Aggie Basketball Tips Off Tonight against UL-Monroe

As we all wait to see which Aggie wins the Powerball drawing, buys out Jimbo’s contract, and installs String as our new head football coach and/or director of football operations, tonight offers a prime opportunity to for another promising group of A&M athletes rescue you from this malaise. Buzz Williams begins his fourth season at the helm as the Aggies open their 2022-23 campaign this evening against the UL-Monroe Warhawks. Tipoff is at 7:00 PM from Reed Arena. You can also catch the game on SEC Network+ (found in the ESPN app in most cases).

For those who don’t recall, the Ags opened last season 15-2 before dropping 8 straight games in SEC play. The team rebounded, going 5-1 to close out regular season play and then making a miraculous run to the finals of the SEC tournament, dismantling #4 Auburn and #15 Arkansas along the way. A loss to Tennessee in the conference tourney final left the Aggies on the bubble for the NCAA. Despite a solid bubble resume, the selection committee omitted A&M from the Big Dance, leaving a devastated team and fanbase reeling and searching to pick up the pieces. Fortunately, the coaching staff and team were able to refocus on the opportunity presented by an NIT berth. The Aggies won four games to advance to the NIT Final at Madison Square Garden before falling to Xavier 73-72.

This season’s squad returns 8 players, including three of the top four scorers from last year. However, the biggest hole to replace will be that left by the electrifying fan favorite Quenton Jackson, who is currently pursuing an NBA career with the Washington Wizards G League team. Other key departures included Marcus Williams and Hassan Diarra, who each transferred to the University of San Francisco and UConn, respectively.

Buzz Williams and staff hit the transfer portal and welcomed in five experienced transfers from across the country. Three freshmen were also added to the roster, with the most significant addition coming in the form of Gatorade Louisiana Boys Basketball Player of the Year Solomon Washington, a 6’7” forward who made an immediate impact by scoring 15 and pulling down 6 boards in A&M’s 90-47 exhibition win over Texas A&M-Kingsville on Friday night.

We will be publishing a series of more in-depth season preview articles reviewing roster construction, schedule, expectations, and predictions this week. In the meantime, get to Reed and enjoy the hope of a new season.