It's finally here.
Texas A&M basketball is officially back.
Reed Arena will be rocking, and the stands will be packed. Head coach Bucky McMillan assembled a roster that could be one of his strongest since becoming a collegiate coach, and he hopes his team can extend the 11-game home-opener winning streak since 2012.
Going into Tuesday night's matchup, five returners are back for the 2026-27 season, along with 11 new hungry playmakers, hoping this is the year the Aggies can bring home an SEC Tournament Championship and become national champions.
To do that, the five faces back in the Maroon and White need to set the tone and foundation for what this season can be, as Zach Clemence, Chris McDermott, Jamie Vinson, Jeremiah Green, and Mackenzie Mgbako bring great experience to the squad.
Lots of transfers bolster this roster, which knows it has the goods to make a deep run, but it starts with taking small steps in the right direction, including playing clean basketball against Alabama State.
This won't be the first action this A&M squad has seen this season, as they've faced high-caliber contests against teams that tested their camaraderie early in the regular season.
Down in the Bahamas, the Aggies participated in the Baha Mar Summer League, where the team recorded over 300 points and gave fans their first glimpse of what they are capable of. This past week, the Mustangs also hosted the Aggies in a game that was a great starting point for evaluating where the group stood. It ended in a 94-88 loss, but the team learned plenty about how to improve before the home opener.
A duo that really started on a heater was guard PJ Haggerty and forward Mgbako, who were the stars of the preseason.
Haggerty was one of the hottest names in the portal and transferred from Kansas State with a lot of game knowledge and execution. He led A&M with 28 points in that SMU exhibition matchup, got Mgbako involved, and hauled in a team-best eight rebounds. Coming off a season-ending foot injury last season, he is fired up to be back in the lineup and play at full health.
Other guys in the mix include the new addition who transferred from Tennessee, Cade Phillips, who brings a ton more size to the equation. He will pair up with the newly added forward, Jalen Shelley, who transferred from LMU and averaged 13.7 points per game and 6.6 rebounds.
Guards are also an asset for this team, as guys like Jordan Pope, the former Longhorn, to go along with the Cowboys transfer Tyshawn Archie and the former Tigers guard Jalen Reece, should excite a ton of Aggies fans because they fit the Bucky Ball offense and defense so well.
With all the other guys McMillan & Co. have to choose from for playing time, he will have to juggle how he balances the playmakers. As the head coach, he knows he has a winning team that came to help enhance his resume, which sits at 22-12 overall after his first season in Aggieland.
After an 11-7 mark in conference play last year and a trip to the Round of 32, this offense will be entertaining to watch down the stretch after finishing in the top 15 in categories such as scoring offense, assists, 3-pointers made, and bench points.
How this season unfolds is yet to be determined, but with college basketball returning and the Aggies equipped for what's to come, it should be a season with a lot in store.
Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook , X and Instagram for the latest news.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/tamu as Everything You Need to Know About Texas A&M's Basketball Home Opener vs. Alabama State .
