Did Texas A&M make USA TODAY’s way-too-early men’s Top 25 for 2023-24 college basketball season

With March Madness behind us, it’s never too early to look ahead to next season. Did the Aggies make USA TODAY’S way-too-early Top 25 predictions list?

The dust has settled with the Madness of March officially behind us, which means it’s time to look ahead toward the 2023-24 college basketball season. There is no rest for the weary when it comes to staying up-to-date on Texas A&M basketball, but thankfully we’ve got you covered here at Aggies Wire!

Hot off the press over at USA TODAY is their way-too-early men’s Top 25 rankings for next season because, in the ever-evolving landscape of college basketball, an up-and-coming program one season could become a heavyweight contender the next. UConn, unsurprisingly, clocks in at No. 1 overall after finishing 31-8 and fending off San Diego State for their fifth NCAA Championship in school history.

Over in Aggieland, Texas A&M clocked in at No. 15 in the way-too-early rankings. It’s safe to say that USA TODAY was a tad bit more favorable than the Selection Committee.

Despite the Aggies’ early exit at the hands of Penn State in the 2023 NCAA Tournament opening round, it’s good to see the media outlets giving weight to the turnaround that Buzz Williams and this basketball program manufactured. For comparison, ESPN ranked the Aggies similarly (No. 17) in their respective way-too-early rankings.

The growing respect for the Maroon and White comes off a season in which they reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018 thanks to a 25-10 record (15-3 SEC) and a second consecutive SEC Championship game appearance.

It was evident that something promising was brewing over at College Station, and the great news is that this team will more or less get another year to run it back and build on its success. A&M will welcome back most of their roster and starting five, highlighted by All-SEC guard and leading scorer Wade Taylor IV (16.3 PPG, 3.9 APG).

The ceiling will only skyrocket for this program, in particular, if they add even more depth by being active in the transfer portal.

The Aggies rounded out a handful of SEC teams in the rankings prediction, including Alabama (No. 6), Kentucky (No. 11), and Arkansas (No. 18). It should be a tightly contested battle in the conference next season, but Texas A&M’s returning talent should make them a favorite to make noise from the start.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Pete on Twitter: @PeteThreee

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=7]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01fvdd4pnb49trk727 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=]

Aggies rise in final AP and USA TODAY Coaches polls

In the final Top 25 rankings from both the AP and USA TODAY, the Aggies finished within the Top 20 in both polls

Texas A&M (25-9, 15-3 SEC) has finally made it back to the NCAA Tournament after one of their best, and most memorable seasons to date, earning their first bid to the Big Dance since the 2018 season, and first time under Head coach Buzz Williams.

Projected as a 5-seed by numerous bracket analytics-based websites while holding an all-important NET ranking of 19 just how before the Selection Show aired, the Aggies were selected as a seven seed in the Midwest Region of the bracket in Des Moines, Iowa, and will face the 10-seed Penn State Nittany Lions on Thursday at 8:55 p.m. CT, which will air on TBS.

On Monday, the Aggies found themselves among the Top 20 teams in the country in the final AP and USA TODAY Coaches poll, ranked 17th and rising one spot from a week ago in both polls. Yep, a team ranked 17th in the country is definitely a seven-seed in the Tournament, no doubt about it…

Aside from going down the conspiracy theory road, Buzz Williams’ relationship with the Selection Committee has been volatile since last season’s press conference just days after the Aggies were snubbed from the tournament after their incredible run in the SEC Tournament. William’s most notable quote criticized the general makeup of the selection process from a statistical perspective.

“The process is obviously flawed, and it is apparent that there is way more included that is unseen and unknown in the selection of the 36 at-large teams… Until there is complete transparency and accountability, the system will stay broken.”

What’s done is done, and while the seeding may be borderline ridiculous, Texas A&M is back in the NCAA Tournament with a chance to continue what has already been a special season, and who knows, maybe the journey is far from over. Gig ‘Em, and BTHO Penn State.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty

[mm-video type=playlist id=01fvdd4pnb49trk727 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

The Aggies drop again in the USA Today Sports college baseball rankings

The Texas A&M Baseball team drop a spot to No. 19 in the USA Today Sports rankings

The Aggie baseball team has been dropping in every poll for the past month. Texas A&M (8-4) started the season ranked No. 4 with high expectations and for most, it’s been an early season letdown. The latest drop was not as dramatic as they only fell one spot from No. 18 to No. 19 after going 2-1 at the Shriners Children’s College Classic over the past weekend.

Texas A&M and Texas Tech had a low-scoring late night that led into the early morning which had a lot of people grabbing multiple cups of coffee. The last game of the tournament went to 16 innings before the Aggies took the win 4-2.

They are now in the swing of a midweek two-game stretch where they beat UIW 13-5 and take on Rice next on Wednesday at 7 pm. With five games remaining before SEC play begins at home against LSU on March 17, the Aggies will need to continue to find some consistency at the plate and hope that their pitching staff has finally gotten into some sort of rhythm after this weekend’s interesting results.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1

[mm-video type=playlist id=01fvdd4pnb49trk727 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=]

[lawrence-auto-related count=1]

USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll: Top 25 scores for CRAZY Week 4

Nearly a quarter of the teams (6) ranked in the top 25 lost on Saturday and a couple more barely held on.

The opening month of college football for the 2022 season has come and gone, and although there appear to be three absolute powerhouses compared to the rest nationally, this has been an incredible start to the fall.

This weekend may have been the craziest. A pair of top-10 teams fell while another escaped in dramatic fashion. If you missed any of the action Saturday or simply just want to relive how crazy of day it was in this already crazy season, scroll below to see the results of all 25 teams ranked in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll this week.

Texas receives one first place vote in USA TODAY Sports’ top 25 coaches poll

However, Texas landed at a realistic No. 18 spot.

There’s always some sort of drama related to preseason college football rankings. Continue reading “Texas receives one first place vote in USA TODAY Sports’ top 25 coaches poll”

Florida basketball sneaks into the Coaches Poll top 25

Florida Gators men’s basketball is ranked No. 25 in Week 2 of USA TODAY Sports’ Top 25 for college basketball after starting off 3-0.

The Gators may have stuttered a bit in their season-opener against Army, which they won 76-69 despite struggling for much of the game, but since then, it’s been smooth sailing.

Florida looked the part in big wins over Boston College and Stetson in its last two outings, winning by 20 and 46 points respectively. The new-look UF squad appears to have taken a step forward from last season, though it is early and the sample size is, admittedly, small.

But the college basketball world has taken notice. In this week’s USA TODAY Coaches Poll, the Gators cracked the rankings in the final spot, ranking No. 25.

We’ll know soon enough if Florida’s worthy of its ranking though, as it faces its first real test of the season on Saturday against a Florida State team ranked No. 21. Florida hasn’t beaten the Seminoles in the last six outings, something Mike White’s squad will look to change this weekend.

Here’s the full top 25 for this week.