It wasn't the best outing for either team in Norman, Oklahoma, as the Aggies took on the Sooners, but the Aggies were able to get the win, going to 19-8 on the season (9-5 in conference).
The message from Bucky to his team is pretty clear. The tournament starts now. In fact, according to him, it's already started, that is, if we go back to the Ole Miss game.
"I told our team before the Ole Miss game that our NCAA Tournament starts now. Teams that want to play in the tournament win games like these. We had to have it. We've won in different ways down the stretch. Today it was our defense."Bucky McMillan
March Madness has already started for Texas A&M basketball
Some fans may say, No, March hasn't started yet. But for some teams, it has. For Texas A&M basketball, it is. McMillan is already showing urgency to his players to get ready for the big dance. BarTovik already had the Aggies at a 91.7% chance of making the NCAA tournament. It's just a matter of where they are seeded.
Some have the Aggies as a No. 8 seed or a No. 9 seed. Not exactly the best odds, because that means they will go up against a No. 1 seed like Duke or Arizona.
As coaches would always say, we have to fight our way back. We put ourselves into this situation. That's what Bucky is saying. Of course, Texas A&M has already exceeded expectations, but we know that Bucky's squad is legit, so fans are already expecting more.
The Aggies need to win the ones they can control. They went through a rough stretch losing four games in a row, but if they take it a game at a time, the Aggies will be in decent shape. We still have an SEC tournament to play. Anything can happen from here on out.