No. 1 knocked off

Good morning! March has given us multiple buzzer-beaters and upsets thus far. But when No. 1 loses, that’s when you know the month has really started.

Let's get to it.

1. Texas A&M takes down No. 1 Auburn

Auburn’s been awesome all season, which included no road losses during SEC play. But hey, nobody’s perfect.

Texas A&M grabbed one of the season’s biggest wins — it really needed it, too — on Tuesday night when it upended No. 1 Auburn, 83-72. It’s the program’s first win against a No. 1-ranked team.

Were the Tigers (27-3, 15-2 in SEC) a little less like themselves? They clinched the regular-season SEC title on Saturday, and trailed by double digits for most of the night. That’s part of it. But the other part is that No. 22 Texas A&M was physically imposing and crushed the glass.

The Aggies won the shot-volume battle (65 vs 50) due to their dominance on the offensive glass, with 24 offensive boards. That means they grabbed 60% of their missed shots. That’s ridiculous.

It couldn’t have come at a better time for the Aggies (21-9, 10-7), who had dropped four-straight games — all to teams headed to the NCAA Tournament — and needed a big win.

“The past few weeks haven’t gone our way, but staying together as a family has brought us to this moment,” guard Zhuric Phelps said. “I don’t necessarily think it was just because it was Senior Night or because of the game plan. This is who we are.”

Phelps scored a team-high 19 points, while Wade Taylor IV added 16. Andersson Garcia may be one of the SEC’s least-appreciated players. The Aggies’ glue guy recorded 11 points and rebounds with five assists. He's a hugely valuable player who embodies the toughness Buzz Williams wants.

Surprisingly, Johni Broome struggled versus Texas A&M's size and pressure. The NPOY candidate scored eight points (4-of-9 from the field) with two turnovers and two assists.

Still, the loss won’t hurt Auburn’s chance for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. (It’ll probably still be the top overall seed.)

And it seems like Bruce Pearl will use this as a teaching moment for his Tigers. He was dismayed at how A&M manhandled Auburn. "I'm watching that tape and saying, all you've got to do is throw (Auburn) out of the way," Pearl said.

After losing to Florida earlier this month, Auburn reeled off six straight wins. We’ll see how it responds when it hosts Alabama on Saturday.

2. BYU sure seems like it’s peaking

Sure, No. 1 lost, but the wildest game of the evening took place in Ames, Iowa.

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