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Texas A&M (10-3) finished out non-conference play with a 111-82 win over Prairie View A&M, led by senior forward Rashaun Agee's 19 points and 13 rebounds, while the Aggies shot 54% from the field and 37% from beyond the arc. Five players produced double-digit scoring efforts, which further proves that this team is intense and should be able to withstand the grind that is SEC play.
However, first-year head coach Bucky McMillan will now be without star transfer forward Mackenzie Mgbako, who averaged over 10 points and nearly five rebounds, while the Aggies were 6-1 with him in the lineup. This is a significant loss, but McMillan's primary job is to change how his team will play without Mgbako, focusing on "small ball," as seen against Prairie View, which led to another impressive scoring effort.
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Mgbako's importance to the lineup's future success is hard to gauge, given that he appeared in only seven non-conference games. Still, given his size and ability to create shots, it's clear that the rest of the roster will need to step up, especially former Creighton guard Pop Isaacs, who has been shooting much better over the last two games.
After the win, McMillan provided a statement on how the lineup and overall strategy will change without Mgbako, noting that the team will need to rely on Rashaun Agee even more than before.
"Mackenzie allowed us to play all our guys in the position we envisioned them when we recruited them. Now I know what we don't want to do with our lineup from going through it the first time without him."
Mgbako's skillset will be missed, but the Aggies still have everything in front of them heading into conference play, knowing that one injury doesn't define the program's ability to make a run and earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Texas A&M will host LSU (12-1) on Saturday, January 3, with the game airing at 3:00 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: HC Bucky McMillan on Texas A&M's strategy without Mackenzie Mgbako
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