To make it to the NCAA tournament, a team needs contributions from both returning players and incoming recruits. Here's a look at Texas A&M and its chances of making it to the dance in 2016 after narrowly missing out this season.
Quick references:
Possible 2015-16 starting five
G: Alex Caruso
F: Jalen Jones
F: Danuel House
C: Tyler Davis
Who is lost: Texas A&M will lose two solid starters in forward Kourtney Roberson and guard Jordan Green. Roberson scores in and around the lane and rebounds extremely well on both ends of the floor. Green is skilled and kept defenses honest with his ability to spot up beyond the arc and knock down some timely shots.
Who is added: Texas A&M has four ESPN 100 prospects in the fold and the No. 3 class nationally that is made up of one five-star prospect and three four-star perfromers. Davis (No. 18) is the marquee name. This big man has great hands, touch, feel and every post move in the book to go along with the size to possibly command a double team. Elijah Thomas (No. 29) is another immediate-impact player on the front line who possesses great size and can score and rebound. D.J. Hogg (No. 33) is a wing forward who has deep shooting range, great confidence and a quick trigger that will stretch the defense to its limits. The playmaking off the bounce will be left up to wing guard Admon Gilder (No. 66) who excels in transition and can also knock down 3s off the catch and with a rhythm dribble when the defender backs away. Gilder can also help at the point in a pinch. Coach Billy Kennedy has a class that is flat-out loaded with talent and ready to put its mark on the program next season.
What it means for next season: Kennedy should have a better team next season not only because he reeled in the third-ranked recruiting class but more important because House returns along with Jones. And if that's not enough, Caruso, who can pass and rebound, is back as well. Robinson will be counted on to run the team and make plays while taking care of the ball, all things he is more than capable of.
Trending: Up. Texas A&M has everything in place: a terrific core of talent with great experience and an awesome recruiting class to plug the holes and build quality depth. We expect the Aggies to be back in the NCAA tournament if the chemistry is good and everyone buys in.