Expectations for Texas A&M men’s basketball  are set high this year. 
The team has been predicted to finish third in the SEC in a preseason poll by the media — the highest preseason ranking of the Billy-Kennedy era. That, coupled with the host of new and returning talent, has Aggie fans excitedly anticipating the season opener. 
The men’s basketball team will display their skills for the first time this season in Wednesday’s Maroon and White scrimmage. 
“We’re just trying to get all of our people — our fans — acclimated to our team,” Kennedy said before practice on Tuesday. “We’ve got some new pieces and some older guys, and we’re just trying to get them to play out in front of some fans with the lights on and with some officials here. Hopefully, we can get a good evaluation of ourselves before we scrimmage this weekend.”
Kennedy said while he and his coaching staff have had a chance to see the players in preseason practices, it is always nice to see how they perform in real-game action.
“We’ve got a good feel, but some players play much better when the lights are on,” Kennedy said. “You get a better feel of them in a game-like atmosphere, and that’s one of the reasons we are having this scrimmage.”
The scrimmage Wednesday will likely consist of two 10-minute halves, with the teams changing up players at halftime so they have an opportunity to compete against different matchups, Kennedy said.
The Aggies have been progressing nicely, Kennedy said, but he still tries to push the players to make sure they keep progressing.
“We just have to get more consistent with our effort, but it’s been good,” Kennedy said. “We’re trying to achieve more than we’ve ever achieved since I’ve been here. Our expectations are high, and our demand to be good every day is high as well.”
The scrimmage is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in Reed Arena and is open to the public.