Texas A&M will open the 2026-2027 season against Alabama State on Tuesday, November 3, as coach Bucky McMillan enters Year 2 with even higher expectations after leading the Aggies to the NCAA Tournament, where they reached the Round of 32 before falling to Houston.

This offseason, after losing several key starters, including forward Rashaun Agee, McMillan and his staff landed seven transfer portal additions, led by former Kansas State shooting guard PJ Haggerty, who averaged nearly 24 points per game last season and is one of the country's best slashing guards.

Combined with Mackenzie Mgbako, Texas A&M's roster isn't lacking star power in the slightest; the Aggies' frontcourt depth, which was an issue last season, has been remedied with forwards Zach Clemence and Jamie Vinson returning, while freshman center Josh Irving provided a high floor as an inside-out scoring option off the bench.

Still, the Aggies' chances of making a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, now expanded to 76 teams starting this postseason, depend on PJ Haggerty and Mackenzie Mgbako staying healthy, especially Mgbako, who missed all but seven games last season after transferring from Indiana.

On Thursday, SEC coaches selected PJ Haggerty to the All-SEC Third Team ahead of his final college season, joining Malachi Moreno (Kentucky), Tahaad Pettiford (Auburn), David Punch (Texas), and Billy Richmond III (Arkansas). For Haggerty to truly thrive, Texas transfer point guard Jordan Pope will need to stay healthy for 30-plus games, given the lack of depth at the position.