NCAA's Power 36: Texas A&M Ranked No. 36

A&M is looking to be a dark horse in the SEC after a surprising run to the conference championship last season

It might've felt like a season of shortcomings for Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball, but things are only looking up headed into 2022-2023.

Despite making it to the SEC Championship against Tennessee after suffering through an eight-game losing streak earlier in the season, A&M lost out on a chance to compete in March Madness. Settling for an NIT Tournament appearance, the Aggies fell 73-72 to Xavier in the final.

NCAA.com released its Power 36 rankings Thursday following the post-NBA Draft withdrawal deadline on June 1 and has Texas A&M ranked dead last at No. 36 - a preseason placement the Aggies will certainly take (if they even care about such things) given how last season went.

"The NIT runner-up should be back where it was a year ago — in the chase for an NCAA tournament bid," said college basketball analyst Andy Katz about A&M's ranking in the release.

The Aggies lost some key contributors in the backcourt this offseason, including leading scorer Quenton Jackson and guard Hassan Diarra. Jackson is testing the NBA Draft waters, while Diarra, who announced his transfer to UConn in May, played in all 40 games and had two game-winning 3-pointers last season. 

But A&M coach Buzz Williams has already been retooling his roster after adding some much-needed transfer talent with the recent additions of Arkansas guard Khalen "KK" Robinson, Mississippi State guard Andersson Garcia, Wichita State guard Dexter Dennis, and Michigan State forward Julius Marble II.

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You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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