No. 8 Texas A&M (20-5, 9-3 SEC) will likely rise in the AP and Coaches Poll rankings on Monday after defeating Arkansas 69-61 on Saturday afternoon, led by star Wade Taylor IV’s 18 points, as the senior guard is getting closer to breaking the all-time program scoring record.
Led by the Aggies’ elite defense, which forced 17 turnovers and 11 steals on the day, Texas A&M’s five consecutive wins in SEC play aren’t just impressive but have solidified its high standing in the NCAA Tournament after the selection committee revealed its Top 16 team, placing A&M at No. 6 as a 2-seed among Tennessee, Purdue, and Houston.
Five of Texas A&M’s final six regular season opponents are rankings, starting with Mississippi State on the road, followed by Tennessee at home this week. If I had to guess, winning at least half of these games will guarantee a 2 or 3-seed in the big dance.
After defeating Arkansas, Texas A&M is 11th in the NET rankings, with a highly impressive 14-5 Quad 1 & 2 combined record that only rivals Auburn and Alabama have. Around the rest of the SEC, No. 1 Auburn’s road win over rival Alabama again proved that the Tigers are the best team in the country, while Kentucky’s road loss to Texas has shaken up the SEC standings.
Here are the latest SEC standings ahead of Week 16:
No. 1 Auburn Tigers
23-2 (11-1 SEC)
No. 2 Alabama Tigers
21-4 (10-2 SEC)
No. 3 Florida Gators
22-3 (9-3 SEC)
No. 8 Texas A&M Aggies
20-5 (9-3 SEC)
No. 21 Missouri Tigers
19-6 (8-4 SEC)
No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers
21-5 (8-5 SEC)
No. 19 Ole Miss Rebels
19-7 (8-5 SEC)
No. 15 Kentucky Wildcats
17-8 (6-6 SEC)
No. 22 Mississippi State Bulldogs
18-7 (6-6 SEC)
Vanderbilt Commodores
17-8 (5-7 SEC)
Texas Longhorns
16-10 (5-8 SEC)
Arkansas Razorbacks
15-10 (4-8 SEC)
Georgia Bulldogs
16-10 (4-9 SEC)
Oklahoma Sooners
16-9 (3-9 SEC)
LSU Tigers
13-12 (2-10 SEC)
South Carolina Gamecocks
10-15…
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