It’s official. The coaches and media agree — Texas is the best basketball team in the country right now.
The Longhorns took home 56 of the 65 first-place votes in the Associated Press poll that was released this afternoon, while 30 of the 31 coaches slotted Rick Barnes’ team first in the nation.
Today marks the first time in school history that Texas was honored with the top ranking in the country. Previously, the Longhorns had held the Associated Press’ No. 2 ranking for a total of twelve different weeks — the previous six weeks of this season, five weeks in 2005, and one week in December of 2002.
Texas is one of four Big 12 teams in the Top 25, as Kansas, Kansas State, and Baylor are all ranked in both polls. Texas A&M, Missouri, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech also received votes in both polls.
If that bevy of talented teams in conference play wasn’t enough of a challenge for Texas, they are also less than two weeks away from a road trip to Connecticut, where they will face the 15th-ranked Huskies.
The Longhorns will put their newly-minted ranking to the test with a visit to Ames on Wednesday night. Tip for their game against the Iowa State Cyclones is set for 7 P.M.
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