Texas A&M men’s basketball is set to host Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference foe Manhattan at Reed Arena for the first time on Friday, Nov. 21. With Aggie fans needing a breakdown of exactly what to expect from the visitors, there was only one call to make: Mid-Major Madness’ Sam Federman, who’s built a cult following of basketball sickos by dedicating years to becoming the MAAC and Northeast mid-major hoops’ preeminent insider.

Currently ranked 286th in the nation by KenPom after being picked to finish fourth in the MAAC in the conference’s preseason poll, the Jaspers are coming off of the OUTRIGGER Rainbow Classic in Hawaii, which saw Manhattan fall to host Hawaii while pulling out close wins over Utah Tech and Mississippi Valley State.

: Devin led the way with 22 tonight, while three of his teammates joined him with double-digits in the Jaspers’ victory over Mississippi Valley State this evening ⤵️

Back to the mainland we go

: https://t.co/NROsVMoTqU#GoJaspers | #JasperNation ⚪️ pic.twitter.com/azf70owTUV

— Manhattan Jaspers (@GoJaspers) November 16, 2025

Meanwhile, the Aggies return to Reed Arena after back-to-back losses to Big 12 schools Oklahoma State and UCF and fending off an upset bid from Montana 86-81 on Tuesday, Nov. 18. 

The Jaspers are on a get-right trend under coach John Gallagher, the former coach at Hartford before that program made the controversial decision to drop down to Division III. After a somewhat-heated decision to give Gallagher the job and not promote full-season interim coach RaShawn Stores in 2023, Gallagher has taken Manhattan from seven wins in his first year to 17 wins last season. 

“He kind of built back that good will with the fanbase because he’s an energetic guy, really positive guy,” Federman said. “[He] immediately had the team playing hard, even though they were really bad in his first year.”

Federman said the first thing A&M fans need to know about Manhattan is that it’s actually in the Bronx, not Manhattan — just a quick subway ride away. The second thing Federman wanted to get across is how much of a role continuity plays in the identity of this Jasper team.

The Jaspers are led by a dynamic duo of redshirt junior and junior guards Devin Dinkins and Jaden Winston, who are in their second and third years with Manhattan. Dinkins was named to the Preseason All-MAAC First Team after averaging 13.6 points for the Jaspers last season.

HALFTIME: Manhattan 34, Mount St. Mary’s 33

The Jaspers grabbed the lead on a Devin Dinkins and-1, but couldn’t convert on the final possession after Ard cut it back to 1 pic.twitter.com/AtHbJ5CgfL

— Sam Federman (@Sam_Federman) January 11, 2025

“They brought back as much as anybody in the conference,” Federman said. “But we kind of learned that part of the reason they were able to bring back as much as anyone in the conference is because [sophomore forward] Will Sydnor … he was going to be ineligible for the beginning of the season. They may or may not have known this.”

Sydnor — who Manhattan announced was dealing with an NCAA eligibility issue “unrelated to any malfeasance on his part” on Oct. 31 — was named to the Preseason All-MAAC First Team along with Dinkins, and his loss has deeply affected Manhattan so far this season.

“There was a lot of buzz going into the season because it was going to be [Sydnor],” Federman said. “He was back, [sophomore forward] Fraser [Roxburgh] was gonna have a big year. Devin Dinkins was really good. He was first team all-conference in the preseason, Winston, Year 3 starter. That’s a big deal in this conference, don’t get a ton of those guys.”

The Jaspers have guards who can be a threat from beyond the arc, something A&M has occasionally been susceptible to — having given up 20-plus-point games to shooters from Northwestern State and UCF already this year.

“Devin Dinkins, man, he can hit from anywhere,” Federman said. “He’s arguably the best shooter in the conference. And it doesn’t look like classic elite-shooter form, but it works for him, and he’s really good at that. He gets to the lane, he scores. He’s probably one of the best microwave scorers in the conference.”

While the season is still young, it’s been a tale of two sides for the Jaspers. According to KenPom, Manhattan ranks 167th in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency and 355th in adjusted defensive efficiency. 

Federman predicts that the Jaspers aren’t going to be easily rattled by the Aggies’ signature Bucky Ball full-court press. Rather, the simple athleticism difference between a MAAC roster and a Southeastern Conference roster — even one pulled together at the last minute like A&M’s — could be too much to overcome, as evidenced by Manhattan’s 114-83 loss to USC earlier this season.

“I don’t think Manhattan was built to beat high-major teams,” Federman said. “I think they were built to outscore MAAC teams.”

The 12th Man will find out when the Aggies welcome the Jaspers to Reed Arena on Friday, Nov. 21, at 7 p.m.