Texas A&M basketball’s shooting slump has flipped its SEC season upside down, leaving Bucky McMillan’s Aggies desperate for wins vs. Kentucky and LSU.
Texas A&M basketball is living and dying by the three - and lately, it’s been a slow death.
After another frustrating loss inside Reed Arena, this time 76-70 to rival Texas, the Aggies find themselves staring at a reality that’s hard to ignore ... when the shots don’t fall, nothing else is strong enough to save them.
Under first-year head coach Bucky McMillan, Texas A&M built its early SEC surge on perimeter firepower and tempo.
During a 7-1 conference start, the Aggies averaged 11.4 made 3-pointers per game and shot a blistering 36 percent from deep.
They drilled double-digit threes in five of their first eight SEC contests, including a statement road win at Auburn. That spacing fueled their up-tempo style and masked concerns about size.
Fast forward to now, and the numbers tell a much colder story.
Over the last eight games - a 2-6 slide that has reshaped their NCAA Tournament outlook - Texas A&M is shooting just 33.8 percent from the field.
The 3-point production has dipped to nine makes per game, and only three times during that stretch have they reached double figures from beyond the arc.
Against Texas on Saturday, the Aggies connected on just two threes and shot 38 percent overall, digging a hole they couldn’t climb out of.
The roster challenges only magnify the issue. With transfer forward Mackenzie Mgbako sidelined for the season, the Aggies lack interior size and rim protection.
That puts even more pressure on their guards to stretch defenses and force opponents to speed up. When the outside shooting disappears, so does the formula.
One player who must elevate his production is guard Ruben Dominguez.
He’s averaging just four points per game while shooting 27.3 percent from the field and 23.1 percent from 3-point range.
For a system built around spacing and quick-trigger offense, those percentages simply won’t cut it. Now the margin for error is gone.
Texas A&M must navigate critical matchups against Kentucky and LSU with postseason positioning hanging in the balance.
A stumble could mean needing multiple wins in the SEC Tournament just to stay relevant in NCAA Tournament projections.
The blueprint hasn’t changed. Push the pace. Fire from deep. Force opponents into discomfort.
But if the shots don’t start dropping again — and soon — this season’s early promise may be remembered as a mirage instead of a launchpad.