Texas A&M Aggies Officially Earn No. 10 Seed in NCAA Tournament

The Texas A&M Aggies advanced to the NCAA Tournament in Bucky McMillan’s first season. Who do they play, and what seed are they?

Texas A&M Aggies guard Rylan Griffen goes to the basket as Kentucky Wildcats guard Denzel Aberdeen attempts to defend during the second half at Reed Arena. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

After bringing in Bucky McMillan as their head coach, the Texas A&M Aggies were projected to finish 13th in the SEC in a preseason media poll. Despite this, the team surged to the top of the SEC to begin conference play and ended the regular season with a 21–11 record (11–7 in the SEC).

Maintaining the postseason expectations left by Buzz Williams, McMillan built a roster late in the offseason for his brand of basketball — “Bucky Ball” — which incorporates aggressive defense, fast-paced play, deep rotations and three-point shooting.

This helped the No. 10-seeded Aggies return to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive season. They will face No. 7 seed Saint Mary's in the Round of 64 with a chance to extend their Round of 32 appearance streak to three.

Texas A&M Lands No. 10 Seed, Face No. 7 Saint Mary's in First Round

Texas A&M Aggies head coach Bucky McMillan reacts during the first half against the Missouri Tigers at Reed Arena. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

The Aggies are building a reputation as a regular in March Madness. Texas A&M has earned a ticket to The Big Dance for four consecutive seasons for the first time since its six-season run from 2006 to 2011 with Billy Gillespie and Mark Turgeon at the helm.

Texas A&M has advanced to the second round in each of the last two seasons but has not been to the Sweet 16 since 2018 under Billy Kennedy. If the Aggies beat the Saint Mary's in the first round, they will face the winner of Houston vs. Idaho.

Texas A&M Aggies guard Ali Dibba controls the ball during the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Reed Arena. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

This season, the Aggies were a surprise team in the SEC, proving that Bucky Ball can function at the high major level. McMillan had been successful at the high school and mid-major levels, but there was still more for him to prove.

However, a disappointing loss to the 11th-seeded Oklahoma Sooners in the SEC Tournament cost Texas A&M a chance to prove it belonged on a higher seed line in March Madness.

As a team, the Aggies carry plenty of concerns with them into the postseason. Texas A&M is 4–7 in its last 11 contests, with losses to multiple March Madness teams. It is 5–8 in Quad 1 games and 4–3 in Quad 2 games, which calls into question the ability to contend with the best teams in the country.

Against teams ranked inside the top 50 of the NET, the Aggies are 6–9. They rank 44th in the NET, 39th by KenPom and Torvik and have 1.50 wins above the bubble, which ranks 39th nationally.

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

Led by forward Rashaun Agee (14.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per game) and a deep rotation of guards — including Rubén Dominguez, Marcus Hill, Rylan Griffen and Pop Isaacs — Texas A&M is looking to prove it belongs in March. With a unique style of play that tests teams' discipline, the Aggies can be a tricky matchup for unsuspecting programs.

“I'm super confident. I feel like we always figure it out,” Agee said. “We have always figured it out. We lost games early on in the season, came [back and] beat Auburn, then lost to Tennessee, and then bounced back and beat [Texas and Georgia]. Then we went on a little stretch, lost two or three games, came back, figured it out and put some games together.”

”We went through some games in our season where we understand it's Tournament time, and we'll figure it out like we always do.”

With wins over Texas, Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky and others, as well as a veteran roster with NCAA Tournament experience, the Aggies are leaning on their resilience and effort to propel them forward in March.