Texas A&M (2-0) has been one of the more exciting teams to watch during the first games of the 2025-2026 season under first-year head coach Bucky McMillan, who has installed his fast-paced offense and press defense, relying on a roster full of veteran transfers that, so far, have produced two blowout wins.
After defeating Northwestern State 98-68 on Monday night, the Aggies returned to Reed Arena to face Texas Southern, which led by as much as 6 points in the first half. McMillan’s system, when not perfected, can result in turnovers and too many missed shots, but in the second half, Texas A&M’s speed and offensive efficiency overwhelmed the visitors, scoring a prolific 63 points.
Five Aggies scored in the double-digits, led by USC transfer forward Rashaun Agee with 16 points, followed by Alabama/Kansas transfer Rylan Griffen’s 14 points. Shooting 54% from the field, in 12 3-pointers, the last six seasons under Buzz Williams’ “defense first” approach is officially in the rear view mirror, as the team’s immense depth has continued to make an impact.
Winning 104 to 70, this was the highest scoring game for Texas A&M since the 2021 season, which is very impressive this early in the season, especially without star transfer forward Mackenzie Mgbako, who is still recovering from his injury.
After the game, Bucky McMillan, Rylan Griffen, and guard Josh Holloway spoke to the media for 28 minutes, providing an update on Rashaun Agee’s eye injury that led to his second-half exit.
Rylan Griffen on the Aggies’ mentality
“We came out with more aggression. We’ve been pretty bad coming out of the half so we had to come out with energy and start the second half better than how we started the first.”
Rylan Griffen on getting used to the new rotation
“We’re still a new team with 14 new players and new coaches. We’re still getting used to each other. It’s about fighting through adversity. I’m happy this team didn’t allow a sub-par first half to impact our energy on the bench in the second half.”
Josh Holloway on how the Aggies prepared for Texas Southern
“I’ve played them every year I’ve been in college so far. We watched film from when we played them at Samford. We knew what was coming. They knew what to do with the press because they’ve seen it every year so we had to make adjustments.”
Rylan Griffen on Rashaun Agee leaving the game with an eye injury
“He’s our leader. We got the win for him. We played better after he went down. He’s probably the most important player to the team as a leader. When he went down, we lost our leader, but we need him back for Sunday.”
Bucky McMillan on the team’s 63 points in the second half
“We had 23 assists and 8 turnovers, that’s really good. I’m proud of the guys for that. We weren’t very tight defensively in the first half. We scored 63 points in the second half. You’ve got to give them credit for the first half. We expected to see their best shot. They are warriors, they win their league and they’re well coached. Credit our guys for continuing to share the rock.”
Bucky McMillan on Rashaun Agee’s injury
“He’s at the ophthalmologist right now. Hopefully he gets that thing fixed. I joked with our staff, we have to sew him up because we’ve got a game to win on Sunday.”
Bucky McMillan on transfer guard Pop Isaacs’ second game
“Really good game for Pop. People don’t know how impressive it is to sit out a whole year and function at this high level. You can’t just take a year off and be good, but I think he’s further along than people thought.”
Bucky McMillan on facing Oklahoma State on Sunday afternoon
“It will be a Quad 1 game. I know they beat Auburn in an exhibition. They had some guys out who will be back for the game. They play fast. I expect it to be an uptempo game. It will take our best effort to win it.”
Texas A&M will face Oklahoma State on the road on Sunday, November 9 at 1:00 p.m. and will air on ESPN2.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Everything HC Bucky McMillan, players said after 104-70 win over TSU
