OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma (KRHD) — Texas A&M men's basketball is in Oklahoma City preparing for its March Madness matchup against Saint Mary's, a game that will test the Aggies' ability to control the tempo against a much larger team.
The two teams could not be more different, with Texas A&M wanting to push the tempo and play small against the Gaels' slow pace and dominant size.
"You're playing for a national championship, whether you're there on the last day or the first day. And it's obviously a very well-run event, but I mean, this is basketball is a tournament sport, and this is the greatest tournament in the world," head coach Bucky McMillan said.
The first step in that championship path will be figuring out how to speed up the Gaels. Saint Mary's is ranked 298th in tempo in all of Division I, compared to the Aggies, who look to get the other team moving with the 29th quickest tempo in the nation.
For McMillan, pace is not what will decide the outcome.
"Basketball, you've seen teams that played really fast win national championships, right? Whether it was Arkansas or Kentucky, and then you've seen teams like Virginia win national championships. There's no one way to do it or everyone would do it that way, right? I mean, and I, I think that at this time of year, when you look at the Final Four, all the, all those teams are going to have one thing in common. Is it that they play zone? Is it that they play man? Is it that they press? Is it that they play half court? They have one thing in common, they have really good players," McMillan said.
The other big question for the maroon and white will be how to defend the size the Gaels play with. Two 7-footers hold down the paint along with 6-foot-8 wing Paulis Muruaskas, who leads the team in scoring.
The Aggies will look to pressure the ball and not allow the Gaels to set up in the half court. It is a tall task for the Aggies on March 19 at 6:45 p.m. Central Time, but the game plan is simple: speed up the game and create turnovers with pressure.
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