Texas A&M basketball punched the St. Mary's Gaels in the mouth early on in this March Madness first round matchup, and they never looked back. The Aggies jumped out to a lead pretty quickly at 9-0, and the Gaels were simply never able to keep up from that point on.
Rashaun Agee was the top option for the Aggies here, going 7-11 from the field and adding 9 rebounds. Ruben Dominguez was the only other Aggie in double figures, notching 11 points and hitting three threes, which was a sight for sore eyes for the Ags.
Saint Mary’s when the other team can dunk and run fast pic.twitter.com/m44pFpMnwq
— NCAA Buzzer Beaters & Game Winners (@NCAABuzzerBters) June 28, 2024
The Gaels tried to play their game as best they could, slowing things down and controlling the boards, but the Aggies were able to almost match them in that key statistic. St. Mary's only pulled down one more board than did Texas A&M, which was quite a feat given the Aggies' height disadvantage.
Texas A&M punches St. Mary's in the mouth quickly to bring home a round one victory
This marks two straight years for the Aggies with a win in March Madness, and it's quite an achievement for Bucky McMillan's first year in College Station. Very few saw the Ags in the field at all during this first year, but the Ags made it despite all odds, thanks to a heck of a coaching job by Bucky.
FEED YOUR BIG MAN JAMIE VINSON đŸ”¨pic.twitter.com/nyjPS16VG6
— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) March 20, 2026
Things are about to get a lot tougher, though. Texas A&M will face Houston in the next round, barring a huge upset by Idaho, and that will be no easy task. The Aggies will be looking for revenge after falling to the Cougars in overtime two years ago in the tournament in a very memorable game.
If anyone can do it, though, it looks like Bucky is the man for the job. Houston will have very little time to prep for the Ags, and A&M is a load to get ready for. Here's hoping we see the maroon and white in the Sweet 16 next weekend.