Everything Texas A&M HC Bucky McMillan said after first round victory

[ASFN Admin]

The Texas A&M Aggies stole the show in the first March Madness game of the Bucky McMillan era, beating St. Mary’s 63-50 in a dominant defensive performance.

Heading into the matchup, analysts around the nation were excited to watch the game due to how differently the two sides played. The Aggies have a quick pace on offense, start a 6’7 center, and lean into runs and momentum. The Gaels have four seven-footers, slow the game down, and crash the boards hard. It was a stylistic battle between Bucky Ball and a St. Mary’s side that eerily resembled a hypothetical Buzz Williams-led team.

The Aggies dominated from start to finish, pulling ahead to a 9-0 lead before the first media timeout. St. Mary's would make it a close game at various points in the first half, cutting the lead to two with 11 minutes left in the first and to one with 6 minutes to go, but Texas A&M went on a 14-2 run and never looked back.

St. Mary’s center rotation, starter Harry Wessels and star Andrew McKeever, had a combined 0 points, while Aggie captain center Rashaun Agee had 22 points and as many rebounds as both Gael centers combined. Despite a major size advantage, the Aggies came away with 9 offensive rebounds, just two less than their towering opponents.

Below is everything the Aggies had to say about their hard-fought victory.

Head Coach Bucky McMillan on how the Aggies fared in his March Madness debut​

"I thought we played really well, it was an elite defensive performance from us. They made 10 threes, and we still had a double digit win. That means we did a lot of good things. I'm proud of our guys. We didn't come here just for one game."

Rashaun Agee on the Aggies forcing a 10-second violation on the first play of the game​

"It completely set the tone to come out with that defensive effort. It deflated the energy on the other end, because they knew it was going to be like this all game."

Ruben Dominguez on making 3 three pointers in three minutes​

"I feel like when I get going, everybody looks for me. It's not the first time I've done that. I feel good. I love it. It feels really good to be out there with these guys in March. It's a blessing."

Dominguez also commented on the stylistic differnces between the two teams​

"We felt from the first play of the game, they were not used to this style of play. We said in the first media timeout that they were tired. They weren't used to the pressure. Those first few minutes were when we realized they were tired."

Rashaun Agee continued to emphasize the value of setting the tone​

"Every game you should come out ready to hit somebody before they hit you. You have to set a standard."

HC McMillan was proud of the Aggies' defensive effort​

"We held a really good passing team to 8 assists tonight and forced 18 turnovers. We had 15 assists to 10 turnovers. Team defense and the collective effort made that possible."

McMillan then apologized for a poor SEC Tournament performance​

"We played our second worst game of the year in the SEC Tournament. I apologized to all the Aggies out there for the Oklahoma loss, but it helped us get ready for this game. It helped us understand just how hard we had to play in tournaments."

McMillan has the 12th Man in mind​

"We want to make all the Aggies proud out there. We've had so many people rally around this group to get here. We wanted to get to the tournament because I thought we could win in the tournament. We want everyone wearing their maroon proudly."

McMillan on mentally preparing his squad for the big stage​

"The last thing we wrote on our board in the locker room before we walked out was 'No Regrets'. Our program is built around hard work and playing fearless. I thought our team represented that really well tonight."

McMillan elaborated on how he wants his players to feel entering the matchup as the underdog​

"They say styles make fights, but really players make fights. I challenged our guys to take their matchups more personal. You have to fight for your baskets. Our guys took that challenge in this game. There was blood in their eyes."

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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Everything Texas A&M HC Bucky McMillan said after first round victory

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