ATHENS, GA – JANUARY 31: Head coach Bucky McMillan of the Texas A&M Aggies coaches during the college basketball game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Georgia Bulldogs on January 31, 2026, at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, GA. (Photo by Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
I’ve been preaching patience with this year’s Tide Hoops team for some time now; but I totally understand if any of you have run out of it. I hate to say it, but when this team gets hit with real adversity, they fold in pretty fantastic fashion. Sunday’s spotlight showdown with the Florida Gators went from fun back-and-forth to pathetic embarrassment in record time, as Alabama just completely fell apart coming out of the locker room after halftime, much to the delight of most of the nation – who still continues to insist that Charles Bediako’s return is somehow a different level of eligibility nonsense that has plagued college athletics for the better part of a decade now. It was a real low point in the Nate Oats era, to be quite honest.
However, I’m going to maintain that this team has the potential to turn this around and do so significantly. Granted, what’s the old saying about potential? It just means you haven’t done anything yet. And so, the now-unranked Alabama Crimson Tide will try to do something about this midseason funk the team finds itself in. The schedule will ease up in a substantial way after this week, but the next two ball games are big ones – a home showdown with the current SEC leaders followed by a trip to the Barn for a match-up with Auburn and their Super Bowl (hilariously on Super Bowl weekend – the SEC schedule makers do have a sense of humor, at least).
So, things could go from bad to worse if the Tide doesn’t get it together quickly. Unranked for the first time since January 2024, Nate Oats really needs to get this team’s attention as soon as possible, as a native son of Alabama returns to the state tonight.
What: Texas A&M Aggies (17-4, 7-1 SEC) vs Alabama Crimson Tide (14-7, 4-4 SEC)
Where: Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, AL
For anyone who doesn’t know first-year A&M head coach Bucky McMillan – he’s a Birmingham lifer. Rather, he was. Graduated from Mountain Brook High School, played hoops at Birmingham Southern (RIP), went back to be Mountain Brook’s head coach – where he turned the Spartans into a powerhouse, and then got his first college coaching gig at Samford. Honestly, I was pretty stunned that he was even on Texas A&M’s radar last offseason, but I knew he would work out there eventually. I didn’t expect him to be leading the SEC halfway through conference play of his first year, though.
McMillan plays a very up-tempo, relentless style that’s been affectionately dubbed “Bucky Ball”. His teams go 10-deep and play hard the full 40 minutes. Offensively, his philosophy is very similar to Oats – quick tempo (25th in the country), swing the ball around (10th in the country in Assists per FGM), and get good looks from three early in the shot-clock (27th in 3PA per FGA). Defensively is where you will notice a big difference in Bucky Ball and Oatsketball. McMillan pressures the ball a lot. Expect to see full court presses, traps, etc. It’s an incredibly annoying defense to play against.
As far as the roster is concerned, the Aggies had to do a complete and total 180 from Buzz Williams and his infamous mud wrestling style of play. The team is entirely new. Literally. There is not a single scholarship player on the roster who was in College Station last season. McMillan mostly made use of the transfer portal. So much so that A&M hilariously is the 9th most experienced team in the country despite a complete and total roster overhaul. That includes former Alabama guard Rylan Griffin, who is averaging 11.2 PPG on strong shooting splits (49.6%/43.7%/80.4%).
- Take Care of the Basketball. Alabama has actually been really good protecting the ball this season – 8th best in the country, in fact. However, you would’ve never guessed that watching the Florida game on Sunday, where the Tide turned the ball over 18 times in route to the Gators attempting 16 more shots and going +25 in transition points. Truly an abhorrent performance. A&M will be attempting the same thing tonight, albeit more so from their guards trying to create havoc in the backcourt than the Gators swarming in the frontcourt. The Tide simply can’t let A&M get the edge here.
- Dominate the Boards. For maybe the first time this season against a Power conference team, Alabama should have the advantage on the glass, at least on paper. The Aggies are not very big, and even their post players like Rashaun Agee – who has been awesome this year (13.9 PPG on 51.1%/21.3%/78.6% with 9.0 RPG and 2.3 APG) – are significantly undersized. Agee is listed at 6’8. Jamie Vinson (6’11), Zach Clemence (6’11), and Federiko Federiko (6’11) – no that is not a typo – are their traditional bigs, but they are 9th, 10th, and 11th in MPG for a reason. A&M has been a massive surprise in SEC play thus far, but it’s not because of their ability to rebound the ball. The Aggies are 12th in the conference in OREB% and 14th in OREB% allowed during SEC play. Time for Chuck to get angry.
- Win the Perimeter Battle. Three-pointers are going to loom large tonight. This ain’t Florida. We know that both offenses prioritize open looks from three early in the shot-clock, but both teams have also been pretty good defending the perimeter this season as well (A&M is 90th in 3P%, Alabama is 53rd).
This is probably the biggest game of the season at this point, considering how the Tide’s last outing went and the two teams’ respective places in the conference standings right now. If Alabama wants any outside shot at winning the league – or at least getting back into the top four for the double-bye in the SEC Tournament – they have to have this one tonight. As I mentioned before, things ease up quite a bit after this week.
Regardless of the SEC standings though, it’s just time for this team to toughen up a bit. Mentally and physically. We’re a month out from March. The injuries and negative off the court attention have created plenty of adversity, but it’s time to stop making excuses and start executing on the court.
