Texas A&M Reveals Men's Basketball Non-Conference Schedule

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Highlighted by marquee home dates at Reed Arena against a trio of teams from power-five conferences, the Texas A&M men's basketball program revealed its 2015-16 non-conference schedule on Friday.
 
"This schedule is challenging to say the least, but we feel it's going to prepare us for SEC and postseason play," Texas A&M head coach Billy Kennedy said. "We've got a great group of seniors and veteran players. I've been impressed with their leadership this spring and summer as well as how they've set the tone for our young guys who have hit the ground running."
 
After an exhibition contest at Reed Arena, the Aggies will officially christen the new campaign on Friday, Nov. 13, when USC Upstate comes to College Station. The season opening four-game home stand continues with contests against Southeastern Louisiana on Nov. 16 and Nov. 19 against TAMU-Corpus Christi before concluding on Nov. 21 against UNC-Asheville.
 
The week of Thanksgiving will see Texas A&M travel to Paradise Island, Bahamas, and Atlantis to compete in one of college basketball's most prominent early-season events, the Battle 4 Atlantis, which takes place Nov. 25-27. Joining the Aggies on the islands will be a stacked field including Charlotte, Connecticut, Gonzaga, Michigan, Syracuse, Texas and Washington. The bracket and pairings for the event will be announced in August with more information available at www.atlantisbahamas.com/events/battle-4-atlantis.
 
Following the trip to Atlantis, the Aggies return home to College Station to open the month of December by hosting Florida Gulf Coast at Reed Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 2.
 
The first true road game of the season will come on Saturday, Dec. 5, when Texas A&M travels to Tempe, Ariz., to face off against Arizona State inside Wells Fargo Arena. Last season, The Aggies defeated the Sun Devils 72-71 during a thriller at Reed Arena. ASU, which will be led by first-year head coach Bobby Hurley, returns four starters from last season's squad which advanced to the second round of the NIT.
 
For the first time in school history, three teams from power conference teams will appear in Aggieland for non-conference tilts beginning on Dec. 12 when Kansas State comes to town. A week later, the most recent chapter of the Battle of the Brazos will be written when the Baylor Bears make the trek down Highway 6 for a contest on Dec. 19. A third Big 12 foe is on the docket at Reed Arena as Iowa State comes to College Station on Jan. 30 to take on the Aggies during the Big 12-SEC Challenge.
 
Both Baylor and Iowa State are considered preseason top 25 teams with the Cyclones appearing in many prognosticator's top 10.
 
Texas A&M will also host Cal Poly at Reed Arena on Tuesday, Dec. 29, before jumping into SEC play. The full league schedule is expected to be released in August.
 
The Aggies are poised for a strong season in 2015-16, returning a trio of seniors in Alex Caruso, Danuel House and Jalen Jones, who each garnered All-SEC recognition from various media outlets after last season.
 
Additionally, the A&M senior class will gain the experience of Anthony Collins who is transferring to Aggieland after drawing 98 starting assignments in 101 games played at South Florida.
 
In addition to the seniors, A&M returns four players – Peyton Allen, Tavario Miller, Alex Robinson and Tonny Trocha-Morelos – who played in at least 25 games last season and are poised to take another step forward on the court. The Aggies' roster will also be boosted by the arrival of a much-heralded recruiting class, which is regarded by many as the best in school history and is ranked as a consensus top-10 group by major recruiting services.
 
Prior to the season the Aggies will take a European tour of Italy and Greece Aug. 13-23, playing in four exhibition games while overseas.
 
 
TEXAS A&M MEN'S BASKETBALL
2015-16 NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
 
Date            Day             Opponent                                      Site
Nov. 13       Fri.              USC UPSTATE                                 REED ARENA
Nov. 16       Mon.           SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA         REED ARENA
Nov. 19       Thurs.         TAMU-CORPUS CHRISTI                REED ARENA
Nov. 21       Sat.             UNC-ASHEVILLE                             REED ARENA
Nov. 25       Wed.        !  TBD – Battle 4 Atlantis                   Paradise Island, Bahamas
Nov. 26       Thurs.       !  TBD – Battle 4 Atlantis                   Paradise Island, Bahamas
Nov. 27       Fri.           !  TBD – Battle 4 Atlantis                   Paradise Island, Bahamas
Dec. 2         Wed.           FLORIDA GULF COAST                   REED ARENA
Dec. 5         Sat.              at Arizona State                              Tempe, Ariz.
Dec. 12       Sat.             KANSAS STATE                              REED ARENA
Dec. 19       Sat.             BAYLOR                                          REED ARENA
Dec. 29       Tues.           CAL POLY                                       REED ARENA
Jan. 30        Sat.          ^ IOWA STATE                                  REED ARENA
                                                                  
! – 2015 Battle 4 Atlantis (Paradise Island, Bahamas)
^ - Big 12-SEC Challenge
 
Dates & times subject to change
As of 6/18/15