Photo courtesy of Ethan Mito/Texas A&M Athletics
Bucky McMillan took Texas A&M to the NCAA Tournament in his first season as head coach. Photo courtesy of Ethan Mito/Texas A&M Athletics
In his first season as the head basketball coach at Texas A&M, Mountain Brook native Bucky McMillan led the Aggies to the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
Texas A&M finished the season with 22 wins, earning a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament and knocking off No. 7 seed Saint Mary's in the opening round of the tournament.
No. 2 seed Houston defeated Texas A&M 88-57 in the second round last weekend, putting an end to a successful opening year in Aggeland.
"Hold your heads up high," McMillan told his team in the locker room following the final game.
It is the second NCAA Tournament appearance for a McMillan-led team, as he took Samford to the tournament in 2024 and nearly upset Kansas. McMillan was the head coach at Samford for four years following a legendary run at Mountain Brook High School.
"It's a great thing when you can be a tournament team," McMillan said. "We've shown we can play with a lot of teams...I do think this was a major step getting to the tournament this year and where we finished in the SEC. It should only continue to grow from here."
