SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 12, 2026

Bucky McMillan

Rashaun Agee

Pop Isaacs

Bridgestone Arena

Texas A&M Aggies

Postgame Press Conference

Oklahoma 83, Texas A&M 63

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Texas A&M. We'll start with opening comments from Coach, then take questions.

BUCKY McMILLAN: It's a good game by Oklahoma. We played 'em twice. We played 'em and beat 'em twice in a close game. We knew to beat a team here, a team that's really hungry, they're playing for a lot like we all are, to get them a third time that we'd have to play one of our best games, A-plus game. We knew they'd play an A-plus game.

We didn't do that. Dug ourselves too big a hole in the first half. We got good looks in the first half we didn't convert on. They played well. Got too many shots at the rim in the first half. Found ourselves down by 22.

Came out, we actually won the second half by a couple points. Played good defense the second half. Didn't rebound the ball well. They got 19 offensive rebounds, which was a problem. They scored 18 points on second-chance points to our one point. Even when we got a rebound, we didn't convert, score at the rim.

The game was probably won with their ability to score it at the rim, whether that was an offensive rebound or not, our lack of ability to score at the rim, because we're pretty similar from the three-point line, and then their offensive rebounds to give them extra chances in the game.

I thought their starting five played really well. You can look at their numbers. 20 points, one rebound, 16 points, six rebounds, 15 points, 10 rebounds, 14 points, nine rebounds, seven points, eight rebounds. Those five guys are playing well, they're really a dang good team.

Hats off to them. I think they're really scrapping to be right on the cusp of being an NCAA tournament team. They're playing well.

THE MODERATOR: We'll take questions for the players.

Q. Rashaun, in the first half there was both in transition and in the halfcourt some confusion in defensive rotation. What were you seeing from some of that?

RASHAUN AGEE: Defensive rotation on our side? I mean, I would say when they're making shots, we're not making shots, they pushing the pace, it's a little harder for us to get set up like we want to get set up.

They made some shots early on. We didn't find our rhythm like we wanted to.

Q. Pop, can you talk about the run to start the second half where you got going, how that ended up petering out.

POP ISAACS: I mean, yeah, we started playing like ourselves. Come out of halftime first four minutes. Got some open looks, knocked 'em down. I mean, I think what stopped the run, Tae Davis hit a big three in the corner. We were getting stops. I think we got a couple stops in between that, but we didn't capitalize on them. We got some good looks on those.

When Tae Davis hit that three in the corner, kind of slowed the momentum down. They got some more stops and more baskets. Yeah, that's kind of what ended it right there.

Q. Rashaun, how confident are you in this group that you'll be able to bounce back, come back full strength next week?

RASHAUN AGEE: I'm super confident. I feel like we always figure it out. We have always figured it out early on in the season. We lost games early on in the season. Beat Auburn, lost to Tennessee, bounced back and beat somebody else. We went on a little stretch, lost two or three games, came back, figured it out, put some games together.

I mean, we went through some games in our season where we understand it's tournament time and we'll figure it out like we always do.

Q. Rashaun, Coach has complimented you. At this point in the season, do you feel like you're still at 100%? How are the legs feeling for you? How do you feel the team's legs are feeling?

RASHAUN AGEE: I would say my legs are fine. I'm 100%. I'm always going to go no matter what Coach needs of me. I'm ready to play, give it my all.

Same goes for my teammates. They understand whatever Coach needs, we got to go out there, battle, be ready to play.

THE MODERATOR: Players, thank you. We'll continue with questions for Coach McMillan.

Q. First half, seemed like a bit of confusion in rotation on defense. What did you see?

BUCKY McMILLAN: Yeah, I mean, we lost our man a couple times. Our transition D, press D, actually point per possession-wise was good, below one point of possession on most of that. Our halfcourt D wasn't good enough. Got to the rim too many times. Beat off the dribble, not enough help side, losing a man. We had one of our players, not calling anybody out, was lost off the ball tonight for whatever reason. I don't know what it was. It was strange. That was a problem.

Late in the game when we got down in the last four or five minutes, we were going to start to try to trap the ball, screen a little bit, make something happen. It was lopsided. They slipped some of those, got some layups. We were kind of out of our game plan trying to do something. I understand those.

The ones you're talking about particularly early in the game, that's not part of the game plan obviously. We got to not lose our man.

Q. What gives you confidence that y'all will be able to flip the switch come tournament time?

BUCKY McMILLAN: We got to call it what it is. Look, we're not loaded up with tremendous size. When we go out there, the first half of a basketball game, give it 22% from three versus a team that makes 40% from three, we're going to have to really finish at the rim and do the other things well.

We didn't do that. We missed layups. We obviously weren't making threes. There's some passes that we missed, as well. But I've told y'all this all year long, this is a group that sometimes they'll lose some games, you'll feel like they -- how do they even win? You're like how could they ever win again? There's going to be some games where you're going to say how can this team ever lose?

We are what we are in terms of we are reliant on perimeter shooting right now. We've been very good on defense. Our field goal defense second half was tremendous. We just couldn't clean the glass. We've seen highs and lows with this team. Hopefully in the next one going forward that we play an A-plus game. You're going to have to play A-plus games this time of year.

Q. Seemed like Oklahoma was faster, more physical. Did you get that sense? Was it a matter they were playing for their tournament lives, maybe y'all weren't?

BUCKY McMILLAN: I think they're really good. Like I've said, I mean, if you were to have said before the season we played this group three times and get two wins out of it, I would say we played well in those games.

When you line it up, you look at their five starters, I thought they all played really well. They were great on the offensive glass tonight. They were really good there. I got to see why.

Sometimes you can literally block out every time, sometimes it's not your night. I'm never going to say that to our guys during the game. I have to watch the film to see why they got so many offensive rebounds. They did. They appeared strong and good.

One thing that helps a team that is athletic and can get out and go is when they are getting stops, we're not converting. When they're doing that, they're going to have a lot of opportunities to run and use their athleticism to their advantage.

Q. What do these next few days look like for y'all heading into the tournament?

BUCKY McMILLAN: We'll watch this tape tomorrow before we leave here. We'll get a lot of skill work in here. We'll practice. I mean, a lot of these guys have not played in the NCAA tournament. A lot of guys haven't played in the SEC tournament. There's a time when they never played in Reed Arena, and we weren't very good there.

I felt this was the most kind of feeling of a tournament game. I think we'll be much better in the next one, I really do. I think the guys were ready to play. I really believe that. Being ready to play and being kind of first time to do something, probably a little bit more at ease the second time you do it.

That's what we got to get to, correct what we did wrong, which was allowing them to get too many shots at the rim and allowing them to get too many rebounds.

Q. Is the silver lining in this now you will have a little extra rest getting ready for the NCAA tournament? Is that something beneficial for your team?

BUCKY McMILLAN: I think rest always matters. The reality of it is we're not going to win the NCAA tournament game if we don't have more players play an A-plus game. That can be more skill. That can be more practice time. We need legs. We're going to have to have more guys play their A-plus game when we get to that NCAA tournament.

The way that Oklahoma had a lot of guys play really well, we have to have that on both sides of the ball. The things we can control, we got to control. That can be physical, some of it can be mental.

Somebody loses his man two, three times, another guy does it once or twice, you're down 10-nothing to start the game. Those are the things that we can control mentally. Physically we got to get our bodies back. We got to be us.

You can see us turn around this next game and get 40% of threes. How did y'all get beat by 20 in the SEC tournament? That's when we have a bunch of players playing an A-plus game. That's what we have to get back to, give them confidence to us.

All you guys that made it from College Station, sorry, but appreciate y'all being here.