Everything Texas A&M HC Bucky McMillan said before hosting MVS

Texas A&M (4-2) will return to Reed Arena with a chance to reach 5-2 on the young season, set to host Mississippi Valley State (1-6) on Tuesday night after defeating Manhattan 109-68 last Friday, which also served as the first-year sharpshooter Rubén Dominguez's record-setting performance after hitting ten 3-pointers in one of the most exciting performances in program history.

Outside of Dominguez's elite shooting performance, the Aggies, under first-year head coach Bucky McMillan, are slowly but surely beginning to look like the team we expect to compete for an NCAA Tournament berth late in the season. However, there's still plenty of work to be done with six nonconference games left before SEC Play begins in January.

Star transfer forward Mackenzie Mgbako, who made his debut against Manhattan, but only played four minutes after taking himself out of the game, should be ready to take on a bigger load on Tuesday. Against a Mississippi Valley State team with just one win on the year, this is the perfect opportunity to find his footing and become the star we all expect him to be.

On Monday, Bucky McMillan spoke during his weekly appearance on the Aggie Basketball Hour, previewing Tuesday's matchup while discussing the progress his team has made through the first six games.

Bucky McMillan on Texas A&M's 18 3-pointers against Manhattan

"Our team is more capable of shooting that way than what we were to that point. We've got a good shooting team, but our variance was astronomical. When we're hitting shots, we're a great team."

Bucky McMillan on Texas A&M's depth

There's not a huge gap between our first and second group, so we've got to use our depth to lean on teams. When you have a multitude of guys who can make threes, the floor will be spread. We're going to need that when we play in our league."

Bucky McMillan on playing with "sustained effort" moving forward

"We've got to play with a sustained effort for 40 minutes. Once we get it, it will never leave this program going forward. This is what it takes when you build with a whole new group of guys. We have to be unselfish and relentless."

Bucky McMillan on F Jamie Vinson's performance against Manhattan

"He's getting better every day. He's in the gym every day. Those guys who are in the gym every day, I love to play them. He's young, so his ceiling is high. He can shoot too, but his deal is just not having experience, and he'll get more and more as he goes."

Bucky McMillan on the Lone Star Showdown

"We've got some sickness going on with our team. I was joking with someone earlier and said we told our players to stay away from our football players. We've got a game tomorrow, but they've got a huge one on Friday."

Bucky McMillan on having a potential starting five consisting of Marcel Reed, Rylan Kennedy, Cashius Howell, Dametrious Crownover, and Reuben Fatheree II

"They look the part. I'd give Marcel the ball and let everyone screen for him."

Bucky McMillan on Texas A&M AD Trev Alberts' extension

"It's such a great thing. In this day and age, it takes business savvy. Trev is highly intelligent, you feel like we're one step ahead with him. He's forward thinking. He's perfect for having success in all sports in this climate. Everybody is together, that's what this community is."

Bucky McMillan on Texas A&M's offense through the first six games

"We want to take great shots, and to do that you have to share the ball. We're a top five team in assists per made basket in the country right now. We've got to be realize who we are."

Bucky McMillan on facing Florida State on Black Friday

We're going to have to really fight. We've got to get healthy and get some guys back from this sickness. Florida State would be a great win for us. That's a really good team we're playing on Friday, they're playing good ball."

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.

This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Everything Texas A&M HC Bucky McMillan said before hosting MVS