Here are three quick takeaways from No. 5 Texas A&M’s (17-3, 7-1 SEC) 74-71 loss to Arkansas (10-10, 4-4 SEC):
1. First loss in SEC play. A high ranking in NCAA men's basketball this season may not exactly be coveted this season given the parity in the sport and top teams falling with regularity. The Aggies joined that list on Wednesday, suffering their first loss in conference play this season.
Given the amount of things to go wrong for the Aggies, the game played far closer than it likely should have. A&M lost senior starting guard Alex Caruso for the majority of the first half due to early foul trouble, which threw the offense off balance and contributed in part to the team's sloppy ball handling.