In a week where the SEC had plenty of chances to prove itself, the conference once again found itself struggling.
Overall, there’s little change in this week’s power rankings since several teams faltered in their attempt to pick up quality wins on the road.
Let’s get right to this week’s rankings.
1. Kentucky (9-1)
After losing a thrilling home shootout to UCLA, the Wildcats responded like most expected them to: by destroying a few teams. It was a little surprising to see John Calipari’s team handle Valparaiso like it did (Alec Peters is legit), but once again, this Kentucky team is really good.
Next up for the Cats? A showdown with North Carolina in Lexington. The Tar Heels better bring a lot more than they brought in their game against Tennessee this past Sunday, or this one may get ugly.
This week: vs. North Carolina (12/17)
2. South Carolina (8-0)
It was a much-deserved week off for the Gamecocks, who remain undefeated in mid-December. Frank Martin has already confirmed that Sindarius Thornwell will remain suspended through Monday’s game against Seton Hall at Madison Square Garden, so that undefeated streak may be in jeopardy.
PJ Dozier (12.8 PPG) and Duane Notice (11.5 PPG) will need to find a way to add even more scoring to make up for Thornwell’s absence.
This week: vs. Seton Hall (12/12 at MSG), at South Florida (12/17)
3. Florida (7-3)
Two words can best describe this past week for the Gators: missed opportunities. Florida had its chances in finding victory against Duke and Florida State, but Mike White’s squad simply couldn’t make enough plays down the stretch.
All three losses for the Gators this season have come against teams currently rated in the top 25 in KenPom (Duke at No. 1, Gonzaga at No. 13 and Florida State at No. 25), so that’s not bad.
But in order for Florida to become an elite team, it has to prove it can win games like that.
This week: vs. Charlotte (12/17)
4. Texas A&M (7-2)
The Aggies kept rolling this past week with three wins over middle of the road competition. The 83-76 scoreline against the worst team of the three (South Carolina State) shouldn’t offer a lot of concern since Texas A&M was in cruise control for most of the game.
Tyler Davis? Still a beast. He’ll need to be on Saturday when the Aggies face their second biggest challenge of the season when they take on Arizona.
This week: vs. Arizona (12/17 in Houston)
5. Arkansas (8-1)
Speaking of another team that travels to Houston this weekend, Arkansas is another team that had a fine week. The Razorbacks scored a solid win over Houston early in the week before dropping North Florida.
This team continues to play fast, and with balance still reigning supreme (four players averaging in double figures), it’s going to be tough to beat the Hogs when they are at their best. A showdown with Texas on Saturday could be spicy.
This week: vs. Texas (12/17 in Houston)
6. Auburn (6-1)
It’s been nine days since Bruce Pearl’s team played a game, but that shouldn’t matter given this week’s workload.
After this stretch of games, we’ll find out a lot more about the Tigers when business picks up with pre-Christmas matchups against Oklahoma and UConn.
This week: vs. Boston College (12/12), vs. Coastal Carolina (12/15), vs. Mercer (12/18)
7. Georgia (5-3)
Like Auburn, the Bulldogs didn’t play a game this past week. That’s probably a good thing after coming off of a 10-point home loss to Marquette.
Things still have yet to completely click for this team, and getting help around Yante Maten (20.9 PPG and 8.9 RPG) and J.J. Frazier (14.4 PPG) is crucial if Georgia wants to be an SEC contender this season.
This week: vs. Louisiana Lafayette (12/14), vs. Charleston Southern (12/17)
8. Ole Miss (6-3)
The Rebels stay in the No. 8 spot this week despite missing out on a big opportunity in Blacksburg. Ole Miss couldn’t find a way to get enough stops late in the game in an 80-75 loss at Virginia Tech, which would have certainly helped the Rebels earn a quality road win.
Defense continues to be this team’s Achilles’ heel.
This week: vs. Murray State (12/15)
9. Alabama (4-4)
Alabama is close. Really close. But the Crimson Tide were unable to find ways to win close games at Texas and Oregon. Avery Johnson’s team showed grit in battling back to take a late lead against the Ducks, but yet again, it was the opposition that hit a big shot to swing the momentum.
The good news? This team gets another shot at earning a big RPI win when it takes on Clemson on Sunday.
This week: vs. USC Upstate (12/15), vs. Clemson (12/18)
10. Tennessee (4-4)
Here’s the deal: Rick Barnes can coach. Texas fans may try to convince you otherwise, but the man knows what he’s doing.
The Vols have won the games they should have won, and lost the games they should have lost (Chattanooga was the better team in early November and still may be). Tennessee has continually been a play or two away from knocking off top competition, and the game at North Carolina showed what this team is capable of, depsite starting three freshmen and a sophomore.
Moral victories mean nothing, but it’s clear that the Barnes has the Vols on the ascent.
This week: vs. Tennessee Tech (12/13), vs. Lipscomb (12/15), vs. Gonzaga (12/18 in Nashville)
11. Vanderbilt (5-5)
No team has suffered a bigger drop this season than the Commodores. The 71-48 loss at MTSU was about as ugly as it gets, which is why Vandy dropped below Tennessee in this week’s rankings.
There were high hopes heading into Bryce Drew’s first season in Nashville, but as the season has gone along, it’s become more and more obvious that there is a clash between roster and style of play. What Drew wants to do on offense is completely different than what Kevin Stallings did.
Vandy has nice pieces on the roster, but those pieces aren’t fitting together in the current style of play. Unfortunately for Drew and company, things don’t get any easier this week when the Commodores take on a very good Chattanooga team.
This team still has the talent to put it all together. A win over the Mocs would certainly left Vandy back up the rankings, and give it a big confidence boost heading into a road game at Dayton.
This week: vs. Chattanooga (12/17)
12. LSU (5-2)
The Tigers haven’t the floor in a few weeks, so there could be some rust present against a lackluster slate this week.
Antonio Blakeney continues to fuel LSU (15.6 PPG), while big man Duop Reath (nearly 14 points and six boards a game) is already showing what’s he can do.
This week: vs. NC Central (12/13), vs. Texas Southern (12/17)
13. Mississippi State (6-2)
Here’s another team that had the entire week off, so sloppy play may be present when the Bulldogs take on an underrated East Tennessee State team on Wednesday.
That’s a good win if Mississippi State can get it.
This week: vs. East Tennessee State (12/14)
14. Missouri (5-4)
Missouri played Arizona this past week, and it went about as well as most thought it would. Luckily, things get much easier this week when Eastern Illinois visits Columbia.
Next week’s clash against Illinois could be interesting.
This week: vs. Eastern Illinois (12/17)
Blake Lovell has worked in sports media for over 10 years. He currently covers SEC football and basketball for various publications.