Marquette's Shaka Smart told his players in advance of Wednesday's showdown with Texas that coaching against the Big 12 program he previously led for six seasons didn't really carry any special weight with him.
"Bullshit," Marquette point guard Tyler Kolek said following the Golden Eagles' 86-65 blowout of the Longhorns.
Put me down as #TeamKolek, if only because it defies logic to think there wouldn't be at least a little something swirling inside Smart as he prepared to face the school whose fans turned on him in a way that made it sensible to leave Texas for Marquette following the 2020-21 season.
Despite making three of the five NCAA Tournaments that were played while he was at Texas, most UT fans were bothered by the fact that Smart never advanced in the 68-team bracket. After Texas, as a No. 3 seed, was upset by Abilene Christian in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament, it became clear that Smart would enter Year 7 at Texas very much on the so-called hot seat. Rather than live that life, he wisely bounced to Marquette, where Smart got a clean slate and fresh set of expectations.
The move has gone brilliantly.
Smart has already won a Big East championship and Big East Tournament title — and also participated in each of the past two NCAA Tournaments. His Golden Eagles are No. 7 in Thursday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings after the easy victory over Texas that served as a nice bounce-back from Saturday's loss at Wisconsin.
"I told the guys in the locker room after the game that this really was the result, not just of their effort and connectivity tonight, but [of] what they were willing to put into the last few days," Smart said. "There was some real conversation and reflection after Saturday's game [at Wisconsin]. The difference between good teams and great teams is [that] great teams are able to come together after adversity."
Texas' 21-point loss at Marquette compelled me to completely remove Rodney Terry's team from the Top 25 And 1. Simply put, we're now more than a month into the season, and nothing that has happened suggests the Longhorns deserve to continue to keep a number beside their name. They've only played two schools ranked in the top 160 at KenPom.com — first UConn, then Marquette — and lost those games by an average of 15.5 points. Their best victory is an 81-80 win over a Louisville program that's embarrassingly bad and ranked 162nd at KenPom.com and 171st at BartTorvik.com, meaning UT's resume is filled with some whatever-wins and two lopsided defeats. So Texas is out of the Top 25 And 1 -- and now the Longhorns won't have another opportunity to secure their first win over a currently ranked team until they play Baylor in 44 days.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Oumar Ballo finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's 82-55 win over Colgate. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Wisconsin. | -- | 27-9 |
| 2 |  | Zach Edey finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds in Monday's 87-68 win over Iowa. The Boilermakers' next game is Saturday against Alabama. | -- | 34-5 |
| 3 |  | Kevin McCullar finished with 25 points and five assists in Tuesday's 88-69 win over Kansas City. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday against Missouri. | -- | 23-11 |
| 4 |  | LJ Cryer finished with 15 points and two assists in Wednesday's 75-39 win over Rice. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against Jackson State. | -- | 32-5 |
| 5 |  | Cam Spencer finished with 23 points and seven rebounds in Tuesday's 87-76 win over North Carolina. The Huskies' next game is Saturday against Arkansas Pine Bluff. | -- | 37-3 |
| 6 |  | RayJ Dennis finished with 17 points and seven assists in Tuesday's 78-60 win over Seton Hall. The Bears' next game is Dec. 16 against Michigan State. | -- | 24-11 |
| 7 |  | Kam Jones finished with 17 points and four rebounds in Wednesday's 86-65 win over Texas. The Golden Eagles' next game is Saturday against Notre Dame. | -- | 27-10 |
| 8 |  | Graham Ike finished with 17 points and nine rebounds in Tuesday's 111-71 win over Arkansas Pine Bluff. The Zags' next game is Saturday at Washington. | -- | 27-8 |
| 9 |  | Patrick Cartier finished with 19 points and three assists in Wednesday's 90-80 win over Denver. The Rams' next game is Saturday against Saint Mary's. | -- | 25-11 |
| 10 |  | Terrence Shannon finished with 33 points and two assists in Tuesday's 98-89 win over FAU. The Illini's next game is Saturday at Tennessee. | -- | 29-9 |
| 11 |  | Armando Bacot was 4 of 12 from the field in Tuesday's 87-76 loss to UConn. The Tar Heels' next game is Dec. 16 against Kentucky. | 1 | 29-8 |
| 12 |  | Jonas Aidoo finished with 17 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday's 87-66 win over George Mason. The Vols' next game is Saturday against Illinois. | 1 | 27-9 |
| 13 |  | FAU allowed Illinois to shoot 63.2% from the field in Tuesday's 98-89 loss to the Illini. The Owls' next game is Dec. 13 against FIU. | 1 | 25-9 |
| 14 |  | Wade Taylor IV finished with 13 points and six assists in Wednesday's 89-64 win over DePaul. The Aggies' next game is Sunday against Memphis. | 1 | 21-15 |
| 15 |  | Rob Dillingham was 1-of-9 from the field in Saturday's 80-73 loss to UNC Wilmington. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Penn. | 1 | 23-10 |
| 16 |  | Norchad Omier finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds in Wednesday's 97-49 win over Long Island. The Hurricanes' next game is Sunday against Colorado. | 1 | 15-17 |
| 17 |  | Baylor Scheierman finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds in Sunday's 89-60 win at Nebraska. The Bluejays' next game is Saturday against Central Michigan. | 1 | 25-10 |
| 18 |  | AJ Storr finished with 22 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 70-57 win at Michigan State. The Badgers' next game is Saturday at Arizona. | 1 | 22-14 |
| 19 |  | Duke was 4-of-16 from 3-point range in Saturday's 72-68 loss at Georgia Tech. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday against Charlotte. | 1 | 27-9 |
| 20 |  | Javian McCollum finished with 19 points and seven rebounds in Tuesday's 72-51 win over Providence. The Sooners' next game is Saturday against Arkansas. | 1 | 20-12 |
| 21 |  | Jaxson Robinson finished with 19 points and three rebounds in Tuesday's 96-55 win over Evansville. The Cougars' next game is Saturday at Utah. | 1 | 23-11 |
| 22 |  | Isaac McKneely finished with 22 points and two rebounds in Tuesday's 77-47 win over North Carolina Central. The Cavaliers' next game is Saturday against Northeastern. | 1 | 23-11 |
| 23 |  | Dylan Andrews finished with 17 points and five assists in Thursday's 66-65 win over UC Riverside. The Bruins' next game is Dec. 9 at Villanova. | 1 | 16-17 |
| 24 |  | PJ Hall finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds in Wednesday's 72-67 win over South Carolina. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against TCU. | 1 | 24-12 |
| 25 |  | Zed Key finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds in Wednesday's 84-64 win over Miami (Ohio). The Buckeyes' next game is Saturday at Penn State. | 1 | 22-14 |
| 26 |  | Mark Sears finished with 13 points and six assists in Monday's 89-65 win over Arkansas State. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday against Purdue. | NR | 25-12 |
In: Alabama | Out: Texas
