Previewing Texas A&M’s First Conference Game Against LSU

No one could ask for a better first game to play at home than LSU coming to Reed Arena to take on Texas A&M basketball.

The game will tipoff on Saturday, January 3, at 3 p.m. on ESPNU.

It will be a heck of a matchup as the Aggies and Tigers are going to both be in search of snagging an opening weekend win. Coach Bucky McMillan, in Year 1 in Aggieland, has guided his squad to a 10-3 record heading into the weekend, while coach Matt McMahon has helped the program to 12 wins and only one loss.

According to ESPN Analytics, A&M is favored, as LSU has only a 31 percent chance of winning. The last time both schools faced each other was on March 8, 2025, when A&M won by 14, 66-52. Despite the win, A&M trails the series 22-20.

At home, the Ags are 10-7 and 5-13 on the road, but have won the last three matchups. Both have split the series 5-5 in the last 10 games. In this series, the average points scored is 66, with the largest margin of victory 71-38 in 2016 and the smallest 79-77 in 2002.

Can A&M be the team to give them the second loss of the season, or can LSU pull off a big upset on the road in front of a rowdy Reed Arena that has been waiting an entire year for SEC play to be back?

Texas A&M vs LSU Preview

SEC play is here 👇

🏟️ PACK REED SATURDAY
🎟️ https://t.co/LIv4CxY8Ts #GigEm | #BuckyBall pic.twitter.com/Nv8M0LFc7V
— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) December 31, 2025

McMahon is 47 years old and was the old coach at Murray State before joining LSU back in March 2022, when he took over for former coach Will Wade.

He previously coached Murray State from 2015 to 2022, where he recorded a 154-67 record. With LSU, he has compiled a 57-54 record and is working on getting the school back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022.

This season, he has helped the offense jump out to a great shooting year, where the team is 51.4 percent from the field, 78 percent at the charity stripe, and 33.3 percent from downtown.

As for the Aggies, McMillan has 10 wins under his belt and previously coached at Samford, where he finished 99-52 over five seasons from 2020 to 2025. He earned multiple titles in the Southern Conference, leading the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 13 seed in 2024.

His offense in Aggieland has jumped out to an awesome start as the team is shooting 49.2 percent from the field, 74.5 percent from the free-throw line, and 38.2 percent from behind the arc. Their bench points per game are 44, tied for first in the country, and they are also first in assists with 22.2 per game as of Sunday, December 28.

Players To Watch

Playing unselfishly 👍

The Aggies lead the country in assists per game (22.1) and bench points (44.1)#GigEm | #BuckyBall pic.twitter.com/1aHTZrbgwp
— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) December 30, 2025

For A&M, the leading scorer has been sophomore guard Ruben Dominguez, who sits at 13.7 points per game. He is also averaging 23.2 minutes per game, 2.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists. One of his best skills is shooting from three-point territory, as he is going 46.9 percent from deep.

Two forwards who have been dynamic this year are senior Rashaun Agee and Jamie Vinson, who will need to step it up after the injury to Indiana transfer Mackenzie Mgbako.

For LSU, Dedan Thomas Jr. has been the best guard on the roster this season, leading the team in scoring at 16.2 points per game, while shooting 49.3 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from three.

The Tigers also have two really tall F athletes who are aggressive in the paint and at attacking the glass. Junior Mike Mwoko and Marquel Sutton are second and third on the team in scoring and are not easy to rebound against, as both sit above five rebounds per game and over 20 minutes per game.