Texas A&M came into this game against the Longhorns looking not only to bolster their NCAA Tournament resume, but to make history. The Aggies have not swept their in-state rival in a season in 39 years, and Bucky's squad stood a good chance of changing that in this one.
However, it was not to be. The Aggies sustained a huge drought from the field late in the game, when they could least afford it, and the Longhorns hit some extremely tough buckets that took the wind out of the crowd's sails.
The Aggies have now dropped two games in a row after a two-game win streak pulled them out of a previous funk. This was a major opportunity for Bucky Ball in a rivalry contest, but they just couldn't get it done.
Texas A&M drops hugely-needed game against rival Texas Longhorns
Texas A&M led by one at the break, but a quick salvo from their rivals to open the second half saw them fall behind, where they remained until game's end. They always stayed connected, however, as Texas never led by more than seven points until a late set of free throws from Tramon Mark pushed the lead to nine.
That came on the heels of a couple of extremely tough buckets from Texas, including a late shot clock heave from three that somehow went in, and an among-the-trees bucket that somehow got through the outstretched arms of the Aggies' bigs. The Aggies had marshaled some momentum before those two shots, but it was well-stymied thanks to those.
The Aggies are not completely out of the picture for the NCAA Tournament, of course. A win over Kentucky this Wednesday and then taking care of business against LSU next Saturday would put the Aggies in a much better spot for the Big Dance, but a win over the Wildcats will be tough.
This was a missed opportunity, no doubt about it. That made three from deep in the corner compared with Rylan Griffen's in-and-out shot with about two minutes to go is just one of those things that shows how the bounce of a ball one way or another can determine how these games end up.
Last season, Texas and A&M had a rubber match in the SEC Tournament that went to double overtime. The same could happen this year, depending on the seeding, but as things stand, the basketball edition of the Lone Star Showdown will disappointingly end in a tie.