Here Is How Texas A&M Answered the Bell and Regained Its Mojo vs. Pitt

Answering the bell.

Coach Bucky McMillan knew that his team was aggressive and said Texas A&M did enough to secure a victory.

“Thought our guys answered the bell,” McMillan said. “Our goal with our team is we want to win both halves and play aggressive and we did that. I was proud of our team of being able to do that and stay aggressive through the adversity and losing that lead so good win for us.”

Toughness

Nojus Indrusaitis dribbles the ball against Texas A&M's defense. — Dec 2, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard Nojus Indrusaitis (25) dribbles up court on a fast-break against the Texas A&M Aggies during the second half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

At one point in the game, A&M jumped out to a 12-point lead, where it appeared the game was at the pace Bucky Ball is known for, but then a 16-0 run later in the second period sparked a stretch in which finding stops was at a premium.

“Anytime you see a run broken, it comes because you can find a way to stop them,” McMillan said. “We were able to find a way to get stops. We’re not the most physically imposing team. We had to fight, and in that segment, we were able to get stops and clean the glass. That was a problem for us was cleaning the glass when we had a clean stop.”

Poise.

One reason the Aggies were able to limit the damage was that, after an extended period, it felt as if all the momentum leaned toward the home team. Making a change to the zone and making clutch baskets factored into limiting the Panthers’ offense from producing more points.

“I think our zone helped us at times in that game just to throw it off,” McMillan said. “It was sparked by Jacari Lane. Had a big steal there to get the momentum. We got a couple buckets in transition, and we got our mojo back.”

Difference Makers

Two ballers who are the leaders of both programs are senior forward Rashaun Agee and guard Barry Dunning Jr., who led A&M and Pitt in points. McMillan stated that he was super impressed by how Dunning Jr. showed up to play and by how explosive he knew Dunning Jr. was, having watched him since high school when he tried to recruit him to Samford but didn’t have the budget.

“He’s a good shooter,” McMillan said. “I’ve seen him play for a long time. He only got one three-point attempt off, which is good by us, but he had 18 points. He’s playing his best basketball. Had 12 rebounds as well.”

As for the native of Chicago, Illinois, Agee recorded another double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds, powering his team to the finish line and deserving a ton of credit from the mastermind who recruited him.

“He’s our most valuable forward down there because he’s a double-double machine,” McMillan said. “People just have a natural rebounding see ball, get ball. That’s Rashaun. He plays so much taller than he is, and his wingspan is tremendous.”

More praise came from McMillan, who said he was amazed by how Agee carries himself every game.

“Rashaun has that alpha mentality,” McMillan said. “If you see the great rebounders. Charles Barkley. Dennis Rodman. It’s just a mindset. He thinks he’s the baddest dude in the gym. When you have that, others rally around that and help you a lot, particularly on the road.”