Bucky Ball Was in Full Action in Texas A&M's First Round Win vs. Saint Mary's

The Texas A&M Aggies will keep on dancing in their first NCAA Tournament under head coach Bucky McMillan.

The Aggies head man picked up his first NCAA Tournament victory after the No. 10-seeded Aggies headed into their first round matchup, taking on the No. 7 seed Saint Mary's Gaels, and advanced into the Round of 32 after a 63-50 victory.

The Aggies took complete control of the game from start to finish as Saint Mary's didn't lead for a single second. Texas A&M held its lead firmly in the second half as the Aggies had their largest lead of the night, sitting at 20 points midway through the half, with the defensive side of the court holding strong.

Texas A&M's Defense Takes Control of the Ballgame

Texas A&M Aggies guard Ali Dibba and Saint Mary's (CA) Gaels forward Paulius Murauskas fight for the ball. | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Saint Mary's had a high-powered offense heading into the first round matchup against Texas A&M, with the Gaels averaging 78.2 points per game. And the Aggies stifled Saint Mary's on the offensive side of the court, holding them to a season-low 50 points while shooting 38 percent from the field and 10 of 23 from three-point range.

"It was an elite defensive game by our guys in every facet of the game," McMillan said.

The biggest piece of the Aggies' defense that shone was forcing turnovers, as Texas A&M forced 18 turnovers from Saint Mary's, the most it had all season long. The Aggies were able to cash in on those turnovers for 14 points on the night.

"We held a really good passing team to only eight assists on the night and forced 18 turnovers," McMillan said. "That means you did a really good job on defense and didn't allow them to get drop-offs in the paint, which I thought was really good."

McMillan's patented Bucky Ball style of play has seamlessly transitioned from his stop at Samford as his philosophy has gone from mid-major to the Power Four level and continues to be extremely effective in wearing down opponents and taking control of a game.

And that style of play sat in from the jump as guard Ruben Dominguez spoke about it after the game and how he felt the Aggies system dictated the game from the first possession.

"From the first play of the game, they were not used to that style of play and that rhythm," Dominguez said. "And in the first media (timeout), we were like they're tired, they're not used to this level of contact on every play and pressure."

The Aggies will now advance to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament with a meeting set against one of the top teams in the tournament, with the No. 2-seeded Houston Cougars awaiting the Aggies.

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