Texas A&M’s 2025-2026 basketball season will be the first under new head coach Bucky McMillan, who brings his fast-paced offense to College Station after five seasons with Samford, replacing long-time coach Buzz Williams, who departed for Maryland just weeks after the Aggies’ second-round NCAA Tournament exit.
As soon as McMillan accepted the job, it was off to the races in the transfer portal, as the team needed to replenish a roster that saw just one player, sophomore forward Chris McDermott, stay with the program after star forwards Pharrell Payne and Solomon Washington followed Williams to Maryland.
While things seemed bleak, McMillan quickly hired a familiar staff filled with experience, which led to the addition of over a dozen players from the transfer portal. Led by Indiana transfer forward Mackenzie Mgbako and veteran point guard Pop Isaacs, McMillan’s first roster is more than talented enough at every position to make a run towards an NCAA Tournament berth.
On Wednesday, two of the more trusted college basketball media analysts, Field of 68 founder Rob Dauster and Terrence Oglesby, discussed McMillan’s hiring and overall fit in College Station, while focusing on the key additions Mgbako, Isaacs, and former Alabama/Kansas shooting guard Rylan Griffin, who are good enough to to deliver 20 points or more on any given night:
“You should expect a tournament bid,” said Dauster. “This is a tournament team. Anything more than that is icing on the cake. In your first year, it’s hard to ask for more than that. If they get there, this is a roster that can win a game or two.”
Texas A&M’s roster is deep, including Spanish guard Ruben Dominguez, whose elite shooting after several pro seasons overseas should immediately benefit the Aggies’ bench production. Both analysts gave McMillan’s offseason an A-, which, again, is highly impressive given the program’s standing at the start of April.
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