Texas A&M Basketball (8-4) finally got back into the win column after demolishing Houston Christian 79-52 last Friday night behind a career-high 24 points from guard Hayden Hefner. At the same time, forward Andersson Garcia grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds in the win.
Playing one of the most demanding non-conference schedules in the country, the Aggies may have lost more than won, but they stayed competitive and gave themselves a chance to win, including almost defeating the 3rd-ranked Houston Cougars, ultimately falling 70-66.
With just one game remaining before SEC play, the status of senior forward Julius Marble remains unknown, and after witnessing the issues inside the pain to several of A&M’s four losses, Marble, paired with fellow senior forward Henry Coleman, has the potential to dominate inside. In contrast, senior guard Tyrece Radford is week to week due to an undisclosed breathing issue.
On Tuesday, the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll released its updated men’s basketball poll. The Aggies are still out of the rankings but did receive three votes, placing them at 38th overall. Here are the complete Top 25 rankings:
A look at the complete Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports:
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Change |
| 1 | Purdue | 11-1 | 790 (24) | – |
| 2 | Kansas | 11-1 | 760 (1) | – |
| 3 | Houston | 12-0 | 751 (7) | – |
| 4 | Arizona | 9-2 | 659 | – |
| 5 | UConn | 11-2 | 629 | – |
| 6 | Florida Atlantic | 10-2 | 618 | +6 |
| 7 | Tennessee | 9-3 | 613 | – |
| 8 | Marquette | 10-3 | 531 | -2 |
| 9 | Illinois | 9-2 | 520 | +2 |
| 10 | Kentucky | 9-2 | 513 | -1 |
| 11 | North Carolina | 8-3 | 460 | +2 |
| 12 | BYU | 11-1 | 378 | +3 |
| 13 | Oklahoma | 10-1 | 371 | -5 |
| 14 | Colorado State | 11-1 | 326 | +3 |
| 15 | Duke | 8-3 | 316 | +4 |
| 16 | Gonzaga | 9-3 | 300 | -1 |
| 17 | Clemson | 10-1 | 280 | +1 |
| 18 | Memphis | 10-2 | 271 | +5 |
| 19 | Baylor | 10-2 | 251 | -9 |
| 20 | Creighton | 9-3 | 161 | -6 |
| 21 | James Madison | 12-0 | 159 | – |
| 22 | Ole Miss | 12-0 | 153 | +3 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | 9-3 | 148 | +1 |
| 24 | Texas | 9-2 | 138 | -2 |
| 25 | Providence | 11-2 | 88 | – |
Schools Dropped Out
No. 20 Virginia
Others Receiving Votes
Auburn 65; Virginia 26; Colorado 24; Iowa State 19; TCU 16; Ohio State13; Michigan State 10; Nevada 9; Utah 7; Grand Canyon 7; New Mexico 4; Villanova 3; Texas A&M 3; South Carolina 3; Miami (FL) 3; San Diego State 1; Princeton 1; Nebraska 1; Indiana 1;
Texas A&M will host Prairie View A&M (5-6) on Saturday, Dec. 30. The game will air on the SEC Network at 6:00 p.m. CT.
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