In what's been one of the stranger seasons for college basketball, Bucky McMillan is taking college basketball by storm, and he just got all the credit he needed from Jon Rothstein.
After the Aggies went on a 22-2 start against Georgia, the Aggies were in control for the rest of the game. The Bulldogs tried to come back, but they fell short every time they went on a run. This has been an incredible season for Texas A&M, and it's time for the AP to start noticing the Ags.
In a balanced year for the SEC, Bucky McMillan is the league’s breakout star. Texas A&M moves to 17-4 with a convincing win over Georgia. Only loss in conference play was in OT at Tennessee.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) January 31, 2026
Bucky McMillan is the winner of the surprise of the SEC
This is all the credibility he needs. Tennessee was a close loss as well, meaning the Aggies have been competing in every SEC game this season. Tennessee, coincidentally, is right in front of the Ags at 25.
Texas A&M is now receiving the most votes of teams outside the top 25, and McMillan is doing this without Mackenzie Mgbako. The Aggies are doing all of this with just one returner from last season. Nobody would've ever thought that the Aggies would be on top of the defending champion Florida Gators in Feburary.
It's still a long season, but the Ags have something special going now. Alabama and Florida are next on Texas A&M's schedule, and if they win both games, then the Ags truly are the kings of the SEC.
It's still a massive road to the finish line, but after Alabama and Florida, Vanderbilt and Arkansas are the last teams ranked on A&M's schedule. It's not too much for the Aggies to handle at all, and they keep rolling; they will no doubt be a top 25 team by season's end.
The expectations for A&M were extremely low, as they were picked to be one of the last teams before the season started. Now, McMillan has college basketball fans surprised in every way. The best is yet to come for McMillan, especially with taking this team to new heights that no one expected.