Aggies Punch Ticket, Face Houston in NCAA Tournament

0:00On March 21, Texas A&M punched their ticket to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a solid 63-50 win over St. Mary's on Thursday night. The 10th seed Aggies controlled the game from tip-off, never trailing once thanks to a stifling defense under first-year coach Bucky McMillan. Rashan Aji led the way for Texas A&M, dropping 22 points and grabbing 9 rebounds while hitting 3-3s. His veteran presence has been key all season, and the team leaned on that effort to shut down the gales completely. After the victory, players like Ryle and Griffin and Pop Isaacs raved about Aji's leadership, calling him the heart of the squad. Coach McMillan echoed that, comparing him to a mini-Charles Barclay for bringing energy and noting his record number of double doubles this year. Now the Aggies face 2nd seed Houston on Saturday, a rematch from last season's overtime heartbreaker they dropped. McMillan hasn't coached against them yet, but he's stressed matching their physicality, avoiding turnovers, and keeping up elite defense to pull off the upset.

1:05With both teams eyeing a trip back to Texas for the next round, Texas A&M's late season surge has been believing they can keep rolling deep into. March Madness