Coming off back-to-back winning seasons, the Aggie men’s basketball team is in the midst of preparation for its third venture in the SEC.
This year, the Aggies have bolstered their non-conference schedule compared to previous years, with marquee matchups against Pac-12 opponent Arizona State at Reed Arena and road trips to Big 12 schools Baylor and Kansas State.
“It’s going to be a test for me, Kourtney [Roberson] and Alex [Caruso] — veterans — and a test for our young guys too,” said senior guard Jordan Green. “We’ve got to hit the ground running. There’s no time for hiccups, there’s no time for mishaps. No team is perfect, so we’ll have ours, but I think this team is resilient and we’ll be able to bounce back. I’m really excited, and we’re going to be battle-tested going into the SEC.”
Non-conference matchups with other power conference opponents early in the season are often important in deciding which teams will make it to the “Big Dance,” the NCAA Tournament in March.
“RPI, strength-of-schedule, quality wins — it’s all the things that people look at when they’re trying to get into the NCAA Tournament,” said junior guard Alex Caruso. “On the opposite side of that, if we lose those games, it’s still the RPI strength-of-schedule thing, but the quality win won’t be there.”
The Aggies have six freshmen on the roster this year, including highly touted point guard Alex Robinson who was rated the No. 6 player in the state of Texas in the 2014 recruiting class by 247 Sports. While youth abounds on A&M’s team, there is a core of veteran players who hope to hone the young talents as the season approaches, including senior forward Roberson.
“All the freshmen always come up to me asking me for advice,” Roberson said. “When coach is saying something, they always come up to me after he finishes and ask me for an example. That’s what I’m here for, to motivate the young guys and to keep them going.”
Though new to the college stage, the young players are ready to compete right away for playing time, Roberson said.
“They always compete, every last one of them,” Roberson said. “That’s what I like about them — they compete.”
The Aggies season tips off in an exhibition match against Texas A&M-Commerce at 7 p.m. Nov. 5 inside Reed Arena. A&M begins non-conference play at Reed Nov. 14 against Northwestern State.