Bucky McMillan and Texas A&M Basketball return to Reed Arena tomorrow as they host the Texas Longhorns. The Aggies enter the contest with a 19-9 overall record, 9-6 in the SEC, and 42nd in the NET rankings. The Longhorns are coming in with a 17-11 record, 8-7 SEC record, and 40th in the NET rankings.
Unfortunately for the Aggies, this is likely a must-win game in order to potentially secure a spot in the NCAA tournament. This will be a quad 2 game for the Aggies, and a win would give the Aggies an even 9-9 record in quad 1 and 2 games— a near sure sign a power team will make the tournament. For the Longhorns, they absolutely need a win tomorrow. They are right with the Aggies in tournament projections, and they have the opportunity for a quad 1 road win.
Texas A&M looks to shatter decades-long streak with Lone Star Showdown win over Texas
The matchup is pretty even overall on paper. The Longhorns have a slight advantage in shooting percentage and points given up per game while the Aggies have the advantage in 3-point shooting percentage and points per game. The rest of the usual statistics are practically even. It was a very good game the first time, and I'm sure we're in for another battle tomorrow.
Defensively the Aggies are going to have to focus on the Texas big 4 players. They score the vast majority of the team's points, and can absolutely take over a game. All 4 of them average over 13 points per game but they are primarily led by 2 players: Dailyn Swain and Matas Vokeitaitis. Swain runs the show for the Longhorns leading the team in points, rebounds, and assists. Slowing him down will be absolutely necessary for a potential Aggie victory.
The Aggies certainly have some things they need to improve from Wednesday's game. They have to keep up with Texas on the boards and will need to limit turnovers as much as possible. They also really need to get Ruben Dominguez going again. His 3-points shooting can change a game, and he has struggled massively in SEC play. The emergence of Zach Clemence recently has been a huge addition, and if they can get solid performances from guys like Hill and Griffen, they should be just fine.
Odds aren't out yet on this game, but my guess is it'll be pretty close to even. The Aggies haven't swept the season series against the Longhorns since the 1986-87 season. Bucky McMillan already beat the Longhorns in Austin for the first time since the 2001-02 season. Hopefully he can break an even longer streak tomorrow. Check back after the game for our full reaction and analysis of the hopeful victory over Texas.