New Headline: Coach Clash Flares Up: McMillan's Fourteenth-Round Fumble Leads to Gridlock
Texas A&M will face Saint Mary's in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and first-year HC Bucky McMillan could not be prouder of his team.
Texas A&M (21-11) finished the 2025-2026 regular season as one of college basketball's surprise success stories under first-year head coach Bucky McMillan, as the Aggies finished tied fourth in the SEC standings with 11 conference wins, while USC transfer forward Rashaun Agee earned third-team All-SEC honors after leading the Aggies in scoring and rebounds during his one and only season in College Station. Texas A&M earned a 10-seed in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday afternoon and will face 5-seed Saint Mary's on Thursday, with a chance to likely face 2-seed Houston in the second round in Oklahoma City. This is the fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament for Texas A&M, and the first under Bucky McMillan.
Throughout the ups and downs of SEC play, the Aggies looked like one of the best teams in the conference after starting 7-1, but came back down to earth amid a four-game losing streak that included blowout losses to Florida and Vanderbilt. However, Texas A&M did what they had to do at the end of the year to all but secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament, winning four more games, including back-to-back victories over Florida and LSU, as several veteran players stepped up when needed, especially senior guard Rylan Griffen, who scored 45 combined points and hit nine threes to help the Aggies finish 2-0 to end the regular season. On Sunday, hours before McMillan and his team heard their names called during Selection Sunday, the first-year head coach was asked to provide an analysis of what made his first team in College Station successful, which no one can deny after being selected in the NCAA Tournament.
“We’ve had such great support through all the ups and downs. We were the last power five job hired. We had to have people rally together so we can get a roster together.
Most people thought it would be a rebuilding year for A&M. Everybody wants to get to the NCAA Tournament. The trust that these guys had in A&M and our staff that we would do what we said allowed us to finish tied for fourth in the SEC.