With the regular-season in the rearview mirror, Texas A&M men’s basketball turns its attention to the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Starting the year with lackluster expectations, the Aggies defied the odds, securing 11 wins in Southeastern Conference play for an overall record of 21-10. Under first-year head coach Bucky McMillan, the Maroon and White sit as a projected 9-seed, according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi.

However, before A&M can begin its dance through March Madness, the Aggies face one final roadblock: the SEC Tournament, with opening games starting on Wednesday, March 11. The Maroon and White finished fourth in conference rankings, claiming the 6-seed and a first-round bye. 

“Basketball is a tournament sport,” McMillan said in Tuesday’s press conference. “This is where people tune in. We all know memories that have been etched in everyone’s mind from tournament basketball. That’s the SEC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.”

Ending the season on a two-game win streak with wins over Kentucky, 96-85, and LSU, 94-91, A&M relied on dominant performances from graduate student forward Rashaun Agee and senior guard Rylan Griffen. 

Named to the All-SEC Third Team, Agee led the Aggies with 14.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. In a triple-overtime victory over LSU, Agee tied A&M’s single-season record with his 12th double-double, finishing the game with 26 points and 11 rebounds. The regular-season finale marked the USC transfer’s sixth time scoring 20-plus points and 15th time grabbing double-digit rebounds. 

“He has worked himself into being an incredible basketball player,” McMillan said. “His endurance isn’t the best. He’s just a heavyweight boxer and gives you everything he’s got. To do what he’s doing at his size, the way he rebounds the ball, and have as many double-doubles as he has, it’s incredible.”

Griffen will play a major role in the Aggies’ postseason campaign, with 24 points of his own in A&M’s season finale.

“Rylan is very important,” McMillan said. “His mindset has to be, ‘I’m here to take this thing over.’ This time of year, you’re going to have to have some guards take it over. It’s a guard’s game, particularly in tournament play, and the way that he’s played in these past couple of games has been as good as any guard in the league.”

In a tournament decided by guard play, the Aggies are 12-3 when Griffen scores double-digit points.

In the second round A&M will open play against 11-seed Oklahoma, who defeated 14-seed South Carolina in the first round on March 11. During the regular season, the Aggies defeated the Sooners twice, by seven on Jan. 10, and four on Feb. 21. 

With a win during the second round, the Aggies would advance to the Quarterfinals for a rematch against the 3-seed Razorbacks. 

If A&M defeats Arkansas to advance to the Semifinals, it could face a wide array of SEC opponents: 15-seed Ole Miss, 10-seed Texas, 7-seed Georgia or 2-seed Alabama. The Aggies handled both the Rebels and Bulldogs in conference play and split a pair of games with the Longhorns. Without senior center Charles Bediako, the Maroon and White could get revenge on the Crimson Tide, after falling 100-97 in a regular-season defeat. 

On the other side of the bracket, A&M avoids 1-seed Florida and 4-seed Vanderbilt until a possible SEC Championship game. 

One-for-one in neutral site games, the Aggies begin their SEC Tournament journey versus the Sooners on Thursday, March 12, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, with tipoff set for 8:30 p.m.