The Aggies' offensive struggles and free-throw disparity fuel a troubling trend, jeopardizing their postseason positioning as the slump intensifies.
Texas A&M basketball is officially in a slump, and there’s no softer way to frame it anymore.
The Aggies fell for the fourth consecutive time in SEC play Saturday night, dropping an 82-69 decision on the road against No. 19 Vanderbilt in Nashville. What once looked like a brief skid is now a troubling trend as postseason positioning inches closer to center stage.
Offensively, Texas A&M simply could not generate enough consistent firepower to keep pace.
Marcus Hill was the lone Aggies player to reach double figures, finishing with 20 points on an efficient 9-of-16 shooting performance. Beyond Hill, production was scarce, and the Aggies struggled to string together meaningful scoring runs against a Commodores team that has been dominant on its home floor this season.
Head coach Bucky McMillan didn’t mince words after the game when addressing the challenge of facing Vanderbilt in Memorial Gymnasium.
“We knew that Vandy, you know looking at all the metrics, this would be one of the hardest games we had all year, coming here and getting a win,” McMillan said. “If you're going to win here vs a really good team, you're going to have to play A-basketball.”
Texas A&M did not play its best basketball - far from it. The Aggies shot under 40 percent from the field, connected on less than 30 percent from three-point range, and converted just half of their free throws. Against a ranked SEC opponent, those numbers are a recipe for frustration.
“For the game, we were less than 40 percent from the field and less than 30 percent from three and 50 percent from the free throw line,” McMillan said. “I thought we had some shots around the rim that we normally make, and for whatever reason, we just couldn't get it to go down.”
Compounding the issue was a sizable free-throw disparity. Vanderbilt attempted 29 shots from the stripe compared to just 10 for Texas A&M, creating an 18-point gap at the line.
“Free throw disparity was big...” McMillan stated. “Don't read into that statement too much, I got to see why that was. That got 29 free-throws, we got 10, you know you gotta do a better job of getting to the line, however that is. I gotta see why we weren't getting to the line and evaluate that. It's hard to win when they beat you by 18 points at the free throw line in a game.”
For Texas A&M, the formula moving forward is clear: better shot selection, more aggression attacking the rim, and a return to the offensive rhythm that once made this team one of the SEC’s most dangerous groups. The margin for error is shrinking — and the Aggies know it.