Texas A&M (20-10, 10-7 SEC) was desperate for a win on Tuesday night, needing to defeat Kentucky to stay in the hunt for an NCAA Tournament bid, and came through with its most impressive performance in SEC play, resulting in a much-needed 96-85 win over the visiting Wildcats behind four double-digit scoring efforts, led by senior guard Rylan Griffen’s 21 points.
However, this victory would not have come to fruition if sophomore guard Rubén Dominguez, who has struggled for most of SEC play, hadn’t stepped up when needed, hitting five threes and scoring 17 points to bring the Aggies back from a 12-point deficit in the first half. Holding a double-digit lead for most of the game, first-year head coach Bucky McMillan and his veteran squad never let up, even after Kentucky chipped away late.
After Tuesday’s win, Texas A&M didn’t move up in ESPN’s latest bracketology update, but now has a nearly 94% chance to make the NCAA Tournament (BarTorvik), while Saturday’s regular-season finale road matchup vs. LSU is more about seeding than anything else. Still, losing to the Tigers could result in the Aggies feeling less comfortable before next week’s SEC Tournament, likely needing multiple wins to earn an at-large bid.
For senior forward Rashaun Agee, who has led the Aggies in scoring and rebounds throughout the season, Saturday’s game will be a continuation of what we witnessed against Kentucky, as Agee stated during Thursday’s press conference that everything is on the line, and the team’s mentality is that “every game matters” in March.
“Once we get to games late in the season, everybody wants to play in March. Every game matters. There’s got to be more intensity, focus and paying attention to the details of doing what we need to do to get to where we want to get to.”
Details are everything, and McMillan’s choice to change the starting lineup for the first time in SEC play paid off, resulting in Dominguez’s breakout game, while Ryan Griffen was highly productive coming off the bench. LSU is currently 15-15 and looking to make a run in the SEC Tournament, and will look to avoid a regular-season sweep against the Aggies.
Texas A&M will face LSU on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. CT and will air on the SEC Network.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: ‘Every game matters’: Texas A&M senior forward previews LSU matchup
Reporting by Cameron Ohnysty, Aggies Wire / Aggies Wire
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