Texas A&M (12-2) started SEC play with a bang beating the Texas Longhorns 80-60 at Reed Arena to take the first game in the Lone Star Showdown.
The first Lone Star Showdown on the basketball court since Texas joined the SEC was one to remember for Aggie fans. After an extremely close first half, during which fouls put A&M’s two top scores on the bench, the floodgates opened in the second half.
A&M went on to outscore the Longhorns 43-23 dominating at the rim and played elite defense in front of a deafening crowd at Reed Arena. The college basketball world took notice, and the Maroon & White are starting to be in conversation to compete for a SEC title.
Outside of the top 4, the rankings had a lot of movement, and this should be expected over the next few weeks as the SEC starts to beat up on each other creating conference parity in the top 25.
Below is the most recent US LBM Coaches Top 25 Poll after Week 9:
| Ranking | Team | Record | Points | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tennessee | 14-0 | 765 (21) | – |
| 2 | Auburn | 13-1 | 749 (10) | – |
| 3 | Iowa State | 12-1 | 711 | – |
| 4 | Duke | 12-2 | 670 | – |
| 5 | Alabama | 12-2 | 651 | +1 |
| 6 | Marquette | 13-2 | 581 | +2 |
| 7 | Kentucky | 12-2 | 560 | +4 |
| 8 | Florida | 13-1 | 529 | -3 |
| 9 | Texas A&M | 12-2 | 488 | +3 |
| 10 | UConn | 12-3 | 461 | +3 |
| 11 | Houston | 10-3 | 454 | +3 |
| 12 | Kansas | 10-3 | 438 | -5 |
| 13 | Mississippi State | 13-1 | 372 | +3 |
| 14 | Michigan State | 12-2 | 350 | +1 |
| 15 | Illinois | 11-3 | 300 | +5 |
| 16 | Oklahoma | 13-1 | 287 | -6 |
| 17 | Oregon | 13-2 | 284 | -8 |
| 18 | Gonzaga | 12-4 | 246 | +1 |
| 19 | Purdue | 11-4 | 228 | +3 |
| 20 | Memphis | 12-3 | 192 | +5 |
| 21 | UCLA | 11-3 | 147 | -3 |
| 22 | Ole Miss | 12-2 | 119 | +1 |
| 23 | West Virginia | 11-2 | 110 | +14 |
| 24 | Michigan | 11-3 | 98 | +5 |
| 25 | Utah State | 14-1 | 73 | +5 |
Schools Dropped Out
No. 17 Cincinnati; No. 21 Baylor; No. 24 Maryland;
Others Receiving Votes
Baylor 49; Cincinnati 38; Pittsburgh 32; San Diego State 25; St. John’s 24; Clemson 10; Maryland 9; Georgia 5; Nebraska 4; Arizona 4; Wisconsin 3; Vanderbilt 3; Indiana 3; UC San Diego 1; Texas Tech 1; Arkansas 1;
Texas A&M will go on the road to face Oklahoma at Lloyd Noble Center on Jan. 8 at 8:00 p.m. CST. The game can be watched on SEC Network.
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