Texas A&M (13-4, 3-1 SEC) dropped its first game in SEC play on Tuesday night against No. 24 Tennessee after holding a lead for nearly the entire game before the final five minutes, as missed free throws, costly turnovers, and poor execution didn’t cost the Aggies in regulation, but served as their collapse in double overtime, losing 87-82.
Tennessee is extremely talented, led by future NBA lottery pick and freshman forward Nate Ament, who scored a game-high 23 points paired with seven rebounds, and was a force in the paint during both overtime sessions. For the Aggies, senior guard Jacari Lane continued his impressive play, leading the team with 20 points, but he missed several shots, including two makeable layups that would have given the Aggies a shot at tying or taking the lead late.
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However, nothing compared to the incredible rebounding differential, as the Volunteers outrebounded the Aggies 60-35, further proving that transfer forward Mackenzie Mgbako’s season-ending injury will continue to hurt Texas A&M on the board, resulting in small-ball lineups that sacrifice size for shooting.
Still, first-year head coach Bucky McMillan’s fast-paced, high-scoring system and smaller lineups will continue to produce exciting scoring nights, but close games that could go either way due to the continued rebounding problems is just the reality for the rest of the year.
Before taking on the Texas Longhorns in Austin on Saturday, here is Bucky McMillan’s brief press conference after Tuesday’s double-overtime loss to Tennessee.
Bucky McMillan’s immediate reaction to the loss
«You can’t get too results-oriented. Break here, bucket there, we win that game. Basketball’s a funny game. Sometimes you win these [kinds of games], sometimes you don’t.»
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The first close loss of SEC play always stings the most
«We were right there all night, man. All night. Right there.»
It was strength against strength, while Tennessee’s size on the day
«We’re good at what we do, and those [Tennessee] guys are good at what they do. We go pace, tempo, shoot a lot of threes. They play some Power-I football and go over you, and they box you in halfcourt.»
Size will be an issue for the Aggies throughout the season
«I don’t think there’s much more we could have done defensively. We stopped [Tennessee] most of the night on that first shot. But they got a lot of size, and they just keep coming, and they get a lot of [extra shots].»
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Everything Texas A&M HC Bucky McMillan said after loss at Tennessee
