Texas A&M hoops ranked No. 15 in Associated Press Preseason Poll

You can feel it already.

The anticipation is surely palpable as Texas A&M basketball enters the 2023-24 season as No. 15 in the Associated Press Top 25 Preseason Poll.

This is the first time in six years — and first for Buzz Williams in College Station — that the Aggies begin the year with an AP ranking beside their name.

They are also ranked No. 19 by ESPN and the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and No. 21 by The Athletic.

Other Southeastern Conference programs appearing in the initial poll include Tennessee (No. 9), Arkansas (No. 14), Kentucky (No. 16) and Alabama (No. 24).

Sure, the unpredictable landscape of college hoops often renders preseason rankings meaningless.

But even those looking without Maroon-colored glasses can easily see why A&M carries such high expectations.

Last season, the Aggies notched a historic 15-3 conference record and the program's first NCAA Tournament berth since 2018.

All told, A&M returns 88.4 percent of last year’s offensive production anchored by an All-SEC backcourt in Wade Taylor IV and Tyrece Radford.

Tip-off for the home opener against Texas A&M-Commerce is just three weeks away.

Those eager for an early preview of the squad can look forward to a charity exhibition with former conference rival Texas Tech on Oct. 29 in Denton.

Associated Press Preseason Poll

1. Kansas
2. Duke
3. Purdue
4. Michigan State
5. Marquette
6. UConn
7. Houston
8. Creighton
9. Tennessee
10. Florida Atlantic
11. Gonzaga
12. Arizona
13. Miami (FL)
14. Arkansas
15. Texas A&M
16. Kentucky
17. San Diego State
18. Texas
19. North Carolina
20. Baylor
21. USC
22. Villanova
23. Saint Mary’s
24. Alabama 
25. Illinois

Note: Southeastern Conference programs are italicized.