Texas A&M (13-4, 3-1 SEC) lost its first SEC game of the year on the road vs. No. 24 Tennessee, falling to the Vols in double overtime 87-82 in a game where the Aggies led until the final five minutes. Due to Tennessee’s size advantage, which has been the case throughout SEC play, Texas A&M was outrebounded 60-35, including 24 offensive rebounds that led to more than 20 points.
First-year head coach Bucky McMillan has had to resort to small ball after losing transfer forward Mackenzie Mgbako for the year, whose size and shooting ability would have likely resulted in a win on Tuesday, while starting forward Rashaun Agee, who is listed at 6’7″, but likely shorter, leads the Aggies in rebounding with 8.6 per game.
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Still, this is the hand McMillan has been dealt, and his team continues to play with a ton of heart and physicality, and should be 16-1 if it weren’t for late-game issues against UCF, SMU, and the final seconds against Tennessee.
However, the Aggies should have gotten the ball back with just under ten seconds remaining in regulation after senior guard Rylan Griffin’s near rebound was hit out of bounds by a Tennessee player, but the refs apparently did not see enough evidence to overturn the call. Either way, missed free throws, finishing 21-32 from the stripe, ultimately cost the Aggies in the end.
Texas A&M is ahead of schedule in Year 1 of McMillan’s tenure in College Station, and while Tuesday’s loss was frustrating for the fan base, ESPN bracketology expert Joe Lunardi was seemingly impressed with the Aggies’ performance in one of the toughest environments the SEC has to offer, placing McMillan’s veteran squad as one of the Last Four Byes alonside Kentucky, USC, and Wisconsin.
Still, Texas A&M needs to pick up more Quad 1 wins to have any shot of making the NCAA Tournament, with another opportunity on Saturday night against rival Texas in Austin.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M rises in ESPN’s Bracketology despite losing to Tennessee
