Texas A&M (20-10, 10-7 SEC) earned one of its most significant wins during the final week of regular-season play after defeating Kentucky 96-85, with an impressive shooting night and balanced effort from a deep, desperate team for a victory this close to the NCAA Tournament.
Before the game, first-year head coach Bucky McMillan, for the first time in conference play, altered his starting lineup, placing sharpshooter Rubén Dominguez on the bench in an effort to create a spark amid the sophomore’s shooting slump, resulting in a bounce-back performance that led to the Aggies’ impressive comeback late in the first half.
As a team, the Aggies shot 48% from the field and 46% from beyond the arc, led by Dominguez’s five threes, with Rylan Griffen and Zach Clemence combining for seven threes, and five players, including star forward Rashaun Agee (14 points), producing double-digit scoring efforts. For the first time in several games, “Bucky Ball” was in perfect form.
For the Aggies, Tuesday’s victory serves as the program’s fifth Quad 1 win of the season, which, on paper, should solidify a spot in the NCAA Tournament, but nothing is set in stone until Texas A&M’s regular-season finale road trip to LSU concludes. If A&M defeats LSU, an at-large bid to the big dance is all but guaranteed.
After the win, Bucky McMillan, Rubén Dominguez, and Rylan Griffen spoke to the media. Here’s what they had to say.
Rubén Dominguez on his bounce-back performance
“It’s frustrating when you’re not making shots, but I just try to stick to who I am. That’s the key. Everyone will have ups and downs. That’s how it works.”
Rylan Griffen on the Aggies’ game-changing 27-3 run
“They got off to a great start, but luckily we were able to respond with a run of our own.”
Griffen on the Aggies’ chances of making the NCAA Tournament
“Everybody knows where we’re at when it comes to March Madness. We had to have this one at home. I’m glad we were able to get it done today. Whether it locks up a berth isn’t my decision, but if i’m a bracketology guy, this doesn’t hurt to win.”
Griffen on Dominguez’s impressive performance
“He raises the ceiling of our team. There was a play where he passed up a look and I told him to shoot the ball and I think the Kentucky bench heard me. Just shoot the ball. When he’s playing like that, we’re hard to beat.”
Bucky McMillan on Tuesday’s must-win matchup
“Great win by our guys. We had to have it. I challenged our guards. We busted the game open when Rubén and Rylan got going in the first half. When we’re making shots we can beat anybody. We won our matchups.”
McMillan on Texas A&M’s previous players setting the stage
“I have tremendous respect for the players who came before us at A&M. We wanted to carry on what these teams have done before by setting the table with this new groiup. We’ve been getting texts from those guys and we just wanted to make them proud.”
McMillan on the offensive approach
“What we do in totality generates offense. We get the game going trying to lean on those guys as much as we can. We felt fresh and they were in foul trouble.”
McMillan on Texas A&M season outlook after 20 victories
“We didn’t have a great February. We’ve had a great season, in my opinion. We’ve got enough talent out there that we can figure it out.”
McMillan on Rylan Griffen’s importance as a key player
“Rylan has been a role player at his other schools, but we brought him here to be a real player. He’s a key guard for us. You can see the aggressiveness in his eyes the way he ran the floor and hunted his shot.”
McMillan on how Tuesday’s win affects Texas A&M’s NCAA Tournament hopes
“I don’t like to make anyone on the committee upset. I’m not going to lobby for our team. At the end of the day, you should want our team in the tournament. We have 20 plus wins and we have a winning record in the SEC. You should want A&M in the tournament. We’ve done won games on the road, we’re an exciting team, and we’re a tough matchup for teams.”
McMillan with the quote of the night
“I’m not coaching basketball afraid of my own shadow. Basketball is a war. We pick people up 94 feet because the court is 94 feet, not 40 feet. We play to live, we don’t play not to die.”
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: HC Bucky McMillan, players speak after Texas A&M’s win vs. Kentucky
Reporting by Cameron Ohnysty, Aggies Wire / Aggies Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
