The Good, Bad and Ugly from Texas A&M’s Loss to SMU

Texas A&M basketball is in its new era and with that comes some growing pains. After being fully healthy for the first time in the season, there were high hopes heading into the Aggies’ game against the SMU Mustangs in Arlington.

“With everyone being available, I feel like it’s going to be a lot of changes in different roles and we just going to have to figure it out on a fly,” Texas A&M forward Rashaun Agee said before the game. “I know each one of my teammates want to play. Every player contributes to this team in a different way, and every night is going to be different.”

Some unease with the lineup and the chemistry with all pieces good to go was evident in the team’s 93-80 loss to SMU on Sunday afternoon.

The Good

Texas A&M Aggies guard Marcus Hill (0) grabs a rebound against the Texas Southern Tigers during the first half at Reed Arena. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Texas A&M is healthy and coach Bucky McMillan’s scheme keeps Texas A&M in games, even when time seem grim. Texas A&M fans got a chance to see a bit of each player they have heard so much about all season on the court at the same time.

When the team found its stride to close the second half, the Aggies looked like they could have hung with the best teams in the country, stringing together multiple runs to keep themselves alive against the Mustangs.

The Bad

One of the key principles of Bucky Ball is shooting the 3-pointer, which is absolutely electric when the shots are falling. When they are not, it makes it really hard to win basketball games. Against SMU, Texas A&M shot 35 percent from the field and 24 percent from beyond the arc.

At the end of the first half, Texas A&M had shot 18 3-pointers and made just one. The Aggies also struggled from the free-throw line, sinking just 65 percent of what should be free points.

The Ugly

Texas A&M came out like molasses. The Aggies entered this one as the winners of five straight games, but you would never be able to tell by their start. There was no energy and it looked like the team did not want to be on the court.

The feeling seemed to permeate throughout the game and set SMU up for multiple impressive runs, ultimately costing the Aggies the game. Once Texas A&M got to overtime, it just could not keep up with the Mustangs when they started heating up when it mattered most.