Top 347 countdown No. 29 Texas A&M

OVERVIEW

Texas A&M received an offseason scare when three of its top underclassmen entered their names for NBA draft consideration. Two elected to stay in school, and forward Bryan Davis and guard Donald Sloan said they benefited from the process. "Working out for NBA teams was a great experience," Davis said. "It made me a better player. Now I'm looking forward to coming back and winning championships." A Big 12 title might be too lofty of a goal, but coach Mark Turgeon's squad should still be solid. Other than center Chinemelu Elonu, who remained in the NBA draft and was taken in the second round, and guard Josh Carter, who graduated, the Aggies return every key member of a team that went 24-10 last season and bowed out to No. 1 seed Connecticut in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Donald Sloan and the Aggies are primed for another tournament berth.

PROJECTED STARTERS

F Bryan Davis, 6-9/240, Sr.

F David Loubeau, 6-9/215, Soph.

G Dash Harris, 6-1/175, Soph.

G Derrick Roland, 6-4/185, Sr.

G Donald Sloan, 6-3/205, Sr.

KEY RESERVES

F Nathan Walkup, 6-7/205, Jr.

F/G Khris Middleton, 6-7/195, Fr.

G Naji Hibbert, 6-6/200, Fr.

G B.J. Holmes, 6-0/175, Jr.

FRONTCOURT

The loss of Elonu and his team-high 7.3 rebounds per game hurts, but the Aggies still should be serviceable down low. The hard-working Davis is one of the more underrated players in the conference. He averaged 1.4 blocks per game last season to go with 10.8 points and 6.5 rebounds. Davis has played in 101 games during his three-year career, and his senior season should be his best. David Loubeau, who played 13.5 minutes per game as a true freshman last season, also is expected to start up front.

BACKCOURT

The Aggies have one of the most experienced backcourts in the league with Sloan and Derrick Roland, both of whom are returning starters who also were teammates at Dallas' Seagoville High. Sloan's 11.8 points per game ranked second on the team in 2008-09, but he needs to improve on his 38.8 shooting percentage. Roland, who averaged just 6.3 points and five field-goal attempts per game, needs to become more offense-minded. Sophomore Dash Harris is expected to man the other guard position. Harris gained valuable experience as a freshman, when he played in all 34 games. Look for junior B.J. Holmes and freshman Naji Hibbert to also see important minutes.

OUTLOOK

A&M began league play with a 3-7 record last season before winning its final six regular-season games and advancing to the NCAA tournament. Things shouldn't be as nerve-wracking this season, thanks to the presence of experienced players such as Davis, Sloan and Roland. Still, not everything has gone smoothly for the Aggies under the thin-skinned Turgeon, who hasn't handled criticism well. It will be interesting to see how he and his team respond if things get rocky in '09-10.

- JASON KING

More Rivals.com 2009-10 Preseason 347 Countdown

Preseason rankings were compiled by basketball writers David Fox, Mike Huguenin, Jason King and Steve Megargee.