Punchy: "Bilas' Bold Prediction: Jayhawks Triumph as 'Shock' Gaels Fail in Final Eight!
ESPN's Jay Bilas predicts that Saint Mary's won't have a lot of trouble against Texas A&M in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Texas A&M (21-11) ended the regular season on a high note after defeating Kentucky and LSU to finish the year with 21 wins, including 11 in SEC play. This success, despite the inconsistencies, led to first-year head coach Bucky McMillan and his veteran roster, made up of transfer-portal additions, earning an unlikely bid to the NCAA Tournament. After finishing the regular season, losing to Oklahoma by 20 points in the second round of the SEC Tournament was actually beneficial for the Aggies, who went on to earn a 10-seed in the NCAA Tournament and are set to face 7-seed Saint Mary's in Oklahoma City.
For those who don't remember, which seems impossible for every Aggie reading this, Texas A&M's historic comeback win over Northern Iowa during the Aggies' 2016 March Madness took place in OKC, and for Bucky McMillan , this is just his second career trip to the big dance after leading Samford to the tournament during the 2023-2024 season, nearly upsetting the Kansas Jayhawks. On paper, Texas A&M is one of the smallest teams in the tourney, which has been the case all season, and will now face a Saint Mary's roster that includes three players who are listed at 7'0", which will cause an issue in the paint if the Aggies can't find success from three-point range. On Tuesday, ESPN analyst Jay Bilas released his prediction for every game in the NCAA Tournament, and for those who feel the media is behind the Aggies in the first round, think again.
Bilas feels that Saint Mary's efficient half-court offense, which looks to thrive in the paint and hit free throws, provides the Gaels a stark advantage against Texas A&M's pesky press defense and somewhat erratic offense. "Talk about a contrast in styles. Texas A&M under Bucky McMillan wants to get up and down the floor; the Aggies want to press, they want to be annoying.
But Saint Mary's is going to be a problem to play against. It seems different to take Saint Mary's here and call it chalk, but the Gaels will slow the game down. " For the Aggies to have a chance at moving to the Round of 32, they will need a similar performance that led to the 96-85 win over Kentucky: force turnovers early and often, hit outside shots, and force the Gaels out of their comfort zone by forcing bad shots.