Texas A&M (17-8, 7-5 SEC) is trending downward after losing its fourth cosecutive game, falling 82-69 to No. 19 Vanderbilt on the road just three days removed from Wednesday’s heartbreaking 86-85 home loss to Missouri, which would have made Saturday’s loss less brutal. after starting 7-1 in SEC play, the Aggies have tumbled to the middle of the pack.
A&M’s offense, which looked elite in the first half against Missouri after hitting eleven threes before making just twelve shots in the second half, continued to struggle on Saturday, shooting 38% from the field and 28% from beyond the arc.
To make matters worse, the Aggie starters, especially senior guard Jacari Lane and Spanish sharpshooter Rubén Dominguez, continue to struggle, while star forward Rashaun Agee was limited to eight points, which matched his bad performance in last Saturday’s loss to Florida.
Dominguez, who broke Texas A&M’s three-point shooting record earlier this year, has scored just 12 points and three three-pointers in all four losses, providing little to no impact on either side of the ball. For first-year head coach Bucky McMillan’s system, especially without the necessary size to work this season, his shooters need to consistently hit open shots and force turnovers.
However, SEC officiating, which has been questionable to say the least this season, has not been kind to road teams, Saturday’s notable free throw disparity, comparing Vanderbilt’s 29 attempts off 24 fouls, hitting 23 from the stripe compared to Texas A&M’s 10 attempts won’t receive and answer, but certainly played a big part in the Commodores winning the game when both teams shot nearly identical from the field.
Heading back to College Station, Texas A&M now enters “must-win” territory against an average Ole Miss team, needing to end what has been a miserable losing streak for the once first-place team with a 99% chance to make the NCAA Tournament. After the game, Bucky McMillan briefly spoke with the Texas A&M Radio crew. Here’s what he had to say:
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Watch Texas A&M HC Bucky McMillan’s postgame interview
Reporting by Cameron Ohnysty, Aggies Wire / Aggies Wire
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