After a few weeks of SEC Basketball and the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, the rankings are finally falling into place. How does the SEC rank against each other?
SEC Basketball is one of the toughest conferences in the nation to succeed in. Once college football retires for the season, all eyes in the South are watching the battles on the hardwood. Home arenas become hostile for rivalry games. Fans begin to travel beyond state lines to support their teams. Most importantly, people simply begin to focus on what is happening in the college basketball world.
If you’re just now watching, here’s what you’ve missed so far: Tennessee has proven themselves to be the best in the conference, while teams like LSU and Kentucky are trying to close the gap in the coming weeks. South Carolina started the season as one of the worst in the country, but they have turned some heads and are 5-1 in conference play somehow. If they keep this up, they might work their way into the NCAA Tournament. Also, the middle of the SEC pack has been cluttered all year, with teams like Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Auburn having strong seasons.
A great pause in most SEC action this year happened when the SEC/Big 12 Challenge took place, but the Big 12 took advantage of having some of the SEC’s best teams sitting out. Despite strong performances by Tennessee, Kentucky, and Georgia, the Big 12 won the challenge 6-4.
Despite the challenge happening, we were treated by two entertaining matchups that saw Mississippi State and LSU take down Auburn and Missouri, respectively.
With all this being said, how do the SEC rankings play out? Here’s how I see it.
*All statistics are from Sports Reference*
*All matchup scores are from ESPN*