Texas A&M surges into Top 25 of the preseason men’s basketball coaches poll

With the start of college basketball around the corner, the preseason coaches poll was favorable toward Texas A&M.

Texas A&M basketball is fresh off a 25-10 record (15-3 SEC), a second-consecutive SEC title game appearance, and an NCAA Tournament berth. It should come as no surprise then to see the Aggies firmly in the Top 25 of the preseason coaches poll.

The USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll is conducted weekly throughout the regular season using a panel of head coaches at Division I schools. Each coach submits a Top 25 with a first-place vote worth 25 points, second place 24, and so on down to one point for 25th.

The Maroon and White clocked in at No. 19 in the preseason poll, though they may not sit there for long. With one of the country’s elite backcourts in Wade Taylor IV and Tyrece “Boots” Radford, Buzz Williams’ Aggies boast one of the more experienced and talent-laden rosters that could have them equipped for a serious postseason run.

Taylor and Radford are joined by Henry Coleman III and Solomon Washington to round out a starting five that returns nearly every starter from last season.

Elsewhere, Kansas, Purdue, and Duke came away with the top three spots as college basketball’s storied blue bloods once again led the way. Meanwhile, the defending champion UConn Huskies rounded out the top five with 626 points, and one lone first-place vote.

Here is a look at the full preseason men’s basketball coaches poll, powered by USA TODAY Sports:

Rank Team Points
1 Kansas Jayhawks 785 (23)
2 Purdue Boilermakers 742 (5)
3 Duke Blue Devils 716 (3)
4 Michigan State Spartans 667
5 UConn Huskies 626 (1)
6 Houston Cougars 615
7 Marquette Golden Eagles 614
8 Creighton Bluejays 552
9 Florida Atlantic Owls 548
10 Tennessee Volunteers 496
11 Arizona Wildcats 449
12 Gonzaga Bulldogs 407
13 Miami Hurricanes 390
14 Arkansas Razorbacks 315
15 San Diego State Aztecs 277
16 Kentucky Wildcats 261
17 Baylor Bears 258
18 Texas Longhorns 251
19 Texas A&M Aggies 231
20 Villanova Wildcats 217
21 North Carolina Tar Heels 197
22 USC Trojans 176
23 Saint Mary’s Gaels 147
24 Alabama Crimson Tide 142
25 UCLA Bruins 52

Others Receiving Votes:

Illinois 45; Wisconsin 43; Maryland 29; TCU 26; Colorado 21; Xavier 17; Ohio State 16; Virginia 13; St. John’s 13; Kansas State 8; Indiana 7; Washington 5; Florida 5; Auburn 5; Missouri 4; Oregon 3; Memphis 3; Mississippi State 2; Iowa State 2; Yale 1; Boise State 1;

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