Texas A&M’s First Two Wins Are A Step In The Right Direction

Did anyone have Texas A&M basketball score over 200 points in the first two contests of the season?

Well, if so, that’s cool because you are probably one of the few who had that on their bingo card to begin the 2025-26 season, with A&M having already recorded wins against Northwestern State and Texas Southern.

“I don’t really think about 100,” coach Bucky McMillan said. “I don’t think about it because I’m trying to get to 120 points.”

The Aggies scored a bingo in hiring McMillan, who has quite literally changed the culture and atmosphere surrounding a program that had only one player remaining from the previous season.

His newly constructed roster features an offense that plays with a tempo and high-paced energy. The additional physicality and domination that his program has is deep and dangerous, and Bucky is proud of what he has developed.

“This team is way further ahead than I would’ve expected with this many new players,” McMillan said. “We’re fighting to get to the NCAA Tournament. We don’t want to be on the bubble. We’ll have highs and lows, but we need everyone to stick together.”

Pieces To The Puzzle

To finish a puzzle, you need to ensure that all of the pieces are there to present the whole picture to others. Bucky’s work putting together a roster is similar to a puzzle. Not every piece was in place, but once it got assembled, the bigger picture started to appear, and people in Aggieland noticed the progress.

Obviously, the ultimate goal is to complete the puzzle by surviving the Final Four and advancing to the national championship. To do that, personnel must be in the right mindset and prepared to support the business.

So far, everything has come together on offense, with nearly everything going right. The play from the guards and forwards has been phenomenal, with the willingness to sacrifice playing time to benefit A&M down the long haul.

Rotating players onto and off the floor has been what has given other schools headaches, as the can of consistency jars loose. For example, the starting five on Thursday night, which included Pop Isaacs, Rylan Griffen, Jacari Lane, Rashaun Agee, and Federiko Federiko, all saw playing time. Still, they didn't get played too much, which allowed the other teammates to gel well and learn how to play together.

It’s special when a coach knows that every single game is going to be different, with one player having a great night one evening and a lousy game the next time up. That’s basketball, but that’s the little steps taken in the right direction to get to the promised land.

“It’s gonna be different people’s night every other game,” McMillan said after the Northwestern State game.

McMillan is speaking the truth. Players like Zach Clemence, who was the leading scorer in the exhibition game along with Ruben Dominguez, who recorded the most in the home opener, were both quiet against the Tigers. Luckily for A&M, other teammates have risen to the occasion on offense when other playmakers aren’t nailing shots, and that’s what makes this roster unique.

Practice For Bigger Opponents

Howdy, triple digits 👋#GigEm | #BuckyBall pic.twitter.com/pNGeuw8VIt
— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) November 7, 2025

Next up for A&M is the first Quad 1 opportunity to establish an early-season resume booster when it takes on Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

“I know they beat Auburn in an exhibition,” McMillan said. “They play fast. I expect it to be an uptempo game. It will take our best effort to win it.”

Those types of games mean something down the line when the NCAA Tournament Selection comes around and 68 teams’ names earn spots.

McMillan wants his troops to focus on handling business and building upon the positive performances, rather than dwelling on the missed opportunities.

“You have to look how much you have to win by in the metrics,” McMillan said earlier this week.

Before competing in those high-caliber contests, gathering repetition in practice and in games against smaller schools benefits the Aggies because of the toughness of the SEC schedule down the stretch.

A&M’s offense posted 53 bench points against Northwestern State, and that number jumped to 54 points against Texas Southern. Another leap of improvement was going from 35 percent to 38 percent behind the arc. Earning those reps and putting in the hustle has provided a spark of confidence that rises into the weekend. Ball distribution and the amount of minutes are notable reasons A&M is on track.

As for the defense, McMillan was concerned earlier in the season about what it might look like. Still, the effort stepped up as creating turnovers improved in the second game, with 23 turnovers against the Tigers compared to the 16 forced against the Demons.

“First half, we weren’t very tight defensively,” McMillan said. “Thought our depth played a factor in the game.”

All this success gets credited to the coaching staff, who have opened the window of opportunity for A&M to blossom, and it's occurring during the right time of the year.