It’s taken a while thanks to a slow start under first year head coach Bucky McMillan, but pollsters are beginning to take notice of Texas A&M basketball. The Aggies enter February in sole possession of first place in the SEC standings thanks to a 7-1 start to conference play, the most recent of which being a 92-77 road win over Georgia on Saturday. They were rewarded on Monday with their first official ranking of the season, coming in at No. 25 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
The Ags remain unranked in the AP Top 25, but are the first team listed in the “others receiving votes” category, so they’re ringing on the cusp in that poll as well.
For better or for worse, we’ll likely find out this week just how deserving this team is of a top 25 ranking, as they play what shape up to be their biggest SEC tests to date. The Aggies go on the road at 6 p.m. on Wednesday to face the Alabama Crimson tide, who just fell out of the top 25 polls after a 23-point drubbing at the hands of the Florida Gators on Sunday. Despite their current 4-4 record in conference play, Alabama is one of the most talented teams in the conference, and poses a real problem for the Aggies, especially down low.
Then there’s no rest for the weary, as A&M will follow up the road trip to Tuscaloosa with a home game against the No. 17 Florida Gators at 7:30 p.m. Saturday night at Reed Arena. The Gators were the preseason pick to win the SEC, and currently sit alone in second place with a 7-2 conference record. Both games will air on SEC Network.
Simply winning one of these games likely gets the Aggies into the AP Top 25 next week, and even more importantly, keeps them in the SEC title hunt and even further solidifies the NCAA Tournament resume of a team put together on the fly just nine months ago.
