How Did Texas A&M Basketball Do In Its Exhibition Game Against Arizona State?

When Texas A&M men’s basketball starts the regular season, the up-tempo, fast-paced system that coach Bucky McMillan has preached ever since he joined Aggieland is going to live up to the standard.

When the Aggies tipped off against the Sun Devils, there were questions about which players would step up in key moments, how the defense would look, and what there was to build on.

Those questions and concerns got answered when A&M captured the 95-88 win over Arizona State. Zach Clemence stole the show, leading the team with 20 points and the most threes made with five, while Rashaun Agee led the defense with eight rebounds.

Offensive and Defensive Numbers

First look didn’t disappoint 👀#GigEm | #BuckyBall pic.twitter.com/84k8tqXXXw
— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) October 26, 2025

Starting the afternoon off on the court for tipoff were Marcus Hill, Rylan Griffen, Jacari Lane, Federiko Federiko and Agee. All of these starters were transfers.

Missing from the puzzle were Pop Isaacs and Mackenzie Mgbako, who did not enter the game. The duo attended SEC Media Days with McMillan a few weeks ago, but sat out.

As an offense, the Aggies' field goal percentage was 46.7 percent from the field, going 28-for-60. Behind the arc, the team drilled 13 threes on 29 attempts, for 44.8 percent. Not too shabby.

At the charity stripe, McMillan’s roster found itself at the line 38 times, converting 26 times, which is a good sign before the season opener because it shows how aggressive and well-coached the players are to draw fouls.

Offensively, there were only 12 boards, but defensively, the numbers flipped tremendously when it hauled in 32 for a total of 44 on both sides.

At halftime, A&M trailed 42-40, but it posted 55 points in the second half to secure the dominant win. Before the start of the final period, Griffen led A&M with eight points, with Federiko and Holloway each accumulating six points. Clemence sat at five points and five rebounds but finished on a positive note.

When analyzing the team comparison, what stood out was that the Aggies had 45 bench points, 30 points in the paint, 17 assists, but 18 turnovers. The Sun Devils took advantage of poor ball handling, posting 26 points off turnovers.

Luckily, adjustments from McMillan helped, and there is now a better sample size to evaluate where his roster is and what he can address in practice and in film.

A&M starts its 2025-26 campaign with a date against Northwestern State on Monday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m. on SEC Network+.