3 Reasons Why the Texas A&M Aggies Could Win the SEC Tournament

Could Bucky McMillan and the Texas A&M Aggies win the SEC in his first season? Here are three reasons it could happen.

Texas A&M Aggies forward Rashaun Agee looks on during the second half against the Texas Longhorns at Reed Arena. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Since Texas A&M joined the SEC in 2012, it has yet to win the conference tournament in men’s basketball. However, the Aggies have gotten close in the past.

They tied for the regular-season title in 2015–16 with Bill Kennedy as head coach and advanced to the conference championship. They returned a few years later in 2021–22 and 2022–23 with Buzz Williams, though they fell to 0–3 on the big stage.

This season, Texas A&M enters the tournament as the No. 6 seed — higher than they were five seasons ago when they nearly ran the table as the eighth seed. While they will not enter the tournament as the favorite, there are still plenty of reasons for some magic in Nashville, Tenn.

3 Reasons Why Texas A&M Could Win the SEC

Pace of Play

Texas A&M Aggies head coach Bucky McMillan looks on during the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Reed Arena. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

“Bucky Ball” has been the identity of Texas A&M all season after Bucky McMillan took over as the head coach during the offseason. One of the defining features of McMillan’s style of play is the speed at which his players play on both offense and defense.

On offense, the team commands the tempo and shoots well from deep, daring opponents to keep up. Meanwhile, the Aggies are pressing opponents and forcing turnovers on the other end of the court. Experienced and balanced teams can mitigate the bleeding this style of play can cause, but it has been effective and dangerous.

Texas A&M currently ranks 10th in possessions per game and 27th in adjusted tempo — possessions per 40 minutes, adjusted for opponent — according to KenPom. They are also 14th in three-pointers made and attempted, rank 10th in assists and force the 44th-most turnovers per game

The team is 18–4 when forcing 10+ turnovers and 15–3 when knocking down 10+ three-pointers. If the Aggies can apply pressure, force teams to keep up with them and play their brand of basketball, they could make some noise.

Depth

Texas A&M Aggies guard Pop Isaacs looks on during the first half against the Ole Miss Rebels at Reed Arena. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

To play a quick and aggressive brand of basketball as the Aggies do, you need two things: good conditioning and reliable depth. Texas A&M has both, which plays to its advantage.

Excluding Mackenzie Mgbako — who played just seven games and was ruled out for the season with an injury — five Aggies score in double-digits and eight players play 15+ minutes per game. The only other SEC school to match this criterion is Alabama, another program with a similar pace of play.

Forward Rashaun Agee will be relied upon heavily to carry the offensive load. He leads the team with 16.1 points per game during conference play. However, several players could have a strong impact in the postseason.

Rylan Griffen establishes McMillan’s style of basketball on both ends, while Marcus Hill pressures defenses inside. Pop Isaacs provides a scoring punch off the bench, and Ali Dibba commands the second unit.

When Texas A&M controls the game, its depth complements its offensive and defensive approach, making it difficult to stop.

Streaky Shooting Could Rebound

Texas A&M Aggies guard Rubén Dominguez shoots a three-point basket against the Missouri Tigers during the second half at Reed Arena. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

In conference play, Texas A&M ranks second in three-point attempts and makes per game while ranking seventh in percentage. However, they have shot below their 35.3% average in five of their last seven games, including sub-30% marks against Vanderbilt, Ole Miss and Texas.

When the Aggies hit their shots, they are lights-out, and it is hard to keep up. They are 16–2 when shooting over 33% from deep with wins over Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, Georgia and Texas. The issue, though, is staying consistent and often faltering in big games.

According to Evan Miya, Texas A&M has the third-most kill shots in the conference with 28. This is defined as a 10–0 scoring run. As of 2023, teams that had at least one 10–0 run in a game win 71% of the time. That number jumps up to 81% if they had more than their opponent.

The Aggies are both solid on offense and defense, but to make a run in the SEC, they will need to be able to take the tournament by the horns. A good shooting stretch could help the team catch fire at the right time.

Guard Rubén Dominguez has just two games with multiple three-point makes since February. The Aggies are 16–3 when he hits this mark. Griffen has found his stride recently, and if both players are on at the same time, it will be hard to keep up.