College basketball rankings: Texas A&M sits in first place of SEC with showdown vs. Alabama up next
The Aggies have won four straight and join the Top 25 And 1 rankings
By
Gary Parrish
•
2 min read
I realize watching a man who voluntarily left college basketball and played professionally return to college basketball and play in the SEC again -- and all of the other nonsense connected to the NCAA these days, including another player now actively trying to do more or less the same thing -- has damaged the sport in some folks' eyes.
I get it.
But if you can get past that stuff and just focus on the actual games, college basketball really is a terrific product filled with awesome stories this season -- and it's overdue for Texas A&M to be added to the list of coolest things. Arizona is undefeated and elite. You know that. Miami (Ohio) is 22-0 and proof that success at the mid-major level remains difficult but attainable. We've been over that. Nebraska hasn't won a regular-season conference championship since 1950 but could change that this season. You're probably aware of that given that the Cornhuskers are 20-1 and didn't take their first loss until last week.
Great stories, all of them.
So is Texas A&M.
Matt Norlander and I actually opened Friday's episode of the Eye On College Basketball Podcast, after we discussed my snow/ice issues, on the Aggies because they're such an out-of-nowhere story. After being picked 13th in the SEC's official preseason poll, and while still unranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, Texas A&M -- under first-year coach Bucky McMillan, a 42 year-old who was coaching high school basketball just six years ago -- is now 17-4 overall, 7-1 in the SEC and on a four-game winning streak featuring two Quadrant 1 victories following Saturday's 92-77 win at Georgia.
Are the Aggies the best team in the SEC? That's debatable. But they are alone atop the SEC standings on the first day of February. That's a fact. And the SEC is the highest-rated conference in the country, according to the NET. That's also a fact. Which means McMillan, again, a 42 year old who was working at a high school six years ago, is now guiding the team that's alone in first in the standings of the conference that put a record 14 schools in last season's NCAA Tournament and still currently rates as the best.
What. A. Story.
Texas A&M is No. 24 in Sunday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Arizona remains No. 1 for the 22nd consecutive day. The Aggies have six double-digit scorers on their roster, all of whom, just like their coach, are in their first year in the program.
Again, what a story.
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Top 25 And 1 rankings
Biggest Movers
3
Florida
5
Texas Tech
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Brayden Burries finished with 17 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 87-74 win at Arizona State. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Oklahoma State. | -- | 22-0 |
| 2 |  | Braylon Mullins finished with 16 points and three rebounds in Saturday's 85-58 win at Creighton. The Huskies' next game is Tuesday against Xavier. | -- | 21-1 |
| 3 |  | Cameron Boozer finished with 24 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 72-59 win at Virginia Tech. The Blue Devils; next game is Tuesday against Boston College. | -- | 20-1 |
| 4 |  | Yaxel Lendeborg finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds in Friday's 83-71 win at Michigan State. The Wolverines' next game is Thursday against Penn State. | -- | 20-1 |
| 5 |  | Pryce Sandfort missed 12 of the 18 shots he attempted in Tuesday's 75-72 loss at Michigan. The Cornhuskers' next game is Sunday against Illinois. | -- | 20-1 |
| 6 |  | Graham Ike finished with 30 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 73-65 win over Gonzaga. The Zags' next game is Wednesday at Portland. | -- | 22-1 |
| 7 |  | Milan Momcilovic finished with 16 points and one assist in Thursday's 97-67 win over Colorado. The Cyclones' next game is Sunday at Kansas State. | -- | 19-2 |
| 8 |  | Keaton Wagler finished with 22 points and eight assists in Thursday's 75-66 win over Washington. The Illini's next game is Sunday at Nebraska. | -- | 18-3 |
| 9 |  | Milos Uzan finished with 16 points and five assists in Saturday's 76-54 win over Cincinnati. The Cougars' next game is Wednesday against UCF. | -- | 19-2 |
| 10 |  | Jaxon Kohler missed nine of the 13 shots he attempted in Friday's 83-71 loss to Michigan. The Spartans' next game is Wednesday at Minnesota. | -- | 19-3 |
| 11 |  | Tyler Tanner finished with 24 points and three assists in Saturday's 71-68 win over Ole Miss. The Commodores' next game is Saturday against Oklahoma. | 2 | 19-3 |
| 12 |  | Bryson Tiller finished with 21 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 90-82 win over BYU. The Jayhawks' next game is Monday at Texas Tech. | 2 | 16-5 |
| 13 |  | Fletcher Loyer missed seven of the 10 shots he attempted in Tuesday's 72-67 loss at Indiana. The Boilermakers' next game is Sunday at Maryland. | 2 | 17-4 |
| 14 |  | Thomas Haugh finished with 18 points and three rebounds in Florida's 95-48 win at South Carolina. The Gators' next game is Sunday against Alabama. | 3 | 15-6 |
| 15 |  | Thijs De Ridder finished with 17 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 73-66 win over Boston College. The Cavaliers' next game is Tuesday against Pittsburgh. | 3 | 18-3 |
| 16 |  | LeJuan Watts missed six of the nine shots he attempted in Saturday's 88-80 loss at UCF. The Red Raiders' next game is Monday against Kansas. | 5 | 16-5 |
| 17 |  | Kennard Davis missed five of the six shots he attempted in Saturday's 90-82 loss at Kansas. The Cougars' next game is Wednesday at Oklahoma State. | 5 | 17-4 |
| 18 |  | Darius Acuff Jr. missed 12 of the 20 shots he attempted in Saturday's 85-77 loss to Kentucky. The Razorbacks' next game is Saturday at Mississippi State. | 2 | 16-6 |
| 19 |  | Nick Davidson finished with 12 points and two rebounds in Saturday's 63-52 win over Pitt. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday at Stanford. | -- | 18-4 |
| 20 |  | Trey Green finished with 23 points and five rebounds in Friday's 102-71 win over Dayton. The Billikens' next game is Tuesday at Davidson. | -- | 21-1 |
| 21 |  | Khani Rooths finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's 88-74 win over SMU. The Cardinals' next game is Wednesday against Notre Dame. | -- | 15-6 |
| 22 |  | Latrell Wrightsell finished with 21 points and two assists in Tuesday's 90-64 win over Missouri. The Crimson Tide's next game is Sunday at Florida. | -- | 14-6 |
| 23 |  | Ian Jackson finished with 18 points and five rebounds in Wednesday's 92-70 win over Butler. The Red Storm's next game is Tuesday at DePaul. | -- | 16-5 |
| 24 |  | Brant Byers finished with 21 points and two blocks in Saturday's 85-61 win over Northern Illinois. The RedHawks' next game is Tuesday at Buffalo. | 1 | 22-0 |
| 25 |  | Rashaun Agee finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds in Saturday's 92-77 win at Georgia. The Aggies' next game is Wednesday at Alabama. | NR | 17-4 |
| 26 |  | Caleb Wilson finished with 22 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 91-75 win at Georgia Tech. The Tar Heels' next game is Monday against Syracuse. | -- | 17-4 |
