There's One Main Reason Texas A&M Loss Could Have Been Avoided

The Texas A&M Aggies found themselves on the wrong side of a beatdown in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Looking to continue their special season and upset the Houston Cougars, they found themselves eliminated after losing 88-57.

It was not a great game for the Aggies, being beat out in never every category except the one you don't want to be, personal fouls, which resulted in the lopsided result of the round of 32 affair.

The loss could have been avoided though, had they continued their trends from the season, whether than being forced to play the stykle of basketball the Cougars wanted.

Texas A&M Didn't Play Its Game

Texas A&M Aggies Rashaun Agee — Texas A&M's Rashaun Agee speaks to the media during practice and media day for the first round of the NCAA basketball tournament at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., Wednesday March 18, 2026. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It's no secret that the Cougars are one of the toughest opponents to face in the country. Head coach Kelvin Sampson has shaped his team to be a disheartening force for opposing offenses, forcing teams into bad situations, which create uncharacteristic turnovers and sloppy offensive play styles.

That was exactly what happened to head coach Bucky McMillan's squad as they struggled to find their offensive rhythm, which they had multiple times this season. They ranked 10th in the country in assists per game with 18, yet they were held to just nine in the contest, unable to create space and swing the ball around to find space.

Even for the Cougars, who struggled keeping teams from finding ways to move the ball around through assists, ranking 295 in the country and allowing 15 per game, had a great defensive game and forced the Aggies to have too many struggles.

That led to shotty offensive production, and for the Aggies, who normally average a minimum of 40 points per half, never reached more than 29 in a half for the contest. Normally an offense trying to push the pace, forcing teams to keep up with their offensive production, and being the team to put their opponents in a state of panic, it was the Cougars doing that to them.

The struggles kept them from being effective, struggling at every level. They shot 25 percent from beyond the three-point line, which is 10 percent less than their season average. They shot 35 percent from the field, which was once again below their season average, this time by 20 percent.

As an offense-first team, matching up with a heavy defensive team was always going to be a struggle, but finding a way to play close to their style of game would have given them a better opportunity to pull off the upset.