Texas A&M (16-4, 6-1 SEC) remains one of the hottest teams in the country after building an SEC-leading 6-1 conference record, coming off back-to-back blowout wins over Mississippi State and South Carolina. After the mini-bye week, the Aggies will head to Athens to face Georgia, as the Bulldogs are coming off a frustrating 86-85 overtime loss to Tennessee.
Through 20 games, only three teams have won their following matchup after facing the Aggies, further proving that first-year head coach Bucky McMillan’s intense and relentless scheme, especially a press defense that has yet to let up for 40 minutes every game, no matter the score.
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Also averaging over 90 points a game, while leading the SEC in several categories, including assists and forced turnovers per game, Texas A&M’s chance to make the NCAA Tournament is nearly 100%, according to Bart Torvik’s latest update, and while the Aggies are in good shape, the Aggies likely need to win at least four more games to earn an at-large bid and avoid the play-in round.
Ahead of facing the Bulldogs, Bucky McMillan spoke to the media on Thursday and had an interesting assessment of his team’s mentality heading into the final stretch of the regular season.
“We know who we are. We’re going to have to play hard and unselfish at all times. If we do what we’re supposed to do, we’ll be successful. We control what we can control, and we control the factors that lead to winning basketball.”
«Winning basketball» isn’t coach-speak, as the Aggies have struggled to win the rebounding battle since conference play began. After doing so against South Carolina on Saturday, McMillan noted that his team remains focused on the basics, which begin with better rebounding to prevent second-chance scoring opportunities.
Set to face a similar small-ball scheme, Georgia can score with the best of them, meaning A&M’s press defense will need to force turnovers and shoot above 40% from the field and at least 35% for better from beyond the arc, while keeping the rebounding differential within single digits.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M HC Bucky McMillan discusses team’s mentality amid success
