Texas A&M coach Bucky McMillan enters his second season leading the Aggies after making the NCAA Tournament in Year 1, a highly impressive feat given early roster concerns after nearly every key player followed former coach Buzz Williams to Maryland. Led by transfer forward Rashaun Agee, the Aggies defied expectations by reaching the Round of 32.
This offseason, McMillan achieved his goal of landing a top-ranked guard when former Kansas State shooting guard PJ Haggerty chose the Aggies over several blue-blood programs, along with six other transfer additions at guard and forward, most notably former Texas point guard Jordan Pope.
In the front court, senior forwards Mackenzie Mgbako and Zach Clemence, paired with rising junior big man Jamie Vinson,
provide plenty of starting-level talent, while Tennessee transfer Cade Phillips is a projected starter given his rebounding ability and elite rim defense.
On paper, this roster is more talented and deeper than last year's unit, but one college basketball analyst is highly skeptical of the Aggies' chances of making a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, or even contending in the always challenging SEC. CBS Sports' Matt Norlander placed Texas A&M at No. 73 in his top 100 college basketball team preseason rankings.
"I'm not proud of this one, but every-year readers know that I refuse to groupthink my picks. Some teams will overshoot prognostications by 30-plus spots and others will go in the wrong direction all the same. My belief is that — and I think this is also a big curiosity with A&M's coaching staff — the Aggies' ceiling in '26-27 hinges on the eligibility and health of Jordan Pope to run the point. If that happens and Pope can play 30-plus games and guide this offense, this ranking is going to whiff. Texas A&M doesn't have a viable option at point without Pope, though Bucky McMillan has two of the 80 best players (SG PJ Haggerty and PF Mackenzie Mgbako)."
Jordan Pope's preliminary injunction will allow him to play until further notice, and while health was an issue last season after Mackenize Mgbako played just seven non-conference games, it's reasonable to worry that Pope can last 30-plus games, especially with freshman Neiko Mundey as the only viable backup point guard option.
Texas A&M will open the 2026-2027 season against Alabama in Reed Arena next Tuesday, November 3.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: CBS Sports analyst questions Texas A&M basketball season outlook
