JJxvi said:

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I'm much more worried about Nate Oats taking a blue blood job than I am of one trying to hire Bucky McMillan

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True, but he's already at a place where you can play murderers and make deep runs.

EliteZags said:

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can we please close out for once

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I'd say we closed out the last 2 SEC games well enough (at the time of your post. Now we've done it 3 times).

t - cam said:

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CJohns77 said:

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AggieCrew44 said:

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DW91AG95 said:

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So much better product than that crap Buzz ran out there.

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Love how retrospectively awful we were under the last regime

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The basketball was very hard to watch and Buzz underachieved big time. He left so much meat on the bone to appease his very narrow view of basketball.

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How did he underachieve?

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I hate this whole narrative that's arisen that Buzz was awful. I'm not on that train whatsoever. That being said every single season the team would put together a losing streak that dragged us down despite the stretches of good/great play his teams would have. I understand basketball seasons can be long and streaky but when it happens every year I consider that a level of underachieving since it ultimately would hurt our tournament seeding and matchups.

Agee, Federiko, Clemence, and Vinson all recorded a block

t - cam said:

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CJohns77 said:

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AggieCrew44 said:

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DW91AG95 said:

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So much better product than that crap Buzz ran out there.

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Love how retrospectively awful we were under the last regime

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The basketball was very hard to watch and Buzz underachieved big time. He left so much meat on the bone to appease his very narrow view of basketball.

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How did he underachieve?

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Not making 1 sweet 16 in 6 seasons. Our MBB program has the capacity to go on runs in March, and IMO buzz never did what was necessary to do it.

I love what this team is doing. I didn't feel like we looked particularly great at times today, but still finding a way to win games. Very impressed with where we are at at this point in the season.

Good home win over Oklahoma to improve to 13-3 and 3-0 in SEC play!

Good home win W

Fair is fair. We are all entitled to our opinions.

LB12Diamond said:

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We're you good friends with Buzz?

Only asking bc you defend him but go at Bucky every chance you can.

Just curious

You defending Buzz is fine but thought it was interesting you are oppo for Bucky. So appears there has to be a non basketball reason.

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No. never met him. Just think how we talk about him is borderline ridiculous at this point. He was far from flawless and criticism is fine (and warranted to an extent), but it's gotten to absolutely wild levels

And when do I go at Bucky? Like seriously? I was critical of how we defended early in the year but love what I've seen lately and am ecstatic. I'm just realistic that this team will still have an uphill climb to make the tourney. That's not going at him that's just being honest. I was critical of buzz too when we did things I hated. I was ironically one of his biggest critics his first year as that team even with the talent issues should've been losing to Fairfield

t - cam said:

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8T2 said:

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My opinions:

Turgeon was better than Gillispie. I know BG is worshipped like a cult figure around here, but Turgeon had a better basketball IQ and was a better coach.

Buzz annoyed me, frankly. His product was unwatchable much of the time, and his teams flamed out at tourney time. I probably should be more upset at the way he left, but I was happy that he did so more than upset over how.

Bucky is fun to watch. This is how college ball was played when I was growing up. I am happy to see it making a comeback. I wish him nothing but the best.

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I have hated turgeon the most of all of our coaches. I actually found his brand of basketball more excruciating than buzz.

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guess u forgot about melvin

Buzz Williams

Buzz Williams has had a strong coaching career spanning 19 seasons as a head coach at the Division I level, with an overall record of 380235 (.618). He began at New Orleans (200607: 1417), then moved to Marquette (200814: 13969), where he shared a Big East regular-season title in 2013 and made five straight NCAA tournaments, including an Elite Eight in 2013 and Sweet Sixteens in 2011 and 2012. At Virginia Tech (201419: 10069), he turned around a struggling program, leading to three NCAA appearances and a Sweet Sixteen in 2019their first since 1967. From 201925 at Texas A&M (12073), he earned SEC Coach of the Year honors twice (2020, 2023), co-won the SEC regular-season title in 2023, and made three NCAA tournaments with Round of 32 advances in 2024 and 2025. He recently took over at Maryland in 2025 (78 so far). Williams has 11 NCAA appearances, a 1211 tournament record, and is known for elevating programs with consistent 20-win seasons (12 of 17 years). No major controversies mark his tenure.

Mark Turgeon

Mark Turgeon coached for 24 seasons at the Division I level, compiling a 471272 (.634) record before retiring in 2021. He started at Jacksonville State (19982000: 2529), then revitalized Wichita State (200007: 12890), winning the MVC regular-season title in 2006, earning MVC Coach of the Year, and reaching the Sweet Sixteen that year. At Texas A&M (200711: 9740), he led the team to four straight NCAA tournaments, with three Round of 32 appearances. He then coached Maryland (201121: 226116), winning Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2015, co-winning the Big Ten regular-season title in 2020, and making five NCAA tournaments, including a Sweet Sixteen in 2016. Turgeon has 10 NCAA appearances overall (1010 tournament record), multiple NIT runs, and a reputation for steady program building. He stepped away from Maryland mid-202122 season by mutual agreement, with no significant controversies.

Billy Kennedy

Billy Kennedy's 21-season head coaching career at Division I resulted in a 356289 (.552) record. He began at Centenary (199799: 2434), then Southeastern Louisiana (19992005: 8092), where he won two Southland regular-season and tournament titles (200405), earned Southland Coach of the Year in 2004, and made the program's first NCAA appearance in 2005. At Murray State (200611: 10753), he captured two OVC regular-season titles (201011) and the 2010 OVC tournament, was twice OVC Coach of the Year, and advanced to the Round of 32 in 2010 with an upset over Vanderbilt. At Texas A&M (201119: 151116), he co-won the SEC regular-season title in 2016, earned SEC Coach of the Year, and reached Sweet Sixteens in 2016 (with a historic comeback win) and 2018. Kennedy has four NCAA appearances (54 tournament record). He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2011 but continued coaching successfully; he was fired from Texas A&M after the 201819 season.

Billy Gillispie

Billy Gillispie has coached 17 Division I seasons (plus junior college), with a D1 record of 226182 (.554). He started at UTEP (200204: 3032), winning the WAC regular-season title in 2004 and making the NCAA tournament after an 18-win improvementthe largest in Division I that year. At Texas A&M (200407: 7026), he earned Big 12 Coach of the Year twice (2005, 2007), achieved three straight 20-win seasons, and reached the Sweet Sixteen in 2007. At Kentucky (200709: 4027), he was co-SEC Coach of the Year in 2008 and made one NCAA appearance but was fired after missing the tournament in 2009. His Texas Tech stint (201112: 823) ended in resignation amid health issues and allegations of player mistreatment. After success at Ranger College (NJCAA: 10362, including a national runner-up in 2019), he joined Tarleton State (2020present: 7874), leading them through D1 transition with a CIT semifinal in 2024. Gillispie has four NCAA appearances (34 tournament record). His career includes notable turnarounds but also controversies like multiple DUIs (1999, 2003, 2009), practice violations, and mistreatment claims.

Ranking from Best to Worst Overall

Based on a holistic evaluation of win percentage, total wins, NCAA tournament appearances and success (emphasizing deep runs like Sweet Sixteens or beyond), conference championships, awards, program-building impact, longevity, and any controversies:

1 Buzz Williams - Tops the list with the strongest postseason resume (11 NCAA appearances, an Elite Eight, and three Sweet Sixteens), a solid .618 win percentage, multiple conference titles, and two SEC Coach of the Year awards. He's consistently elevated programs like Marquette, Virginia Tech, and Texas A&M, averaging over 20 wins per season without major scandals.


2 Mark Turgeon - Edges out the others in consistency and efficiency (.634 win percentage, 471 total wins over a longer career), with 10 NCAA appearances, two Sweet Sixteens, and conference titles in the MVC and Big Ten. His steady success across multiple programs is impressive, though he lacks Williams' deeper tournament runs.

3 Billy Kennedy - Solid mid-tier career with a .552 win percentage, four NCAA appearances, two Sweet Sixteens (including a memorable comeback), multiple conference titles across levels, and four Coach of the Year awards. He overcame a Parkinson's diagnosis to achieve high points at Texas A&M, but his overall record and fewer appearances place him here.

4 Billy Gillispie - Known for dramatic turnarounds (e.g., most improved teams in consecutive seasons), with four NCAA appearances, one Sweet Sixteen, a conference title, and three major conference Coach of the Year awards. However, his lower .554 win percentage, shorter D1 tenure, inconsistent stints (e.g., firings at Kentucky and Texas Tech), and controversies (DUIs, mistreatment allegations) weigh him down.

I havent actually read all that and checked it for accuracy, but the output is exactly what i would have expected from an objective analysis of the four from someone without A&M centric biases. Obviously, I would move Gillispie above Kennedy

This will be heavily criticized on here but i think our fans hitch way to much of the coaches success to the tournament. It's just soo random and soo reliant on matchups.

Auburn game thread.

Does every game thread have to end up being a rehash of every coach since Melvin

JJxvi said:

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I havent actually read all that and checked it for accuracy, but the output is exactly what i would have expected from an objective analysis of the four from someone without A&M centric biases. Obviously, I would move Gillispie above Kennedy

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Don't post that AI slop wall of text here - especially if you haven't even read it. If even you're not willing to read it, what makes you think anyone else wants to?

I'm confused on attendence. I thought some on here said upper deck seats were hard to find. But the corners today where empty

nvm

Glad we got Bucky!

Didn't know this would be a coaching comparison thread, but the Turge era gave us that sweet, sweet baptism.

8T2 said:

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My opinions:

Buzz annoyed me, frankly. His product was unwatchable much of the time, and his teams flamed out at tourney time. I probably should be more upset at the way he left, but I was happy that he did so more than upset over how.

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Buzz was resetting his career-clock, avoiding being fired after the next season. And the recruit he tried recruiting for Maryland while here had like a 27% 3-pt average in HS. No reason to fault the way he left, imo.

t - cam said:

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This will be heavily criticized on here but i think our fans hitch way to much of the coaches success to the tournament. It's just soo random and soo reliant on matchups.

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Tournament is all that matters. Just like the playoffs.

AI really is a marvel. Hilarious how objectively wrong it is here. You can certainly argue Buzz over Billy for consistency but there's no debate over Gillespie and Turgeon.

BG: 3 seasons 2 tourney appearances (67%), 3 games won in the tourney (1 per season). 72.9 overall Win %

MT: 4 seasons 4 tourney appearances (100%), 4 games won in the tourney (1 per season). 70.8 overall Win %

BK: 8 seasons 2 tourney appearances (25%), 4 games won in the tourney (0.5 per season). 56.6 overall Win %

BW: 6 seasons 3 tourney appearances (50%), 2 games won in the tourney (0.33 per season). 62.2 overall Win %

I also think both Buzz and BK qualify as failures as coaches. A&M is in such a better place than we were even in the 2000s it's not good enough that they weren't able to at least match the success of MT and BG. I think both guys kinda put us in a quagmire of mediocrity that made a lot of Ag fans totally unaware what this program is capable of with the right coach. The SEC is actually a perfect example. So many SEC teams were worse basketball programs than A&M was until they landed their coach. Auburn, and Bama in particular were absolute nobodies and got turned into perennial powers by just the right coach.

t - cam said:

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This will be heavily criticized on here but i think our fans hitch way to much of the coaches success to the tournament. It's just soo random and soo reliant on matchups.

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It's not random if you consistently have a high level competitive team. It's random any given season, but A&M should be a perennial team and have strong seasons to make the occasional deep run. Virginia suffered the first 1 v 16 loss and won the whole tournament the following season. A&M has just been consistently mediocre. Theyve never had a team even capable of truly making a run.