Texas A&M basketball ranked No. 24 in Associated Press Rankings

Following a solid opening week that featured blowout victories over Lousiana Monroe and Abilene Christian, Texas A&M basketball has cracked the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time in four years at No. 24.

Upset losses by then-No. 21 Oregon and then-No. 16 Villanova paved the way for A&M’s and UConn’s season debuts. The Aggies, who were previously one spot out of the preseason rankings, were last seen in the top 25 in February 2018 (21). This marks head coach Buzz Williams’ first AP ranking in College Station after inheriting the program from Billy Kennedy in 2019. 

Against ULM, the Aggies handled business 87-54 behind 44 bench points and 12 triples. They continued their early groove on Friday as four different players broke double-digit scoring in a 77-58 win over ACU. With 18 and 21-point performances, respectively, sophomore guard Wade Taylor IV has emerged as A&M’s leading scorer (19.5 ppg).

Up next, the Aggies face Murray State on Thursday in a 3 p.m. CT matchup to begin the three-day Myrtle Beach Invitational in Conway, SC. 

The Southeastern Conference remains well-represented with six teams throughout this week’s poll. John Calipari and Kentucky stay in the top five at No. 4, while Arkansas, Auburn and Alabama all rise after dominating their first two games. However, a 78-66 defeat to unranked Colorado Boulder in Nashville plunged then-No. 11 Tennessee down 11 spots. 

Associated Press Week Two Poll

1. North Carolina 
2. Gonzaga
3. Houston
4. Kentucky
5. Baylor
6. Kansas (-1)
7. Duke
8. UCLA
9. Arkansas (+1)
10. Creighton (-1)
11. Texas (+1)
12. Indiana (+1)
13. Auburn (+2)
14. Arizona (+3) 
15. TCU (-1)
16. Virginia (+2)
17. San Diego State (+2)
18. Alabama (+2)
19. Illinois (+4)
20. Michigan (+2)
21. Dayton (+3)
22. Tennessee (-11)
23. Texas Tech (+2)
24. Texas A&M
25. UConn

In: Texas A&M, UConn
Out: Oregon, Villanova

Note: Southeastern Conference programs are italicized.