Texas A&M’s 92–69 win over South Carolina at Reed Arena, paired with No. 16 Florida’s loss to Auburn, has the Aggies standing alone atop the SEC at 6–1 as they brace for the toughest stretch of their conference schedule.
What Bucky McMillan has built in such a short time borders on remarkable. He arrived in College Station with a system he believed in, but only a small handful of people believed he could take a roster full of strangers and turn it into an NCAA Tournament contender in year one. Seven games into SEC play, he looks well on his way.
A&M’s rise is rooted in two pillars: suffocating defense and elite three‑point shooting. Nine Aggies are shooting better than 33% from deep, and among players with at least 30 attempts, no one is hotter than Rylan Griffen, who sits at 45.3% from beyond the arc. When this team gets rolling, no lead feels safe.
What makes their shooting surge even more impressive is who they’re doing it against. Mississippi State and South Carolina both hold opponents under 30% from three and typically allow no more than seven makes per game. Against those two defenses, the Aggies drilled 26 threes on 40% shooting. That’s not just hot shooting—that’s system-driven, sustainable offense.
The SEC is wide open, and while good times never last forever, A&M is capitalizing on every opportunity. Four more wins would put the Aggies in a prime position to secure an NCAA Tournament berth, a scenario that felt far-fetched back in April.
For now, they’ll enjoy a rare midweek break before turning their attention to a January 31 trip to Athens to face the Georgia Bulldogs—a matchup that marks the beginning of their most demanding stretch yet.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M’s three‑point surge fuels Aggies’ offensive rise
Reporting by Jarrett Johnson, Aggies Wire / Aggies Wire
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