Both Texas A&M and UCF already have missed a chance to get a Power Five nonconference win this season, but either the Aggies or Knights will redeem themselves when they clash Friday night in College Station, Texas.
Texas A&M (2-1) is still smarting from its nonconference loss, an 87-63 pounding on Sunday at the hands of Oklahoma State. Marcus Hill, who scored 14 points, was the only player to finish in double figures as the Aggies shot just 32.3% from the field.
It was Texas A&M’s lowest field goal percentage since Feb. 24, 2024, when the Aggies shot 27.3% in a 35-point loss at Tennessee.
“At the end of the day, I would tell all the Aggies out there we still got to remain positive with this group,” first-year Texas A&M coach Bucky McMillan said. “Man, this is very, very early in this deal. And we’re going to keep plugging along, but we’re better than we played (Sunday).”
The Aggies could potentially receive a boost on Friday with the season debut of Mackenzie Mgbako, who has been recovering from a foot injury.
If he’s able to play, the 2023 McDonald’s All-American should provide much-needed scoring after averaging 12.2 points in 26.2 minutes per game the last two seasons at Indiana.
The Knights (2-1), meanwhile, know they can lean on leading scorer Riley Kugel. He’s averaging 20 points per game while enjoying an absurd start from 3-point range, making 12 of his 17 attempts (70.6%).
UCF has had time to regroup after its 105-93 home loss to Vanderbilt last Saturday. The Knights rebounded with a 97-60 win over Florida A&M on Tuesday.
They shot 54.5% from the field and made 13 of their 20 3-point attempts while holding the Rattlers to 38.2% shooting from the field and just 6 of 21 on 3-point tries.
“I thought we got off to a really good start. I was really proud of our guys and the way we responded after our last outing,” coach Johnny Dawkins said after Tuesday’s game. “I think we’re getting better every game. We’ve got to take care of the ball better and play the full 40 minutes, but I like the direction we’re heading.”
