COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Embracing the challenge of one of the most difficult road schedules in school history, the Texas A&M men’s basketball team has revealed its non-conference schedule for the upcoming 2017-18 campaign.
Texas A&M, which has drawn off-season Top 25 attention from multiple media outlets, stands to return one of the SEC’s most formidable rosters to the hardwood for the upcoming season as the Aggies bring back four starters and 10 total players, representing 82.3 percent of the Aggies’ total scoring output.
Underscoring the strength of the Aggies’ upcoming non-conference slate, Yahoo! Sports college basketball writer Jeff Eisenberg recently released his post-draft look at the preseason top 25 which featured four upcoming Texas A&M out of conference opponents in the top 10 – Arizona (1), Kansas (2), West Virginia (8) and USC (9). The Aggies, meanwhile, checked in at No. 19 while three other SEC squads were also represented – Kentucky (4), Florida (11) and Alabama (22).
Following a final dress rehearsal that will come during a home exhibition against Tarleton State on Nov. 3, the season gets underway in earnest when the Aggies play in one of the most unique events in college basketball. Texas A&M is slated to be featured during the 2017 State Farm Armed Forces Classic, traveling to Ramstein Air Base in Germany where it will face West Virginia on Nov. 10.
The Armed Forces Classic is a series of Division I men’s college basketball games that are televised from United States military bases around Veteran’s Day as a morale event for service members. It is owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN.
Returning to the United States, Texas A&M will host UCSB (Nov. 17) before traveling to the Big Apple for the Legends Classic on Nov. 20-21 where the Aggies will play two games at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center against a solid field that includes Oklahoma State, Penn State and Pitt.
Late November will see Texas A&M welcome a pair of schools to Aggieland – Pepperdine (Nov. 24) and UTRGV (Nov. 30) – with a trip to the West Coast to face USC on Nov. 26 sandwiched in between.
The Aggies will travel to Phoenix on Dec. 5 for a rematch against Arizona, which narrowly defeated Texas A&M inside Houston’s Toyota Center last season.
Prior to the start of SEC play, Texas A&M will host a four-game homestand inside Reed Arena featuring tilts against Prairie View A&M (Dec. 9), Savannah State (Dec. 13), Northern Kentucky (Dec. 19) and Buffalo (Dec. 21).
On Jan. 27, the Aggies will take a break from SEC competition for the Big 12-SEC Challenge which will see Texas A&M travel to Lawrence, Kan., to take on Kansas inside historic Allen Fieldhouse.
During league action, Texas A&M is slated to host Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri and South Carolina with times, dates and television information announced at a later date.
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TEXAS A&M 2017-18 NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Site
Nov. 3 TARLETON STATE (EXH) College Station, Texas
Nov. 10 vs. West Virginia Ramstein Air Base (Germany)
Nov. 17 UCSB College Station, Texas
Nov. 20 vs. Penn State / Pitt / Oklahoma State † Brooklyn, N.Y. (Barclays Center)
Nov. 21 vs. Penn State / Pitt / Oklahoma State † Brooklyn, N.Y. (Barclays Center)
Nov. 24 PEPPERDINE College Station, Texas
Nov. 26 at USC Los Angeles, Calif.
Nov. 30 UTRGV College Station, Texas
Dec. 5 vs. Arizona Phoenix, Ariz. (Talking Stick Resort Arena)
Dec. 9 PRAIRIE VIEW A&M College Station, Texas
Dec. 13 SAVANNAH STATE College Station, Texas
Dec. 19 NORTHERN KENTUCKY College Station, Texas
Dec. 21 BUFFALO College Station, Texas
Jan. 27 at Kansas ! Lawrence, Kan.
† – Legends Classic
! – Big 12-Sec Challenge
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SEASON TICKETS ON SALE
An affordable, family entertainment option, season tickets begin as low as $100. Annual per seat contributions are required for some seating areas of Reed Arena. Contact the 12th Man Foundation for additional information or to order tickets by calling 888-992-4443 or logging onto www.12thMan.com/Tickets.
Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics