Click here to view Texas A&M’s Tuesday press conference.
Being in Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena for the Southeastern Conference Basketball Tournament won’t be a new experience for Texas A&M’s Bucky McMillan.
Well, except that this time he’ll be a participator instead of a spectator when the No. 6 seed Aggies (21-10) take the floor for a second-round game on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. CT.
Growing up a basketball fanatic in Alabama, McMillan frequently attended the SEC Tournament as a kid. He later went several more times as a high school coach, usually about a week or two after his team had won one of five state championships.
“I’ve gone to that tournament so many times growing up. I sat behind the benches a lot of times,” McMillan recalled. “I have too many incredible stories.”
McMillan hopes to add to the already incredible story of his first season at A&M with a long run in the SEC Tournament.
It would start with a victory over either No. 11 seed Oklahoma (17-14) or No. 14 seed South Carolina (13-18), which square off on Wednesday night in the first round.
Of course, when McMillan was hired to replace the departed Buzz Williams, he inherited a roster with no scholarship players. He got a late start in the transfer portal race to build his roster.
Complicating matters, the biggest-name transfer, Mackenzie Mgbako, was lost to a foot injury after just seven games.
Yet, McMillan led the Aggies to a 7-1 start in SEC play. Then, after a slump of six losses in eight games, A&M posted consecutive victories over Kentucky and LSU.
That resulted in an 11-7 conference record, a tie for fourth place and a presumably clinched at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament.
Having secured a place in March Madness takes a load of pressure off the Aggies in Nashville.
“I think the way we ended our season, we aren’t going up there with the weight of the world on our shoulders,” McMillan said.
Still, the Aggies aren’t dismissing the SEC Tournament. They’re not going to take it easy in Nashville.
“You should always want to win,” All-SEC forward Rashaun Agee said. “I feel like any athlete should want to go in and try to win. I don’t tell my teammates we’re going to go in here just to play one game.
“We try to win everything.”
Agee always does. He’s been a model of leadership and consistency. The 6-foot-8 graduate scored in double figures in 16 of 18 SEC games. He posted seven double-doubles in conference play.
Agee leads A&M in scoring with a 14.7 average and rebounding with an 8.8 average. He’s second in the SEC in rebounding.
His consistent production is almost taken for granted. Indeed, the key to A&M’s success is the supporting cast.
Another player has to play a significant co-starring role. The identity of that player can be a mystery.
“I feel like you just never know with this team,” Agee said. “Anybody can come in and spark a run for us at any given day or at any given game.”
Typically, that player is guard Rylan Griffen. The Aggies are 12-3 when Griffen scores in double figures. Two of the three losses were in double overtime to Tennessee and Alabama. The third was 86-85 to Missouri.
Griffen most recently posted back-to-back career highs in points. He scored 21 in a 96-85 victory over Kentucky. He followed up with 24 in a 94-91 triple overtime victory over LSU.
“The way he’s played the past couple of games has been as good as any guard in the league,” McMillan said. “He’s got to bring that in this tournament.”
Griffen has hit double digits in the victories over A&M’s potential second-round opponents.
He scored 14 in two victories over Oklahoma. He scored 16 in a win over South Carolina.
Despite the previous success, Griffen expects a tough challenge regardless of the opponent. He noted Oklahoma is on a four-game winning streak, while South Carolina ended regular-season play with a victory over Ole Miss.
“Both are coming off really great wins, so both of them are hot,” Griffen said. “Oklahoma has won four of five. They haven’t lost in a minute. They’re really, really hot.
“But so is South Carolina. They’ve got a guard (Meechie Johnson) that’s capable of going for 30. And so does Oklahoma (Nijel Pack).”
Success in the SEC Tournament won’t come easy for A&M. Seemingly, nothing does.
From building a roster to getting through SEC play to securing a place in March Madness, A&M has faced and overcome difficult challenges.
The SEC Tournament is just another challenge for McMillan. He’s been there before to watch. Now, he’s going to win.
“I’ve been there and had great memories,” McMillan said. “I’ve had players I’ve coached play in that tournament. I’ve hung out with the coaches, so I kind of know the vibe of it.
“I’ve been looking forward to it.”
