Upset Tuesday: Texas A&M stunned No. 1 Auburn; Calipari bounced back; Hook 'Em

DrewFranklinKSR

bruce-pearl-auburn-texas-am — Mar 4, 2025; College Station, Texas, USA; Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl reacts during the second half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Reed Arena. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Kentucky’s Senior Night was a lot of fun in Rupp Arena, where the Wildcats celebrated six seniors before beating LSU by 31 points in UK’s regular season home finale. Texas A&M’s Senior Night in College Station looked like a lot of fun, too.

The 22nd-ranked Aggies stunned No. 1 Auburn in A&M’s final home game, led by Zhruic Phelps‘ 19 points off the bench. A&M struck first and never looked back, leading for more than 39 minutes in its 83-72 win over the SEC’s regular season champion. The upset over the AP No. 1 team was the Aggies’ first in school history.

It’s a tale as old as basketball. A team beats Kentucky, then loses its next game. Also in that script, Auburn’s Miles Kelly went 1-8 from the field and 0-4 from 3 in the loss to A&M, three days removed from his nine 3s and 30 points in Lexington.

Arkansas bounced back with a Quad 1 win at Vanderbilt

Mar 4, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari reacts to a call against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the first half at Memorial Gymnasium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

John Calipari is a dangerous man when his back is against the wall. He took seven players into Nashville on Tuesday and upset Vanderbilt as a 7.5-point underdog. Missing Adou Thiero, Arkansas still scored 90 without its leading scorer in the 90-77 win. Johnell Davis had a game-high 21 points in Thiero’s absence, along with 16 from Trevon Brazile and 14 apiece out of Big Z and DJ Wagner, the former Wildcats.

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The win likely punched Arkansas’ ticket to the Big Dance after Saturday’s embarrassing loss at South Carolina raised concerns around the Razorbacks’ case for an at-large bid.

Texas won in overtime in Starkville

Mar 4, 2025; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Texas Longhorns guard Tre Johnson (20) reacts after basket during the second half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Humphrey Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

In the third upset of the night, unranked Texas picked up a much-needed Quad 1 win at Mississippi State, beating the 25th-ranked Bulldogs in overtime. Tramon Mark and Tre Johnson scored 24 and 23 points to lead Texas to a victory, even after blowing a four-point lead in the final 12 seconds of regulation.

SEC Men’s Basketball Standings on March 5

1 Auburn (15-2)
5 Florida (12-4)
7 Alabama (12-4)
4 Tennessee (11-5)
15 Missouri (10-6)
22 Texas A&M (10-7)
Ole Miss (9-7)
19 Kentucky (9-8)
25 Mississippi State (8-9)
Vanderbilt (8-9)
Arkansas (7-10)
Georgia (7-10)
Texas (6-11)
Oklahoma (4-12)
LSU (3-14)
South Carolina (2-15)