Texas A&M Basketball (7-4) has been challenged week after week due to playing one of the most demanding non-conference schedules this season, coming off of back-to-back close losses to No. 23 Memphis and No. 3 Houston, as the consistent absence of senior guard Tyrece Radford and senior forward Julius Marble has hindered the Aggies from reach their full potential.
Falling 70-66 against the elite Cougars, Aggies junior guard Wade Taylor IV completely took over in the second half, scoring 26 of his 34 points, including six three-pointers that helped tie the game at 63 with just minutes remaining before Houston eventually took control.
Winning SEC Player of the Week, Taylor’s play is the least of A&M’s problems. With two more non-conference matchups left before the start of SEC play next month, the hope is that Marble will eventually return after dealing with his “University process.” At the same time, Radford’s minor health issues will continue to be monitored.
On Monday, the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll released its updated men’s basketball poll. The Aggies are still out of the rankings but did receive 7 votes, placing them at 35th overall. Here are the complete Top 25 rankings:
A look at the full Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports:
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Change |
| 1 | Purdue | 10-1 | 785 (20) | +3 |
| 2 | Kansas | 10-1 | 750 (3) | – |
| 3 | Houston | 11-0 | 732 (9) | – |
| 4 | Arizona | 8-1 | 707 | -3 |
| 5 | UConn | 10-1 | 704 | – |
| 6 | Marquette | 9-2 | 628 | +1 |
| 7 | Tennessee | 8-3 | 541 | +3 |
| 8 | Oklahoma | 10-0 | 533 | +4 |
| 9 | Kentucky | 8-2 | 485 | +6 |
| 10 | Baylor | 9-1 | 431 | -4 |
| 11 | Illinois | 8-2 | 422 | +5 |
| 12 | Florida Atlantic | 9-2 | 403 | +2 |
| 13 | North Carolina | 7-3 | 371 | -4 |
| 14 | Creighton | 9-2 | 354 | -6 |
| 15 | BYU | 10-1 | 332 | +2 |
| 16 | Gonzaga | 8-3 | 307 | -3 |
| 17 | Colorado State | 10-1 | 264 | +1 |
| 18 | Clemson | 9-1 | 254 | -7 |
| 19 | Duke | 7-3 | 211 | – |
| 20 | Virginia | 9-1 | 184 | +1 |
| 21 | James Madison | 10-0 | 165 | -1 |
| 22 | Texas | 8-2 | 156 | – |
| 23 | Memphis | 8-2 | 146 | +8 |
| 24 | Wisconsin | 8-3 | 141 | -1 |
| 25 | Ole Miss | 10-0 | 132 | – |
Schools Dropped Out
No. 24 Miami (FL)
Others Receiving Votes
Auburn 60; Miami (FL) 41; Colorado 36; TCU 26; Michigan State 18; Ohio State 17; Grand Canyon 13; Iowa State 12; Utah 7; Texas A&M 7; South Carolina 5; New Mexico 4; Nebraska 4; Princeton 3; Nevada 3; San Diego State 2; Alabama 2; Indiana State 1; Dayton 1
Texas A&M will return to Reed Arena on Friday, Dec. 22, to host Houston Christian (1-7) at 7:00 PM CST. The game will air on the SEC Network.
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