SEC Basketball: Auburn falls, LSU surges in new power rankings

Georgia simply hasn’t been able to put it together this year despite having a projected top-five NBA Draft pick in Anthony Edwards. Some of that is on Edwards – he hasn’t been the dominant force he was expected to or has the ability to be – but collectively, this team simply hasn’t been up to snuff.

While it is worth mentioning that Georgia has already played Kentucky twice and faced Auburn on the road, they’ve lost their four conference games by an average of 18.3 points. Essentially, they’re not close to the SEC and haven’t consistently played at a high level since beating Memphis on January 4, though that loss is looking less and less impressive given the Tigers’ recent struggles.

The next week will tell us a lot about Tom Crean’s squad. They face Ole Miss at home this weekend before facing Missouri in Columbia on Tuesday, followed by a return trip to Athens to face Texas A&M at Stegeman Coliseum. UGA should win all three games. Anything less would be a major disappointment and probably close the book on this group.

Speaking of maddening teams, no SEC team has been as hot and cold as the Gamecocks. They showed it in non-conference play, where wins at Clemson and at Virginia were overshadowed by home losses to Boston University and Stetson.

That inconsistency has carried into conference play. South Carolina upset Kentucky last week, but that was only after falling to a shorthanded Tennessee team.

The Gamecocks are young and they have talent, so maybe next year is the year this program breaks out again, but they haven’t been able to maintain quality play on either end of the court. AJ Lawson’s regression and Keyshawn Bryant’s injury problems have largely kept this group from taking a step forward, but they also need to get consistent guard play from Jermaine Cousinard and Jair Bolden.