Texas A&M basketball's disappointing March Madness end marks true end of an era

The Texas A&M basketball team should've been on their way to a Sweet 16 against the Auburn Tigers, but instead, gave up a double digit lead in the second half and collapsed in the second half of the game to the Michigan Wolverines.

The first 30 minutes of the game reminded us that the Aggies were that grit and grind team that was going to be tough for anyone to get past, but after Michigan started getting some good looks down the stretch, the Wolverines pulled away and it looked like the Aggies' season was starting to crumble.

This might've been the last game for Buzz Williams coaching the Aggies, and if it was, it was an era that Aggie basketball fans will cherish for a long time. But it's the group of seniors and graduates that made this incredible season possible, and it's the players on the court that will make us appreciate this veteran group as a whole, because it might be a while until Texas A&M rebuilds to this type of magnitude again.

A&M's veteran group departing marks end of an era for Aggie basketball

This was the season that the Aggies could've really gone on a deep March Madness run. With Taylor IV reaching new heights by arguably becoming the greatest Aggie basketball player ever, to Andersson Garcia playing some of the best basketball of his life, to Zhuric Phelps being one of the transfer steals of the country, this season was truly the icing on the cake to all of the seasoned Aggie veterans.

Taylor IV, Garcia, Solomon Washington, Henry Coleman III, Manny Obaseki and Hayden Hefner were the true glue guys to hold this culture strong. When it looked like the Ags were going to lose a big piece last year in Tyrece Radford, it didn't take long for Phelps and CJ Wilcher to catch on to this Aggie culture.

There are many defensive lapses and turnovers that Buzz can get to far from now, but let's just take a moment to appreciate this veteran core that stayed together. In the era of transfer portal being active 24/7, what Aggie fans got to see over a four-year span is truly rare in this day and age.

Speaking of the transfer portal, the chatter is already starting across the nation as the Sweet 16 gets underway, but for now, let's just bow down to this core group that stuck together through the good, the bad and the ugly. As for Buzz and if he'll stick around, it would make sense if he wants to reset somewhere else. If so, Aggie fans will truly miss his leadership.