Bucky McMillan and Texas A&M Basketball lose once again yesterday, this time to their bitter rival, the Texas Longhorns. This was a very winnable game, but when you can't capitalize on mistakes and make your shots, it's hard to win many games. There are plenty of things to take away from this game, but the biggest one is this; there's still hope, but the window is closing fast.
Let's start with the good. Teams all around A&M near the bubble are losing, so the Aggies didn't really fall too much. Most bracketologists still have them out of the first four play-in games, although, being 45 minutes south of UD Arena, I personally wouldn't mind getting to see them play up here.
They have two more chances at a Quad 1 win to end the season. Either one probably gets them in the tournament at this point as long as they don't drop one they shouldn't in the SEC tournament. Kentucky will certainly be a tough matchup, but they are a very inconsistent team, especially away from home. The chances are still there for them, but they'll have to earn it.
Takeaways from Texas A&M's loss to Texas as tournament time draws ever closer
Winning one of these games is going to start with being able to make some shots. going 5-19 from 3 at home is simply unacceptable. I know Agee made 2 of them, but he shouldn't have 2 more 3-point shot attempts than anyone else on the team. Pop Isaacs did an excellent job stepping up to the occasion yesterday, but Marcus Hill and Rashaun Agee aren't enough to carry this team.
The two biggest issues offensively in the most recent games have been Ruben Dominguez and Rylan Griffen. Dominguez has to find a way out of this slump. Griffen should not be on the floor for 31 minutes and only putting up 3 shots. He couldn't even bring in a rebound either. If there is going to be a march resurgence from this team, it has to start with these two guys.
The Aggies are going to have to do some soul searching this week. February was a terrible month, and something this fan base has become accustomed to the past few years. Hopefully we can see a bounce back from this team as they're put right up against the bubble only 14 days away from selection Sunday. Check back tomorrow for my full preview of the upcoming matchup against Kentucky.