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Texas A&M Basketball: Texas A&M Aggies 2015-16 Season Preview

By Matt Ostrowski

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Texas A&M Aggies

2014-2015 Record: 21-12 (11-7, SEC)
Postseason: NIT Tournament, second round

It’s been tough to route for basketball in College Station lately. The Texas A&M Aggies haven’t made the NCAA tournament since their team was highlighted by a currently great NBA player in Khris Middleton, while the football team has succeeded with exciting guys like Johnny Manziel.

But there’s reason to believe things are changing. Head coach Billy Kennedy returns his two leading scorers, and brings in one of the better recruiting classes in Texas A&M history in a year in which he may be coaching for his job.

Newcomers

C – Tyler Davis (#28, Rivals.com)
F – Elijah Thomas (#29, Rivals.com)
F – D.J. Hogg (#38, Rivals.com)
G – Admon Gilder (#65, Rivals.com)
G – Joseph Anderson (3 stars, Rivals.com)
G – Raquan Mitchell (3 stars, Rivals.com)
G – Anthony Collins (7 points and 5 assists per game for USF in 2015)

Key Non-Conference Games

Nov. 25 vs. Texas – While Texas may be going through a transition year, they will be far from an easy win for the Aggies this season. The Longhorns still have big man Cameron Ridley in the fold, and point guard Isaiah Taylor figures to succeed under new coach Shaka Smart. Transfer Anthony Collins will be tested by Smart’s trademark pressure defense.

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It will be the Aggies first time on the road, as the game is played in Paradise Island, as part of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. A potential matchup against Gonzaga looms in the later rounds.

Dec. 19 vs Baylor – New freshman center Tyler Davis figures to get a real test this game as he goes up against Rico Gathers, who is an absolute load on the glass. Also, two of the better wings in the country go at it in House vs. Taurean Prince. Lucky for the Aggies, this in-state rivalry is played in College Station this year.

Jan. 30 vs. Iowa State – For a team in a conference that has one elite team (Kentucky) and a lot of other good teams, the Aggies will be sure to use this home game against Iowa State to show the world just how good they are. Iowa State will boast their normal elite offense, and it will be sure to keep the Aggies defense, which ranked just 81st in defensive rating last season, on their toes. Plus, Jalen Jones will have to deal with national player of the year candidate Georges Niang.

Live Feed

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SEC Women’s Basketball: SEC Players in the WNBA Roundup, Post-Regular Season Edition /

South Bound & Down

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    • Key Players

    Danuel House – The Houston transfer cemented himself as one of the nation’s most explosive scorers in his 25 point effort in a near upset of Kentucky last January. Unfortunately, as explosive as he can be, he is prone to going cold, as he ended the season on a zero point, 0-10 performance against Florida in the SEC Tournament. The Aggies need him to be more consistent to succeed this year.

    Jalen Jones – The other senior leader for the Aggies was a model of consistency, scoring in double figures in all but six of the Aggies’ games last year. They’ll look to him for stability while freshman center Tyler Davis is still trying to adjust to the college game, with Davis hopefully taking some of the front court scoring load off of his shoulders at some point.

    Season Outlook

    It’s tough to tell what to make of the Texas A&M Aggies this year. As far as I’m concerned, second-place in the SEC is wide open, with Kentucky being the obvious choice to win the conference. We can talk about the returning players all we want, but House and Jones were only good enough to lead the team to a tie for third place come the end of the year, and an appearance in the NIT. If Davis, Collins, and the other newcomers are as good as advertised, they might even challenge Kentucky for first in the conference. But if not, Billy Kennedy may not be coaching this team for much longer.

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