Same week. Same mission.
Texas A&M basketball continues its first week of the regular season with another non-conference matchup against Northern Kentucky at Reed Arena. This is just the second all-time meeting between the two schools, so it should be entertaining to catch the action.
Both programs have yet to lose: the Aggies enter at 1-0, and the Norse are 2-0. One of these two squads will lose their first game of the season, so who will it be?
Head coach Bucky McMillan hopes it will not be his program, which had a solid first game at office, with five stars finishing in double digits. Can the stars show up and show out again?
Mar 19, 2026; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Texas A&M Aggies guard Rylan Griffen (3) reacts during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Going into the second game at Reed Arena of the 2026-27 season, the Maroon and White enter as big favorites after forcing 25 turnovers and 13 steals in a massive win over Alabama State.
One of the biggest performances of Tuesday night came when former Kansas State guard PJ Haggerty dropped 22 points in his debut, with help from his teammate Jordan Pope, a former Texas guard who also had a great first game with A&M, as his 17 points boosted the offense.
Another guy that McMillan and Co. brought in to reload this squad was forward Jalen Shelley, who brings more size and speed to this team. In his first game with the Aggies, he became the first player since 2018 to post a double-double in an opener, with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
All three will be highlighted Friday night as this high-tempo offense hopes to build on the first victory. It won't be offense alone that Bucky Ball needs; the defense will need to step up again, even after those turnovers that helped keep this team undefeated.
The defense needs to show it can still create pressure and force errors by the opposing team that really shot themselves in the foot, as Alabama State was held to only 32.9 percent from the field, with six blocks helping out.
It will face a hungry Norse team that just won a 102-94 game and knows it can get to the basket and knock down shots from all over the court. One of the key shooters will be forward Noah Pagotto, who is averaging 24.5 points and eight rebounds. A&M also needs to shut down Willie Foster, the guard averaging 23 points and shooting 40 percent from three.
It should be another test for this A&M team that had a ton of preseason praise coming into this season.
Both programs square off at 7 p.m. on SEC Network+.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/tamu as Texas A&M vs. Northern Kentucky Preview: A Tougher Test Awaits the Aggies .
