Despite an overtime thriller loss, Aggies basketball gains national respect and rises in bracketology, showcasing McMillan's accelerating rebuild and competitive spirit.
If you’re looking for proof that Texas A&M Aggies basketball is ahead of schedule under first-year head coach Bucky McMillan, Tuesday night in Knoxville delivered it, even in defeat.
A&M fell 87-82 in double overtime to the No. 24 Tennessee Volunteers, but the final score hardly tells the full story. The Aggies pushed one of the SEC’s toughest teams in one of its toughest environments despite being battered on the glass and uneven at the free-throw line.
Let’s start with the ugly, because it matters.
Texas A&M was outrebounded 60-35, including 24 offensive rebounds surrendered, which led to more than 20 second-chance points.
That’s the reality of playing small ball after the season-ending injury to Indiana transfer Mackenzie Mgbako. That issue isn’t going away.
Neither is the frustration at the stripe.
The Aggies went 21-of-32 on free throws, and in a double-overtime road game, those missed points loom large. Clean that up, and the outcome might have been very different.
Now for the encouraging part - and there’s plenty of it.
Texas A&M hit 13 3-pointers, continuing a trend that’s becoming central to its identity. If the Aggies keep knocking down 10-plus 3s per night, they’re going to be in just about every game they play.
That offensive spacing is what kept them alive against Tennessee, even as possessions felt like uphill climbs.
More importantly, the fight didn’t go unnoticed nationally.
Despite the loss, A&M rose in ESPN Bracketology, landing among the “Last Four Byes” in Joe Lunardi’s latest update. That’s not a sympathy vote—that’s respect for how this team competes.
USA TODAY Sports echoed that optimism, projecting the Aggies as a 10-seed in a potential rematch with the SMU Mustangs. For a team picked to finish near the bottom of the SEC, that’s remarkable territory.
Of course, projections don’t punch tickets.
Texas A&M still needs winsv - and Quad 1 wins in particular - to lock in a spot. But this team has already shown it belongs on the same floor as ranked opponents.
Now comes another measuring stick in a road trip to Austin to face the Texas Longhorns on Saturday.
Win or lose, one thing is clear ... the Aggies aren’t just building something, they’re already competing with it.