It's a contest between one of the best defenses in college hoops and one of the best offenses as Texas A&M heads to Sunrise, Florida, to take on the 13th-ranked Florida Gators on Saturday in the MetroPCS Orange Bowl Classic. The 22nd-ranked Aggies, coming off a six-game winning streak, hope the return of Khris Middleton and their suffocating defense will be enough to hold off their future SEC conference-mate.

Texas A&M (8-1) already looks buoyed by the return of Middleton, who missed the last seven games with a partially torn meniscus. When he rejoined the lineup in last Saturday's 67-54 victory over Louisiana-Monroe, Middleton scored 24 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. Texas A&M's defense has been excellent, even in Middleton's absence. Players like Elston Turner, David Loubeau, and Ray Turner stepped up to help the Aggies create one of the most effective defenses in the country. They're currently ranked fourth nationally, holding opponents to an average of 51.4 points per game. Over the last five games, that number improved to 44 points.

More on the Gators versus the Aggies, after the Jump.

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Texas A&M Aggies forward Khris Middleton is expected to return tomorrow when the Aggies face Louisiana-Monroe in College Station. Middleton, a coaches and Big 12 Hoops' preseason first team all-conference team member, has missed the past four weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus.

Saturday's game will mark the first time the star player and new Aggies head coach Billy Kennedy will be teamed up. Middleton injured his knee in the first game of the season, during which Kennedy was absent for health reasons.

Last season Middleton averaged 14.4 points per game and can add another scoring threat to the lackluster Aggies' offense. Through their first eight games, the Aggies (7-1) have averaged 64.1 ppg, ranking them 257^th nationally, and have only scored more than 60 once in their past six games.

In Middleton's absence, Ray Turner has exploded onto the Aggie scene, jumping his average up from 4 ppg last season to a team high 14.4 this year. Washington transfer Elston Turner also contributed 12.1 ppg while Middleton rehabbed the knee.

Starting Saturday we will be able to see who this Aggies team really is, giving them a good ramp up before heading into conference play. The experience-laden team was picked as co-conference champions by conference coaches.

For the first time in almost 50 years, the Texas A&M Aggies (2-0) will face the Mississippi State Bulldogs (2-1) — and get a taste of what they can expect in the SEC next year.

The two schools will meet up in New York at Madison Square Garden for the semifinals of the Coaches vs Cancer Classic. For a school that began the season under the specter of bad news, A&M has looked strong and confident. The Aggies haven't let the loss of star forward Khris Middleton (out for 3-4 weeks with a partially-torn meniscus) or the reduced role of Billy Kennedy bring them down, handily defeating Southern 83-58 on Sunday.

More on the Bulldogs — and what their chances of knocking off A&M are — after the Jump.

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On Friday, Texas A&M forward Khris Middleton underwent surgery for a partially torn meniscus in his right knee, an injury he sustained during the first half of the Aggie's season opener against Liberty on Thursday. He is expected to be out for three to four weeks.

The 6'7" junior lead the Aggies in scoring last year, averaging 14.4 points per game. Expectations for Middleton are high heading into the 2011-2012 season. Middleton was named to the preseason All Big 12 team and the Naismith and Wooden awards watch lists.

Initially, team doctors thought Middleton had injured his hamstring. A precautionary MRI revealed the partial tear. According to reports from A&M, the surgery went well.

Without their leading scorer, the Aggies will turn to their upperclassmen, including junior forward Ray Turner, who scored 20 points in Thursday's 81-59 victory over Liberty. Senior forward David Loubeau and junior guard Elston Turner also turned in strong performances, with 14 and 16 points respectively.

If all goes well, Middleton will be healthy in time for conference play.

How will the Texas A&M Aggies fare this season? What will their overall and Big 12 records be? Will they make a post-season tournament?

We'll answer all those questions, plus guess which teams they'll upset and which teams will upset them, after the Jump.

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In their last Big 12 season, the Aggies' schedule is a mix of the usual non-conference suspects, plus a few high profile opponents.

It's so far, so good for A&M. The Aggies logged decisive wins in an exhibition game against Dallas Baptist and their season opener against Liberty, the first game of the Coaches vs Cancer 2k Sports Classic.

Next week the Aggies will face their first true test of the season as they head to Madison Square Garden for the championship rounds of the 2k Sports Classic. A&M will be up against either top 20 ranked Arizona or St. John's — a team that claims the Garden as one of its home arenas.

It's mostly smooth sailing for A&M in late November and early December. The Aggies face a series of teams like Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Sam Houston State in College Station. Before beginning conference play, A&M travels to the Sunshine State to take a crack at Florida.

Our season projections go up tomorrow. In the meantime, take a look at the complete A&M schedule after the Jump.

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Texas A&M started the season under a shadow. In October, the sad news broke that new head coach Billy Kennedy had been diagnosed with early stage Parkinson's disease. Kennedy announced he would be taking an extended leave of absence from the team to seek treatment. Associate head coach - and longtime friend of Kennedy's - Glynn Cyprien will take the reins in the meantime.

Fortunately, Kennedy inherited a program that needed very little in the way of rebuilding. Mark Turgeon, building on what Billy Gillispie started before him, turned A&M into a solid, consistent program. The Aggies might not be the flashiest or most hyped team in the conference, but they win. In fact, they win a lot: 24 games or more in each of the last five seasons, plus six consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament.

Kennedy also hails from a successful program. At Murray State, where he was head coach for five seasons, his record was 107-53, with an NCAA second round appearance in 2010. And he's no stranger to Texas, having served as an assistant coach at A&M under Kermit Davis in the early 90s.

Right off the bat, Kennedy managed to keep sought-after recruits Jamal Branch and Jordan Green, who had both committed to A&M under Turgeon. He hired John Reese, the well regarded former head coach of Bryan High School, who will be an asset for in-state recruitment. So far, Kennedy and his staff have bagged top 100 recruits Alex Caruso and Reese's son, J-Mychal Reese. (At first glance, this doesn't seem kosher, but John Reese's offer was on the table well before J-Mychal considered going maroon and white).

Kennedy has said that he wants to build the team around defense. He also wants to play a fast game, pushing the tempo and scoring quickly. This would certainly be a change from the deliberate and measured offense the Aggies deployed under Turgeon. However, Murray State wasn't exactly known for burning up the floor. This strategy of Kennedy's might have something to do with it: "Offensively, we want to score in the first seven seconds of the shot clock. [If that doesn't work], we're going to be patient...and we'll have a late clock." So... the Aggies are going to play an up-tempo offense, unless they're not. A&M fans shouldn't split hairs, though. Whatever Kennedy did at Murray State, it worked.

The duration of Kennedy's absence, as well as what it means for the Aggies, remains to be seen. Cyprien reports that Kennedy currently spends about an hour a day at the practice facilities, reviewing tape and talking with players. Although they're taking it day by day, the team is hopeful Kennedy will be back in Aggieland before long.

The season has barely begun, but A&M's Khris Middleton has already amassed an impressive collection of accolades. He's earned a spot on the Wooden Award watch list and the preseason All Big 12 team. Yesterday, he was named a preseason Naismith Award candidate. Aggie fans are hoping the 6'7" junior forward can live up to the hype.

Middleton is coming off a strong sophomore season, when he averaged 14.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. His smooth offensive style and ability to score at both the rim and beyond the arc landed him a spot on the All Big 12 second team. There were times he caught fire - scoring 31 points against Arkansas and 28 points (11 of those in overtime) against Mizzou.

But there were also times Middleton disappeared. He scored in the single digits against Temple, Wagner, OK State, and in the second Mizzou match up, and was notably held scoreless by Texas. Periodically, he seemed present for only one half. (Middleton scored 20 points - not bad - in the first exhibition game of this season against Dallas Baptist, but 15 of them came in the first half).

The causes of consistency issues can be hard to pinpoint. Often it's a cocktail of concentration, fatigue, and nerves. In Middleton's case, it might help to take a note from the cheerleaders and be aggressive, be be aggressive. By most accounts, Middleton is a very generous, collaborative player who would just as soon pass the ball than take the shot. This is an admirable trait, of course, but now he's the Aggies' go-to man and needs to step up, take charge, and demand the ball.

Middleton's scoring should see a bump this season if A&M sticks to the fast-paced offense that Billy Kennedy has said he wants to implement. Kennedy has also said that Middleton is working with the Aggies' new strength coach. Bulking up will help his ability to finish at the rim - something Middleton, as more of a finesse and less of an explosive player, sometimes struggles with.

A&M will begin their season with more than their fair share of uncertainties. Their upcoming transition to the SEC, a new playing style, and Kennedy's illness are unfamiliar territory for an Aggie team looking to Middleton as one of its leaders. Luckily, he has a strong supporting lineup, including seniors Dash Harris and David Loubeau.

If Middleton can be aggressive, stay focused, and continue to gain strength, he has a good chance of leading the Aggies to a stellar season and picking up an award or two along the way.