Bucky McMillan Convinced Texas A&M Moving In Right Direction

Looking more like it’s supposed to.

Those were the words that coach Bucky McMillan used after Texas A&M took on Jacksonville at Reed Arena on Sunday night, where it won 112-75.

“Moving in the right direction,” McMillan said. “Getting better. Looking more like it's supposed to. We got to keep passing the ball great to keep teams on the run and utilize our strength, which is we are a good three-point shooting team.”

That evening, the Aggies shot 12 of 25 from the field to go along with their 16 made free throws on 23 attempts. Of the 112 points, 65 were bench points, 54 points were in the paint, and 21 came courtesy of second chances.

Best Percentage Shooting Nights

Texas A&M Aggies Rylan Griffen playing basketball on Bucky McMillan's team. — Nov 18, 2025; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies guard Rylan Griffen (3) passes the ball against the Montana Grizzlies during the second half at Reed Arena. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

From the field, the Aggies shot 59 percent compared to the Dolphins’ 45 percent. Behind the arc, there were 12 made 3-pointers for A&M, with senior guard Rylan Griffen leading the way with five made threes. His night consisted of playing 17 minutes, during which he totalled 19 points, and he went 7-for-8 from the field.

“He had energy tonight,” McMillan said.

Six A&M players finished in double digits, which included forwards Mackenzie Mgbako and Jamie Vinson as well as guards Marcus Hill, Ruben Dominguez, Ali Dibba, and Griffen. McMillan discussed who he thought most impressed him and grew the most from the one-sided dominant performance.

“Marcus was very efficient from the field,” McMillan said. “He had a complete stat line. Five rebounds, five assists, 5-for-7,"McMillan said. “Rylan Griffen was money. Seven for eight. Jamie was 6-for-6. I look for efficient players. I think that’s one thing I admire.”

Vinson blossomed when he stepped on the floor as a substitute, registering 14 points, shooting 6 of 6 from the field, and hauling in 2 rebounds.

“He’s got a lot better,” McMillan said. “He’s got a lot better. He can shoot. He’s just realizing how good he is, and I think in a couple more years he could be a real force in this league. He’s coming. He’s been great for us.”

Defense contributed significantly to getting the basketball in the hands of the elite shooters, partially due to the turnovers that piled up for Jacksonville, with 19 of them resulting in 20 points for A&M. Transfer forward from Texas Tech, Federiko Federiko, stepped up in the eyes of McMillan, who has been harping on defense the last few weeks of practice.

“Sometimes certain players, the team’s better on defense when they're in the game,” McMillan said. “May not be because they’re a good on-ball defender. It’s like they really have a really right mind for how you got to play defense with the focus you got to play with. I thought Fedy had that a little bit on defense for us, and I thought he was good in that game on D.”