Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Western New Mexico (Exhib.) on October 27, 2026 at 7 p.m.
M Basketball
7 p.m.
vs Western New Mexico (Exhib.)
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
Texas A&M trip gives gauge for GCU's status
10/10/2026 2:13:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
Lopes' exhibition road game offered test vs. Aggies' pressure, depth
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Grand Canyon left the comforts of home and grew Saturday by being uncomfortable.
In a secret scrimmage at Texas A&M, the Lopes dealt with playing in a new venue against a relentlessly talented SEC roster and found another way to improve 23 days before the regular-season opener. The teams agreed to not make the exhibition game's score or statistics public.
"The pace of play was great for us with getting pressed the whole game and having to handle that pressure," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. "We want to play at a faster pace, so we tried to match it on the offensive end. Nine guys all got a lot of minutes and got a great chance to play together against a good team. It was a great exhibition for us."
The Lopes tested themselves at an empty Reed Arena with the Aggies now featuring PJ Haggerty, a 6-foot-3, contact-seeking guard who has averaged at least 21 points for three previous programs. Haggerty and Texas transfer Jordan Pope fit into the "Buckyball" style of head coach Bucky McMillan, who made his Texas A&M debut last season by guiding the Aggies to their third consecutive NCAA Tournament second-round appearance.
Showcased last year, Texas A&M's style is a persistent press for uptempo basketball with a deep roster that challenged GCU.
"It was tough, but it was good for us," GCU senior point guard Dylan Darling said of the Aggies' press. "I thought we took care of the ball pretty well for us seeing it for the first time and it being Oct. 10. Honestly, I'm proud of how we handled it. I thought we responded well."
The exhibition offered the chance for GCU to face different schemes, be officiated and go through in-game adjustments in a regulation format. After the game ended, the teams played an additional 10-minute segment to get more repetitions and player opportunities.
"I like that they give us three exhibition games this year," Drew said. "It gives us a chance to play more guys and have time to make more adjustments. This is a great starting point for us and a chance to watch some film for the guys."
The Lopes will play two more scrimmages, including an Oct. 27 home game against Western New Mexico that will include fans. GCU's regular season will open Nov. 2 against Texas Southern at Global Credit Union Arena.
"It was fun to get out of Arizona, play a different team and not have to play ourselves," Darling said. "Texas A&M has got a great team with really good depth. It was unique because we probably won't see much of that play style this year, but ultimately it was fun and we got a lot out of it."
The Aggies return 6-foot-11 graduate Zach Clemens and 6-9 senior Mackenzie Mgbako, each of which were limited by foot injuries last season, and became a more physical team with the frontcourt additions of 6-11 junior Jamie Vinson (via Texas) and 6-9 senior Cade
Phillips (via Tennessee).
Texas A&M, projected as an NCAA Tournament contender again, presents more positional size and attackers than last season's 22-12 team did.
"This game helped us gauge our conditioning," GCU senior center Tyler Berhend said. "They're probably the fastest team in the country, so just seeing how we were able to handle their full-court pressure the whole game was good. They have a lot of guards, so you're always playing against fresh legs. But I think we meshed well and played really well. I think it's going to be a really good year for us."
In a secret scrimmage at Texas A&M, the Lopes dealt with playing in a new venue against a relentlessly talented SEC roster and found another way to improve 23 days before the regular-season opener. The teams agreed to not make the exhibition game's score or statistics public."The pace of play was great for us with getting pressed the whole game and having to handle that pressure," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. "We want to play at a faster pace, so we tried to match it on the offensive end. Nine guys all got a lot of minutes and got a great chance to play together against a good team. It was a great exhibition for us."
The Lopes tested themselves at an empty Reed Arena with the Aggies now featuring PJ Haggerty, a 6-foot-3, contact-seeking guard who has averaged at least 21 points for three previous programs. Haggerty and Texas transfer Jordan Pope fit into the "Buckyball" style of head coach Bucky McMillan, who made his Texas A&M debut last season by guiding the Aggies to their third consecutive NCAA Tournament second-round appearance.
Showcased last year, Texas A&M's style is a persistent press for uptempo basketball with a deep roster that challenged GCU."It was tough, but it was good for us," GCU senior point guard Dylan Darling said of the Aggies' press. "I thought we took care of the ball pretty well for us seeing it for the first time and it being Oct. 10. Honestly, I'm proud of how we handled it. I thought we responded well."
The exhibition offered the chance for GCU to face different schemes, be officiated and go through in-game adjustments in a regulation format. After the game ended, the teams played an additional 10-minute segment to get more repetitions and player opportunities.
"I like that they give us three exhibition games this year," Drew said. "It gives us a chance to play more guys and have time to make more adjustments. This is a great starting point for us and a chance to watch some film for the guys."The Lopes will play two more scrimmages, including an Oct. 27 home game against Western New Mexico that will include fans. GCU's regular season will open Nov. 2 against Texas Southern at Global Credit Union Arena.
"It was fun to get out of Arizona, play a different team and not have to play ourselves," Darling said. "Texas A&M has got a great team with really good depth. It was unique because we probably won't see much of that play style this year, but ultimately it was fun and we got a lot out of it."
The Aggies return 6-foot-11 graduate Zach Clemens and 6-9 senior Mackenzie Mgbako, each of which were limited by foot injuries last season, and became a more physical team with the frontcourt additions of 6-11 junior Jamie Vinson (via Texas) and 6-9 senior Cade
Phillips (via Tennessee).Texas A&M, projected as an NCAA Tournament contender again, presents more positional size and attackers than last season's 22-12 team did.
"This game helped us gauge our conditioning," GCU senior center Tyler Berhend said. "They're probably the fastest team in the country, so just seeing how we were able to handle their full-court pressure the whole game was good. They have a lot of guards, so you're always playing against fresh legs. But I think we meshed well and played really well. I think it's going to be a really good year for us."
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