Texas A&M Distributed Basketball Unselfishly Against Northwestern State

Change is good.

It may take time to get used to, but it’s good, especially when Texas A&M nearly posts 100 points on a night that head coach Bucky McMillan secured his 100th win as a collegiate coach and first in the Maroon and White.

Of the 13 players who checked into the game, 12 recorded at least two points and had at least one rebound. Five of those players were also in double digits. Ten players also made their way onto the court and played for at least 10 minutes.

It sounds wild, but that is what national championship contenders do. Share the ball and let the game unfold naturally. Northwestern State couldn’t keep the pace and play at the tempo of basketball A&M now has, and it was evident there’s only room to improve once the roster is fully healthy.

Breaking Down The Numbers

FIVE players in double figures in our home opener 💥

Ruben Dominguez: 18 PTS
Josh Holloway: 13 PTS
Rylan Griffen: 13 PTS
Jacari Lane: 12 PTS
Rashaun Agee: 12 PTS#GigEm | #BuckyBall pic.twitter.com/qV6lSyKEgh
— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) November 4, 2025

As a unit, A&M shot 35-of-71 from the field, knocking down 11 of its 31 attempts from three-point distance. McMillan said at the beginning of the year not to be surprised by what this group of men can do, stating that his program is a sleeping giant .

McMillan has been right with everything he’s preached so far. Getting a shot up fast, getting to the free-throw line, and relying on the bench were key components of his formula for success. It has worked.

From the bench, the Aggies alone had 53 points. Not every team in the SEC has the depth and endurance to register those numbers. Yes, it was a non-conference game, but to do that in the season opener with a team that is still learning more about each other and hasn’t played many minutes together proves the talent is there.

Looking at the starting five from last night’s contest, Marcus Hill, Rylan Griffen, Jacari Lane, Zach Clemence and Rashaun Agee all played together, accounting for 45 of the points. Off the bench, Ruben Dominguez was the star of the show when he accumulated 18 points and was hot from three.

If those numbers continue down the stretch, this A&M team is dangerous even without Mackenzie Mgbako and Pop Isaacs still not being fully healthy. Both of those stars were supposed to be the faces of the program, as they represented the team at SEC Media Days.

Once this Aggie roster is fully healthy and practices together, it might be one of the best teams on paper. Defensively, some questions need answers, but with it being the home opener, there is a ton of room for growth and maturity as the season progresses, and McMillan would agree.

What Bucky Had To Say

Going into the home opener, there were plenty of emotions and also numerous expectations for this basketball roster.

“I thought we were pretty decent in the first game of the year,” McMillan said. “There was a lull in that game for about eight minutes. We’ve got to be able to play high pressure for 40 minutes. We’re playing for the long game here, so we’ve got to get better for the SEC.”

Regardless of the lull, it felt like the game was one-sided, with the new players still getting adjusted to each other and what the in-game switches would look like. Dishing the ball around to each other was accurate. Getting the ball in the paint and drawing fouls was phenomenal, and the team chemistry appeared to be on point.

“This team is way further ahead than I would’ve expected with this many new players,” McMillan said. “But we need to have 40 minutes of unrelenting effort. Half-court defense got beaten too much. We need to be more aggressive.”

With reaching the Final Four being a goal for everyone in that locker room, the pathway there requires knowing what a team has to do to gain those resume-building wins, and McMillan acknowledged his team took the first step in doing that.

“We’re fighting to get to the NCAA Tournament,” McMillan said. “Tonight was step No. 1. You have to look at how much you have to win by in the metrics. We don’t want to be on that bubble. We’ll have highs and lows, but we need everyone to stick together.”