In true SEC basketball fashion, conference play started with every single road team winning.
What could we be in store for this week? Who knows.
Let’s get right to this week’s SEC basketball power rankings.
1. Kentucky (11-2)
The Wildcats had no trouble bouncing back from their Louisville loss to put up 99 points in a win at Ole Miss. Home games this week against Texas A&M and Arkansas are intriguing, but Kentucky is certainly better than both.
This week: vs. Texas A&M (1/3), vs. Arkansas (1/7)
2. Florida (10-3)
Mike White saw his team pass its first big test of SEC play, as the Gators went on the road and won 81-72 at Arkansas. Florida only turned it over nine times, which helped its cause tremendously.
If the Gators can continue to play efficiently on both ends of the floor, they’re definitely the team with the best chance of challenging Kentucky.
This week: vs. Ole Miss (1/3), vs. Tennessee (1/7)
3. South Carolina (10-3)
You could argue that the Gamecocks would be undefeated at this point if Sindarius Thornwell was in the lineup. However, the “what if” game doesn’t matter.
The good news is that Thornwell will return to the court this week when South Carolina heads to Athens on Wednesday. That’s an important game for Frank Martin and company.
This week: at Georgia (1/4), vs. Texas A&M (1/7)
4. Arkansas (11-2)
There’s a reason last week’s game against Florida was so important.
That reason? The Razorbacks are staring down a possible 0-3 start in conference play with trips to Knoxville and Lexington on the slate this week.
This week: at Tennessee (1/3), at Kentucky (1/7)
5. Georgia (9-4)
It was a must-win for Georgia last week against Auburn, and sure enough, the Bulldogs stormed back in the second half to win 96-84.
Yante Maten’s 31-point outburst showed yet again that he’s one of the most underrated players in the country.
This week: vs. South Carolina (1/4), vs. Missouri (1/7)
6. Tennessee (8-5)
Before the season started, I thought that the Vols may be the only team that could give Missouri a run for its money for the bottom spot in the SEC.
Now? The Vols are sitting in the top half of the league after opening up conference play with a win at Texas A&M.
Keep in mind that four of Tennessee’s five losses are to teams currently in the AP top 15 (Gonzaga, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Oregon).
This week: vs. Arkansas (1/3), at Florida (1/7)
7. Texas A&M (8-4)
A home loss to Tennessee wasn’t the start that the Aggies were hoping for, especially when you consider what this week’s schedule looks like.
Tyler Davis was held to just six points against the Vols, and Texas A&M is going to need much more out him if it wants to upset Kentucky or South Carolina on the road.
This week: at Kentucky (1/3), at South Carolina (1/7)
8. Auburn (10-3)
Inexperience showed for Auburn down the stretch against Georgia. The Tigers took bad shots and simply looked like a team that didn’t know how to hold a lead against an above average opponent.
Auburn needs to get back on track this week with two intriguing games on the schedule.
This week: at Vanderbilt (1/4), vs. Ole Miss (1/7)
9. Ole Miss (9-4)
It was clear from the tip that the Rebels didn’t have enough defense to slow down Kentucky.
And just like I said last week, Ole Miss is staring down the possibility of starting SEC play with several losses in a row.
This week: at Florida (1/3), at Auburn 1/7)
10. Vanderbilt (7-6)
The Commodores picked up a much-needed boost of confidence in a 96-89 victory at LSU.
Vandy went 16-of-32 from three, which will continue to be this team’s biggest strength. A 3-0 SEC start isn’t out of the question with Auburn and Alabama as this week’s opponents.
This week: vs. Auburn (1/4), at Alabama (1/7)
11. Alabama (7-5)
We didn’t learn much from Alabama’s win over Stetson last week, but we’ll most certainly learn much more this week.
A 2-0 start would do wonders for Avery Johnson’s squad heading into a showdown with Florida on January 10.
This week: at Mississippi State (1/3), vs. Vanderbilt (1/7)
12. LSU (8-4)
The Tigers made 17 three-pointers against Vandy and still lost. That’s not ideal.
There’s still no reason to believe that this team will do anything special this season since Johnny Jones is still roaming the sidelines.
This week: at Missouri (1/4), vs. Mississippi State (1/7)
13. Mississippi State (9-3)
We still don’t know much about this Mississippi State team.
On a positive note, the SEC schedule opens up nicely for the Bulldogs with two winnable games.
This week: vs. Alabama (1/3), at LSU (1/7)
14. Missouri (5-7)
Missouri lost at home to Lipscomb last week. No one is surprised that Missouri lost at home to Lipscomb.
Things just aren’t going well in Columbia right now, so beating LSU seems like a tough task.
This week: vs. LSU (1/4), at Georgia (1/7)
Blake Lovell has worked in sports media for over 10 years. He currently covers SEC football and basketball for various publications.