The Aggies proved last season that it was a mistake to leave them out of the NCAA Tournament. Sure, losing 8 SEC games in a row, and 9 of 10, was the deciding factor. But in the postseason, including the SEC Tournament, Texas A&M went 7-2 while reaching the finals of both the conference tourney and the NIT.

For the record, in March, when the madness happens, the Aggies were 9-2, closing out a 27-13 campaign.

They’re still not getting the respect they think they deserve, not from poll voters anyway. Texas A&M enters the 2022-23 season unranked in the AP preseason poll, but did receive votes. Here are 10 things to know about the upcoming season.

The Aggies enter this season on a roll

The 27 victories in 2021-22 season matched the 2nd-most wins in a season in program history, exceeded only by the 2015-16 SEC co-champion squad that captured 28 and reached the Sweet 16. It was a 19-win improvement on the 2020-21 season in which the Aggies finished 8-10. It also was the largest season-to-season improvement in program history.

Lots of basketball experience

The 40 games played last season were the most in program history. The previous high was 37 during that 2015-16 season. The NCAA record is 41 games, set by both UConn, in its 2011 national championship run, and Michigan’s national runner-up team in 2018. Texas A&M became the 18th team in NCAA history to reach 40 games in one season.

Jackson leaves a void

Who picks up the slack for Quenton Jackson, who in his senior season at Texas A&M scored in double-figures in 21 of the final 22 games, and in 32 of the 40 games played? He led the team in scoring in 19 games last season and totaled 591 points for the season, which ranks 8th all-time at the school for single-season scoring.

Thievery will be a key

Last season, the Aggies led the nation in steals with 398, breaking the program record by more than 100 (previously 288). They’ll need to be superior pilferers again this season to make their way in the competitive Southeastern Conference.

Portal find

Khalen Robinson comes over from Arkansas as another quick-handed defender. He is 1 of 5 players transferring into Texas A&M this season. Recruited by Aggies head coach Buzz Williams out of high school, Robinson played in the first 11 games for the Razorbacks before season-ending foot surgery. The left-handed guard played in 18 games with 2 starts last season at Arkansas and nabbed 4 steals in a game against Missouri.

Welcome back Ethan

An elite defender, Ethan Henderson is using his COVID-19 year to come back for 1 more season. The 6-foot-8 forward can guard anyone, on the perimeter or in the paint. He played in all 40 games last season, including 15 starts. He swatted 25 shots last season, including a season-high 3 in one game vs. Georgia. And he tied Jackson for the team lead with 0.6 blocks a game. Henderson also led the Aggies with a 61.4 percent shooting average.

Good nucleus returns

Including Henderson, the Aggies return 9 lettermen. Seven of those players started at least 10 games last season. Tyrece Radford is the most experienced, having started all 40 games last season. He averaged 10.9 points and 6.2 rebounds a game last season. Henry Coleman III is also back after starting 36 games in 2021-22.

Sharp shooters return

Texas A&M welcomes back 7 of its top 9 scorers from last year’s team. Coleman (11 points a game) and Radford (10.9) lead the way.

Hoping the trend doesn’t continue

The Aggies have had alternating winning and losing seasons in the past 5 seasons. After a winning season in 2021-22, the trend would be for a losing season this time around. It doesn’t seem likely, but that’s why you play the games.

Prediction

The Aggies return to the Big Dance. Williams has taken Marquette and Virginia Tech to the NCAA Tournament. This year, he’ll add Texas A&M to his list. They knocked on the door last season, but won’t leave anything to chance in 2022-23.

The 27 victories piled up last season tied Williams’ career high. He won 27 with Marquette in 2011-12 on the way to a Sweet 16 appearance.

The Aggies won’t take anyone by surprise this season, but should still compete with the top teams in the SEC. They won’t win the SEC Tournament but will have enough on their résumé to go dancing and advance to the Sweet 16.