It was another eventful week of SEC basketball action, and it’s time to dissect each team and rank them.
Since some have asked about the method behind the power rankings madness, just remember that these rankings aren’t strictly based on who has more total wins/conference wins/etc.
This is simply how I’d rank the teams from best to worst at this moment.
Let’s jump into this week’s rankings.
1. Kentucky (13-2, 3-0)
February 4 at Florida. That still appears to be the best chance that John Calipari’s team has of losing an SEC game.
However, it’s worth remembering that Vanderbilt is the best three-point shooting team in the conference and ranked 15th in the nation in 3PT FG%.
Crazy things can happen in Memorial Gym, so if the Commodores are hitting threes, things could at least get interesting.
This week: at Vanderbilt (1/10), vs. Auburn (1/14)
2. Florida (12-3, 3-0)
One area that’s really helped the Gators is forcing turnovers. Florida leads the SEC in steals per game and is second in turnover margin (+5.3).
This week features an intriguing road test in Tuscaloosa.
This week: at Alabama (1/10), vs. Georgia (1/14)
3. South Carolina (12-3, 2-0)
Frank Martin’s squad had a great week in winning at Georgia and forcing Texas A&M to commit 25 turnovers in the victory in Columbia.
Even when Sindarius Thornwell and PJ Dozier struggle, South Carolina is good enough on defense to beat anyone.
This week: at Tennessee (1/11), vs. Ole Miss (1/14)
4. Arkansas (12-3, 1-2)
Despite the blowout loss at Kentucky and the 1-2 start, Arkansas is still the fourth best team in the SEC.
The Razorbacks have lost games to the top two teams in the league, and things will get a lot easier this week with Mississippi State and Missouri both visiting Fayetteville.
This week: vs. Mississippi State (1/10), vs. Missouri (1/14)
5. Georgia (10-5, 2-1)
A win is a win, but the Bulldogs looked downright awful at times in their most recent outing against Missouri.
Luckily, Georgia has JJ Frazier and Yante Maten at its disposal when things get ugly.
Still, this team has to find more consistency to have a shot at an NCAA tournament berth.
This week: at Ole Miss (1/11), at Florida (1/14)
6. Tennessee (8-7, 1-2)
Losses to Arkansas and Florida are nothing to be upset about, especially when you consider where Tennessee was picked in the preseason.
But to stay in the top half of the rankings, the Vols will likely need to grab a win this week against South Carolina or at Vandy.
This week: vs. South Carolina (1/11), at Vanderbilt (1/14)
7. Texas A&M (8-6, 0-3)
Yes, I’m aware that the Aggies are 0-3 in the SEC. But those three losses include a blowout loss at Kentucky (whose doesn’t?) and semi-close losses to Tennessee and South Carolina.
The turnovers are a huge concern (66 turnovers in the first three SEC contests), but there’s still enough talent on this team to get things back on track.
I’m willing to leave Texas A&M this high for now, but Billy Kennedy’s squad would take a major tumble if it doesn’t go 2-0 this week.
This week: vs. LSU (1/11), at Mississippi State (1/14)
8. Alabama (9-5, 2-0)
We still don’t have much to go on in SEC play yet for Alabama.
However, this a huge week for the Crimson Tide. Knocking off Florida is certainly possible considering how well Alabama plays defense.
And if Avery Johnson’s team crashes the boards like they did against the Commodores (20 offensive rebounds), they’ll put themselves in great position to hand the Gators their first SEC loss and skyrocket up the rankings.
This week: vs. Florida (1/10), at LSU (1/14)
9. Vanderbilt (8-7, 2-1)
The Alabama loss was a missed opportunity for Bryce Drew and company. Vandy simply got outworked on the glass and couldn’t handle pressure down the stretch.
However, this team will have to get over that one quickly since Kentucky comes to town on Tuesday.
The Commodores must play better defense and shoot the lights out to have a shot at winning that game.
This week: vs. Kentucky (1/10), vs. Tennessee (1/14)
10. Ole Miss (10-5, 1-2)
The Rebels are now only one of three teams in the SEC averaging 80 points or more. Of course, Ole Miss remains last in the conference in scoring defense (allowing 77.5 PPG).
Both of those numbers will be tested this week against top SEC competition.
This week: vs. Georgia (1/11), at South Carolina (1/14)
11. Auburn (10-5, 0-3)
The Tigers have been the biggest disappointment of SEC play thus far (yes, more disappointing than Texas A&M due to each team’s schedule).
But since giving up the lead in its first SEC game against Georgia, Auburn has been unable to find the confidence that it had before Christmas.
Given Missouri’s toughness in Athens, Tuesday’s game is no longer a guarantee for Bruce Pearl’s young team. And winning at Kentucky on Saturday just doesn’t look possible.
Lost in the struggles has been the solid play of freshman guard Jared Harper. He’s been impressive as of late and had 43 points in two games this past week.
This week: at Missouri (1/10), at Kentucky (1/14)
12. Mississippi State (10-4, 1-1)
Getting a road win in SEC play was a nice boost for the Bulldogs, even if it was in Baton Rouge against an always unpredictable LSU team.
Going 1-1 this week would be another confidence booster given whose on the schedule.
This week: at Arkansas (1/10), vs. Texas A&M (1/14)
13. LSU (9-5, 1-2)
There are two games left on LSU’s SEC schedule that may be winnable: at home against Alabama and at home against Auburn.
Other than that, I’m not seeing any wins at this point.
This week: at Texas A&M (1/11), vs. Alabama (1/14)
14. Missouri (5-9, 0-2)
At least Missouri was competitive at Georgia. That’s all you can ask for.
It’s impossible to see Kim Anderson as this team’s head coach after this season, but knocking off Auburn on Tuesday would at least be a feel-good moment for this team.
This week: vs. Auburn (1/10), at Arkansas (1/14)
Blake Lovell has worked in sports media for over 10 years. He currently covers SEC football and basketball for various publications.