Expect dramatics: A&M hoops heads back to OKC in March

Click here to view Texas A&M’s Sunday press conference.

Drama has become synonymous with Texas A&M basketball.

Whether waiting on a last-play officials’ review to get a victory over Auburn, erasing a 12-point deficit to beat Kentucky or rallying for a triple overtime win over LSU, it's been a stressful season for the Aggies.

Therefore, perhaps it was predictable that a crowd of about 300 gathered on “The Green” at Century Square to learn A&M's March Madness fate had to sweat out Selection Sunday.

The East Region bracket appeared. No A&M. The Midwest Region appeared. No A&M. The West Region was revealed. Still, no A&M.

Star forward Rashaun Agee, who has played in the NCAA Tournament, admitted he was getting tense.

“I just feel like it’s human nature to be a little nervous, you know,” he said. “A little anxious, especially in this basketball world we play in you just never know. Anything can happen. Every day is a new game.

“Just a little nervous to just finally be able to play in March.”

Bella Lerma, TexAgs

Averaging 14.7 points and 8.9 rebounds for Texas A&M this year, All-SEC graduate forward Rashaun Agee will get his first taste of March Madness next week.

Guard Rylan Griffen wasn’t nearly as tense. He’d been in similar situations when playing at Kansas last year and at Alabama in 2024.

“I feel like every year my team is the last team,” he said. “Last year, we were on the last bracket. The year before, we were on the last bracket. I’ve just grown to get used to it at this point.”

Finally, Texas A&M flashed up on the Jumbotron as a No. 10 seed to face No. 7 seed Saint Mary’s on Thursday in Oklahoma City.

Breath exhaled. Angst disappeared. The crowd erupted.

Coach Bucky McMillan shrugged.

“I knew we were in. Just watching it and knowing where it all stacked up,” McMillan said. “So, it was just ‘Who we’re gonna play? Who would be the two-seed (Houston), and where were we going?’

“To finish tied for fourth in that league, it would have been a travesty if these guys didn’t get the opportunity because that means they brought it pretty much every night over the course of 18 games.

“I wasn’t concerned.”

Of course, he wasn’t. The Aggies are 21-11. They finished tied for fourth in the Southeastern Conference. They had victories over Kentucky and Texas, which had already been announced in the NCAA Tournament field.

But as a first-year A&M coach, McMillan hasn’t experienced selection committee shenanigans that Aggies have almost come to expect.

Bucky wasn’t here when a football committee shafted A&M in 2020. He might not know A&M baseball was denied hosting a Super Regional in 2015. And, of course, the basketball selection committee dismissed A&M's run to the SEC Tournament finals in 2022.

Aggies fans can’t trust a committee. But they could trust assistant basketball coach Frank Haith.

“Frank called it,” McMillan said. “He said, ‘I think we’re going to get Saint Mary’s in Oklahoma City. We’ve got good memories of Oklahoma City, don’t we?’

“Just not find ourselves down by 12 with about a minute left.”

McMillan was referring to the OMG in OKC a decade ago. That was the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament when the Aggies came back from a 12-point deficit with 35 seconds remaining to defeat Northern Iowa, 92-88, in double overtime.

Alex Parker, TexAgs

Texas A&M was a No. 3 seed in the 2016 NCAA Tournament when the Aggies began a March Madness run to remember in Oklahoma City.

McMillan was watching — and texting with assist coach Mitch Cole during that game. Cole was an A&M assistant to Billy Kennedy in 2016.

“When it happened, I texted Mitch Cole,” McMillan said. “I found the text recently because he had an old phone. And I said, ‘Man, that’s unbelievable.’ He said, ‘Crazy.’

“The press they ran to get back in the game was our ‘140’ press. It’s kind of unique in how it’s described. I just remember coach Cole sent me back ‘140, baby.’”

That rally was boosted by A&M guards Alex Caruso, Admon Gilder and Danuel House.

McMillan said the Aggies will need clutch play from guards to have a successful run this year.

“When our guards are playing well, we’re a very tough matchup,” McMillan said. “Guards have to play well in March.

“When we’ve played well, our guards have played really well. I think we’ve got very capable guards, and some have been in this moment. When they’re playing well, we’re capable of playing with anybody in the tournament.”

Expect more dramatics to come.