Tennessee basketball drops in latest AP Top 25 poll

The Vols, coming off an impressive road win at Kentucky and a 20-point win over LSU at home, never led in a 85-69 loss to Texas A&M at Reed Arena in College Station Saturday.

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The defeat moved Tennessee (17-6, 7-3 SEC) down a few spots in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll on Monday, dropping to No. 8 after being previously ranked sixth.

The Vols fell in the USA Today Coaches Poll, three spots to No. 9.

Tennessee remained the highest ranked team in the SEC according to the AP, followed by No. 11 South Carolina, No. 13 Auburn, No. 15 Alabama and No. 22 Kentucky.

MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Vols focused on big picture after road loss at Texas A&M

Texas A&M made above its season average in three-point shots, shooting more than 64% in the first half and building a 20-point lead as the Vols' lead leading scorer Dalton Knecht sat stretches on the bench in the second half.

Tennessee managed to cut its deficit to 12 down the stretch but were unable to overcome the Aggies' strong start.

For the second-straight game, the Vols struggled on the boards, getting out-rebounded, 43-35 which led to 15 second-chance points for Texas A&M.

The loss hardly puts Tennessee's postseason aspirations out of reach, but it did magnify a few issues the Vols will need to fix going forward, especially to keep its SEC regular season title and conference tournament seeding hopes alive.

Tennessee is in the middle of a six-game stretch against league teams not currently ranked in the AP poll. The Vols are currently in third place behind Alabama, South Carolina and Auburn in the conference standings.

Tennessee's next three games include Arkansas, Vanderbilt and Missouri, all of which have losing conference records before facing a daunting slate in late February and into early March with Texas A&M, Auburn, South Carolina, Alabama and Kentucky.

With some help, the Vols can get right back into the championship picture if they can make the most out of the next week, starting with a road tilt at Arkansas on Wednesday.

The Razorbacks are 12-11 overall and just 3-7 in the SEC but have won two of their last three games, including a 78-75 decision over Georgia last Saturday.

Tip-off at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville is set for 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

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