12 points came from seniors. The eight Aggies combined to score 70 as a group.
“I realize how rare it is, so I’ll always remember it,” Williams said. “I’ll remember the result, but I’ll remember the people that were a part of so much for so long to get the result.”
As for how the Aggies took down the top-ranked Tigers, it shouldn’t be surprising that the nation’s leader in offensive rebounding out-worked Auburn on the offensive glass, 24-9. A&M also out-rebounded the visitors 41-25 and more than doubled Auburn’s second-chance points, 29-11.
“We have no excuses to allow those guys to get 24 offensive rebounds,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “I give Texas A&M all the credit, but our guys were physically dominated. I give them all the credit, but I don’t excuse our guys at all. We’re better than that, but not tonight.”
Credit can be given to a litany of A&M statistics and players, just about all of whom were honored during Senior Night ceremonies.
Senior G Zhuric Phelps led the Aggies with 19 points, graduate forward Andersson Garcia put up 11 points and 11 boards, senior G Manny Obaseki had 10 points and was a perfect 2-for-2 from behind the arc — all in their final game at Reed Arena.
A long, hard road
As an NBA Jam-esque slam from junior F Pharrel Payne gave the Aggies a 12-point lead with just over two minutes left, the game turned into more of a coronation than a contest. Thoughts turned towards the senior class, and Taylor himself — although
few apart from Williams knew Taylor’s jersey would be in the rafters by the night’s end.
“I’m thankful that it was such a surprise, because that kind of added to it,” Williams said. “Our kids for sure didn’t know that.”
This A&M senior class had been through a lot over Williams’ time in Aggieland.Taylor, graduate G Hayden Hefner and graduate F Henry Coleman were all part of teams that reached the 2022 National Invitational Tournament championship game, clawed their way to NCAA Tournaments and had multiple runner-up finishes in the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
They’ve also been through an eight-game SEC losing streak and brutal non-conference losses. All of that has made this team what it is today.
“I don’t think we could have absorbed all that this season has
brought, and how you have to manage it, handle it, learn from it, grow from it, if not for that wealth of experience of good things and bad things during their tenure,” Williams said.
Pearl has coached against all of those Aggie teams — and lost to them, too. He’s seen the growth firsthand.
“Texas A&M has made a lot of progress with their program under coach Williams and his staff,” Pearl said. “I mean, they do it as good
as anybody else. That should have been an impossible ticket in March. ... That place should have been full for that team tonight.”
In the minutes after the game, Taylor said the achievement hadn’t quite sunk in yet. But his teammates already know how Taylor’s Aggie career will go down in history.
“I’m going to tell my grandkids I played with Wade Taylor,” Garcia said. “I rebounded the ball, and I passed it to Wade Taylor.”
Texas A&M’s
react after the end
Texas A&M softball heads into SEC play
How does Trisha Ford’s squad look entering 2025 conference slate?
By Olivia Sims Sports Writer
Texas A&M softball has been dominant this preseason, posting a 20-2 record heading into Southeastern Conference play. The Aggies have climbed to No. 4 in the most recent DI Softball rankings, the program’s highest ranking in 17 years.
“Well, they don’t call us the Fightin’ Texas Aggies for nothing,” graduate designated player Mac Barbara said following an epic comeback against then-No. 19 Baylor earlier this season.
Offensive outbursts
A&M has been phenomenal on offense this season, putting up 190 hits and 19 home runs in its
first 22 games. The pack leader is sophomore first baseman Mya Perez, who leads the Maroon and White in hits and RBIs, 26 and 31 respectively. Perez earned her first SEC Player of the Week honor after her powerful performance at the JoAnne Graf Classic, posting nine hits, four runs, three home runs and 11 RBIs.
Another vital Aggie is freshman second-baseman and shortstop KK Dement, who has been powerful at the plate. The newcomer has been a two-out force, drawing in 20 RBIs and 22 hits. In the 12-0 win over George Washington, Dement sent one deep for her first collegiate grand slam, proving herself to her teammates and the program.
Defensive dominance
You can’t talk about A&M’s defense without recognizing senior left fielder Kramer Eschete and her hustle to each ball. In the first game this season against
Utah State, Eschete made a neverbefore-seen defensive play to record an out for the Aggies.
“It was big time,” coach Trisha Ford said. “I mean, that’s why she’s there, though. I mean, she made how many plays for us last year and she just continues to make big plays for us defensively and offensively.”
Another dynamic defensive player is senior center fielder Allie Enright. She boasts an impressive offensive resume with 18 hits, four home runs and 14 RBIs, but her defensive game is also next level. Enright has thrown two people out at home so far this season with dime throws to senior catcher Olivia Johnson.
SEC Play
With conference play starting Friday, March 7, the Aggies have to carry over their non-conference momentum to be successful against a gauntlet of some of the best teams in the nation. Not
only will this game be a nail-biter, but it will also be the first top-5 matchup at Davis Diamond in program history.
The Maroon and White start their difficult trek with No. 3 Florida, who has only dropped one game all season against thenNo. 14 Duke.
The Gators boast one of the most dynamic offenses in the nation, leading the conference in batting average and home runs.
“Excited to have Florida come into town,” Ford said. “They’re obviously a really good team, as are we, so we are ready to rumble.”
A&M will flip between hosting and visiting through the season to keep things interesting. The rest of the home conference games are against Alabama, LSU and Arkansas.
All three of these teams are currently ranked in the DI Softball rankings, leaving each game up for grabs.
LSU is ranked No. 5 after
having an incredible start to the season, led by redshirt senior third baseman Danieca Coffey, who suffered a season-ending injury last year.
Coffey ended the 2024 season with a .404 batting average, ranking No. 2 in the SEC. She hasn’t slowed down as she is currently batting .500 on the season with 26 hits, leading the Tigers.
The Aggies will visit Auburn, Georgia, Missouri and Tennessee, all ranked teams with the exception of Mizzou.
Tennessee’s road test will be a big one for A&M as it will be its last regular season game before the SEC tournament. The Volunteers currently lead the all-time series 22-6, making it easy to count out the Aggies.
“We’ve been tested,” Ford said. “ ... Overall, we’ve played really good defense, so I know if you can pitch and you can play defense, you can win any game.”
Blue Bell Park developments underway
The Board of Regents approved renovations to expand baseball training facilities at Olsen Field
By Amber Pettit News Reporter
In November 2022, an $80 million plan to expand and renovate Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park was approved, with construction scheduled to begin in 2026. However, the success of Texas A&M baseball in recent seasons, along with the coaching transition from Jim Schlossnagle to Michael Earley, prompted additional proposals for facility upgrades.
Athletics Director Trev Alberts said one of his priorities was sitting down with Earley to discuss his goals for Blue Bell Park.
“Every coach has different priorities,” Alberts said. “Coach Earley’s emphasis has been on recruiting and developing the best baseball players.”
Earley and his athletic staff began making plans for the ball park that focused on enhancing player nutrition, performance and fitness.
The renovation plans include new batting cages, a pitching lab, sports medicine facilities, strength
and conditioning spaces, team meeting rooms, a home clubhouse and new locker rooms. The player development center will take the place of the current batting cages plus an additional section of the parking lot behind the Student Recreation Center. The plans also focus on improving the field lighting and a new playing surface.
On Feb. 6, the Board of Regents convened to discuss the proposals. The regents voted in favor of the plan, amending the previous Capital Plan to include $28.3 million for the player development center renovations. Although there is no set start date for construction, the plan is to begin sometime this year.
Earley discussed the advantages the facility will provide.
“The new player development facilities will not only play a major role in developing players, but also in recruiting,” Earley said in a statement. “I believe we have the best game atmosphere in the country and now we will have the best player development facilities to match it, making Texas A&M the premier place to play in college baseball.”
However, amid plans for these renovations, students are expressing concerns about the potential impact on parking, particularly during sporting events.
Communication junior Katelyn
Chicaiza highlighted how the changes could create additional challenges for those who rely on these lots every day.
“Adding facilities is great, but taking away already limited parking could bring potential issues and disagreements from the student body who uses these lots to park every day,” Chicaiza said.
“There is always a struggle with finding parking around there and it’s even worse when sports games are occurring.”
The field last received renovations in 2012, which expanded concessions, new concourse and reduced seating capacity along with adding new offices and student athletic facilities. throughout the establishment. In 2015, the average attendance of games was around 4,857 people, which was maintained by this infrastructure.
However, with the Aggies’ run to the Men’s College World Series two of the last three seasons and this year’s DI Baseball No. 1 ranking, some have also raised attendance concerns. Last season’s Vanderbilt game set a new attendance record of 8,075.
In addition to the parking issues, this success has resulted in students being sent to the Section 12 overflow stadium seating outside of right field over an hour prior to first pitch, with many attendees even being turned away
from games.
“As a big baseball fan, obviously we would love to see more seating and student section space within Blue Bell Park,” Chicaiza said.
“It’s great that so many people love watching the team, but it is also frustrating when you get to a game over an hour early and already get sent out to sit in the outfield stands. The facilities for the players are a great plan, but something for the fans, like expanding the student section or just seating in general, should also be in the works.”
Alberts said that although students may be getting impatient with the slow progress of seating expansions to Blue Bell Park, the start of the player center renovations marks an important first step toward the planning of future developments.
“This really does allow us to make sure we have everything right and you have time then to go out and have a very clear understanding about what the actual costs
‘WebMD, what is Battered Aggie Syndrome?’
By Noah Ruiz Sports Writer
In all my 21 years as a Texas A&M sports fan, I’ve seen my fair share of blown leads and apparent self-implosions. In the 2017 football season, for example, we let up 35 unanswered points in a loss to UCLA. In the 2022 basketball season, we lost by one point to Xavier in the National Invitation Tournament. And that’s just the individual games. Goodness knows about the seemingly annual skids, such as the late-season collapse of the 2016 football team, and don’t get me started on this year’s October stretch in football.
Therefore, I live by the same painfully recurring mantra: “Don’t get too comfortable. It’s only downhill from here.” In light of recent events, let me break this down for you.
I know what you’re thinking.
“Wait a minute, I always assume we’re going to lose, too. Is there any hope for me?” I’m afraid not, kid. You are experiencing the first stages of early-onset Battered Aggie Syndrome — BAS. Your grandparents had it, your parents had it and now you do.
Statistics junior Hector Carrillo, a friend I happened to meet in line for a baseball game, defined BAS best: “The feelings of frustration, anger and disappointment that are the result of many years where fan involvement in and support of Texas A&M athletics greatly outperforms on-field results.”
He hits the nail on the head. But is there a way to solve this predicament? Unfortunately, no — there is no cure. It’ll get worse and worse until the very first down or play of every game has you believing the game is over before it started and the season is lost.This ailment hits the A&M faithful in different
ways, each a branch from the same tree of disappointment.
This feeling is a great equalizer in the quest for a championship or conference title, it seems. Those present at the games will tell you they are desperate for ears to hear their pleas.
“Aggie sports are a living example of why you should never, ever get your hopes up,” economics junior Brody Smith said. “You know you’re going to be let down. BAS truly is inevitable. It always wins.”
Many a night, you’ll lie in bed staring at the ceiling fan and reliving the moment it all went wrong. The dropped flyout, the final strike, the condemning penalty — they all bring the same fate, and you feel trapped in the fandom with which you so willingly chose to spend the rest of your life.
Sure, you’re here now in College Station, free to drown your sorrows in the dim light
of the Dixie Chicken, but what happens when you’re all alone in the Aggie-hating world postcollege? Your Maroon and White pride becomes a target for those who don’t understand your pain, and your only solace is that you attend the top-rated Texas university, according to the Wall Street Journal. Your spiral into madness makes you numb before too long. Loss after loss makes you anticipate defeat in everything. School seems more difficult, cooking is a pain. Sooner or later, even the sight of your oven mitt — the one you got for 100 points using the 12th Man Rewards app — makes you drop to your knees midway through grabbing your last frozen pizza.
But then, something odd happens. You run-rule Rice, 144. There’s hope again! Albritton Tower shines in the glistening wintry night of victory.
You remember what life was
like before the descent: The flowers are blooming, the bats are hot!
But now you fear another skid, another reason to doubt. Something to convince you that the current situation is just a ruse to make you believe again in what surely will cause further pain.
I implore you: not this time. Do not let yourself give up on the hard work and effort put into representing A&M on the big stage, win or lose.
“It does suck that when we’re on top, we slide back down again, but we can always hope for redemption,” Lawrence Ruiz ‘91 said. “Aggies stay until the end and Aggies never give up.”
With that advice, maybe, just maybe, we can all get to the end of the season and see the boys that show the real old fight hoist the big trophy. If not, well, it’s back to square one.
Gig ‘em.
Around the SEC: March 8
By Diego Saenz Sports Writer
No. 7 Alabama at No. 1 Auburn
Saturday, March 8 — 1:30 p.m. on ESPN Neville Arena — Auburn, Alabama
What better way to close out conference play than with a rematch of an earlier top-two showdown?
This time, both teams are looking to solidify a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Alabama’s chance for a top seed in March took a blow after Tennessee ripped their hearts out with a buzzer beater last Saturday. However, matchups against Florida and Auburn could be a blessing in disguise, giving Alabama a chance to strengthen its resume.
Despite an 83-72 loss to No. 22 Texas A&M on Tuesday night,
Auburn’s historic season remains unmatched.The undisputed number one team in college basketball has dominated opposition all season, amassing a total of sixteen Quad 1 victories this season, six more than anyone in college basketball. Oh, and did I forget to mention their 15-2 conference record in what is arguably the most competitive SEC of all time? Yeah, no big deal.
The Auburn Tigers will bounceback in dominant fashion and sweep the Crimson Tide to conclude one of the greatest SEC seasons of all time.
Prediction: Auburn 94, Alabama 85
While
No. 19 Kentucky at No. 15 Missouri
Kentucky is coming off a dominant 95-64 win Tuesday night over a deflated LSU squad. Despite a season riddled with injuries, the Wildcats have leaned on their veteran depth. Coach Mark Pope’s squad features six double-digit scorers — all upperclassmen, five of them seniors. Outside of the SEC’s top four ranked teams, Missouri has been the best of the rest. The Tigers are currently projected as a No. 5 seed in Joe Lunardi’s latest March Madness bracketology, but their stock could rise with another Quad 1 win
Prediction: Missouri 94, Kentucky 89 Saturday, March 8 — 11 a.m. on ESPN Mizzou Arena — Columbia, Missouri
against Kentucky.
Fueled by elite guard play, Missouri has averaged 96 points over its last five games, making it a potential dark horse in March. The Tiger offense relies on isolation matchups, only averaging 14.1 assists per game, but leans into the spacing it creates from graduate guard Caleb Grill’s 3-point prowess to score in bunches.
With Kentucky surrendering 90plus points six times in conference play, give me Missouri’s dynamic offense to continue rolling in this SEC battle.
Women’s
Ole Miss at No. 5 Florida
Saturday, March 8 — 5 p.m. on SEC Network
Ole Miss has all but punched its ticket to March Madness and is now focused on securing a first-round bye in the SEC Tournament. With three teams just one loss behind, a win to close out conference play is crucial for the Rebels. Florida, on the other hand, is in a down-to-the-wire fight for a No. 1 seed in The Big Dance. The Gators are playing their best basketball of the season just before commencing the SEC and NCAA tournaments. With senior guards Walter Clayton and Will Richard performing at an elite level, Florida will be among the favorites in the upcoming tournaments. With no room left for error — especially against an unranked opponent — the Gators will cruise to a victory, strengthening their case for a No. 1 seed.
Prediction: Florida 92, Ole Miss 76
Oklahoma at Texas
On the brink of elimination with seemingly all hope lost, Texas faced a must-win game Tuesday night at No. 25 Mississippi State. Freshman guard Tre Johnson delivered a stellar 23-point performance, lifting the Longhorns to a crucial Quad 1 victory and setting the stage for a potential must-win Red River Showdown. Oklahoma has fought to keep its March dreams alive, but back-toback one-possession losses to No.
16 Kentucky and Ole Miss have severed its chances at an at-large bid. The Sooners sit on the bubble with only the Longhorns game and the SEC Tournament remaining. To keep it simple, if the Sooners can’t get a win against their biggest rivals, their season is over. In another one-possession game, I like Oklahoma’s dynamic duo of senior forward Jalon Moore and freshman guard Jeremiah Fears to outduel Texas superstar Tre Johnson.
Prediction: Oklahoma 85, Texas 83
Stephen C. O’Connell Center — Gainesville,
Zhuric Phelps
Men’s basketball, senior guard
graduate guard Wade Taylor IV deservedly got the headlines after his jersey was hung from the rafters, it was Phelps who was the most consistent threat against No. 1 Auburn. Phelps’ 19 points, his most since Jan. 14, led the Aggies.
Auhmad Robinson
