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SEC Basketball: Alabama on top, Kentucky falling in latest power rankings

By Tristan Freeman

Jan 2, 2021; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide forward Darius Miles (12) and forward Juwan Gary (4) and guard Keon Ellis (14) react to a play against the Tennessee Volunteers during the second half at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2021; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide forward Darius Miles (12) and forward Juwan Gary (4) and guard Keon Ellis (14) react to a play against the Tennessee Volunteers during the second half at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /
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SEC Basketball Yves Pons Tennessee Volunteers (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

2. Tennessee Volunteers (14-5, 7-5)

Ever since the Vols got dropped by 26 points on the road at Florida, they’ve looked more like an 8-9 seed instead of a clear-cut Final Four contender. They’ve split their last eight games, including a blowout win over Kansas and a loss to Ole Miss. Although Tennessee is coming off a loss to LSU, they did score 80+ points in wins over Kentucky and Georgia.

The offensive boost has come from freshmen guards Jaden Springer and Keon Johnson, who are now the lone double-digit scorers on the season. Veterans john Fulkerson and Victor Bailey Jr. have struggled in SEC play, which lowers the team’s ceiling in March if they have to rely solely on the freshmen for offense.

The SEC regular-season title is out of the way but the Vols can still get the second seed in the conference tournament. They’ll have to take care of business starting this week, with home matchups against both Kentucky and South Carolina, followed by road bouts versus Auburn and Vanderbilt.

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (17-5, 12-1)

Early congrats to the Crimson Tide, who have essentially won the SEC regular-season championship. They’re three games ahead of Arkansas, with matchups against bottom teams, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, and Auburn, along with a road battle versus Arkansas. Still without a bad loss on the season, Alabama is looking for a potential 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament if they win out and the Big Ten continues to beat each other up.

Although they don’t have a clear “star” player, Alabama has several key players that can play in a star position in a given game. Leading scorer Jaden Shackelford (13.9 ppg) has been their most consistent offensive player, while Herb Jones and John Petty have been the senior and winning leaders this season. Point guard Jahvon Quinerly has been solid when healthy and freshman guard Joshua Primo has star potential and will be a big contributor down the road.

Next. Latest top-25 power rankings. dark

All of this has been going on without starting center Jordan Bruner, who anchors Alabama’s defense down low. The team’s success allows them to bring him back slowly and be 100% for hopefully the SEC and Tournament. With an even better defense, the Crimson Tide could not only be the best in the conference but potentially finding themselves in the national title game.

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