The preseason AP Poll for basketball has been released, and Texas A&M has failed to make the top 25 for the second time in as many season for Bucky McMillan. The Aggies were similarly doubted last season, of course, before breaking their way into the poll with a red-hot 18-4 start.
BREAKING: Preseason College Basketball AP Poll🏀https://t.co/g4z17LVdWP pic.twitter.com/dYJufsSTG0
— On3 (@On3) October 19, 2026
The Aggies received 6 points in the "also receiving votes" category, ranking them just outside the top 30 if the poll were to be extended out that far. The Aggies, though, are set for a huge second-season jump under McMillan, who worked the portal with deadshot accuracy to build a squad that is ready to contend for a crowded SEC crown.
The Aggies will have to face the likes of Arkansas, Tennessee, Texas, and Florida— all of whom are ranked within the top 12— not to mention Alabama, Vanderbilt, and Kentucky. However, McMillan has the roster to compete with any of these top dogs— and the Aggies should be roaring to life in the polls before too long.
Texas A&M shut out of preseason AP basketball top 25, but won't be out for long
A&M's backcourt of Jordan Pope and PJ Haggerty will be one of the deadliest scoring duos in the conference— both bring a wealth of experience and ability to the guard position that is unmatched across the SEC. The return of Rylan Griffen is huge, pending his hearing on October 28, as he became one of the best shooters for the Aggies down the stretch of last year.
The return of Zach Clemence and Jamie Vinson will provide some stability in the frontcourt as well, which will be helpful. The elephant in the room, though, is the way people continue to underrate Mackenzie Mgbako here.
The Indiana transfer forward only got a couple of games under his belt last season before getting shut down for the season again thanks to an injury. He's back in full force, now, and will form one of the most intimidating scoring combinations in the entire conference with Haggerty in the backcourt.
Mgbako's contributions will have to be seen to be believed, of course— the Aggies are not a program that routinely gets the benefit of the doubt when it comes to this kind of thing. But the freshman forward/center Josh Irving is another player that Aggie fans shouldn't be sleeping on— he's generated a lot of buzz since joining up with Bucky's squad, and he should be a force on the defensive end of the court.
The Aggies will open with a few layup games against Alabama State, Northern Kentucky, and ULM before they look to get a little bit of revenge against Oklahoma State. The Aggies will get a real chance to break out in their participation in the Battle 4 Atlantis this year in late November. Conference play begins against Auburn at home on January 2— don't be surprised at all if the Aggies have a number by their name once the Tigers roll into Reed Arena on that day.
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