2 Takeaways From Texas A&M's Late Loss to Missouri

The going keeps getting tougher for Bucky McMillan in his first season in College Station with the Texas A&M Aggies, as the Maroon and White were defeated for the third straight game Wednesday night in an 86-85 affair against the Missouri Tigers.

The matchup between the two was highly competitive, as neither team held a double-digit lead during the entirety of the contest, with the Aggies holding a five-point lead at halftime.

The loss now sinks the Aggies to 17-7 on the season (7-4 SEC), dropping them outside the top five rankings in the conference.

Two Takeaways Following Texas A&M's Third Straight Loss

Texas A&M Aggies guard Josh Holloway (1) drives as Missouri Tigers guard Trent Pierce (11) defends during the second half at Reed Arena. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Here are some takeaways from the loss, A&M's third in the span of seven days.

Another Offensive Stalling

Starting out the first half, the Aggies looked like the sharpshooting team that many grew to know over the past few months, and it seemed that the dismal performance against the Florida Gators over the weekend was simply a fluke.

And it was until the second half.

After draining 11 three-pointers in the first half, the Aggies could only muster four in the second half, and at one point went nearly five minutes without making a field goal. The Tigers took the lead and grew it to near double digits before A&M climbed back into the fray.

Overall, the offense made exactly half of their shots (29 of 58), which included 45 percent of their shots beyond the arc (15 of 33), which, when compared to the 11 of 17 attempted threes made in the first half, leaves a lot more to be desired, offense-wise.

You Must Be This Tall To Play in the SEC

Missouri didn't have many advantages over the Aggies, but one stood out substantially.

One might say that it stood taller than the rest.

Texas A&M's tallest player was forward Rashaun Agee, who stands at 6'8.

Three of Missouri's five starters were 6'9 or taller, including their seven-foot-tall center Shawn Phillips Jr., who scored the dunk that gave the Tigers the lead and eventual win with 17 seconds left in the ball game, and also denied Agee's potential game-winning shot at the buzzer.

Missouri used that height advantage vividly, blocking three of A&M's shots and soundly winning the rebounding battle 39-26.

Desperately needing a turnaround as SEC play enters its final stages, the Aggies get a chance to prove themselves in ranked competition when they visit the No. 19 Vanderbilt Commodores in Nashville on Saturday at noon.