At this point of the season, if you still don’t think the SEC is the best conference in college basketball, you haven’t been paying attention. Nine teams were ranked in the top 25 this past week, including four in the top five. This past weekend provided the top game of the season, with No. 1 and No. 2 facing off in a heated rivalry game. Auburn vs Alabama capped off an incredible week of basketball, but it wasn’t just that game that showcased the SEC depth.
We saw Kentucky take down Tennessee, Mississippi State sweep Ole Miss, Missouri dominate Oklahoma, and Texas upset Kentucky. There might only be a few weeks left in the regular season, but that doesn’t mean important games aren’t being played. There is still time for a handful of teams to play their way into the NCAA Tournament, and with how good the SEC is, even beating some of the lower-ranked teams will boost a team's resume. After yet another amazing week, here are the latest SEC basketball power rankings.
16. South Carolina Gamecocks (10-15, 0-12)
South Carolina is running out of time to win its first conference game of the season. The Gamecocks came close to upsetting Ole Miss at home but ultimately fell short. And the game at Florida got out of hand quickly after halftime. South Carolina has lost its last five home games by a total of 17 points, and each of these games was against ranked opponents. SC might not be quite as bad as their record suggests, especially at home, but without a conference win, the Gamecocks are clearly in the basement of the league.
15. LSU Tigers (13-12, 2-10)
This has been a season to forget in Baton Rouge. Since the start of SEC play, LSU has played uninspired basketball. Granted, the team lost arguably its best player just before conference play, but, overall LSU hasn’t really been competitive. The Tigers lost by double-digits at Arkansas earlier in the week. And needed late-game heroics from Cam Carter and a complete defensive meltdown by Oklahoma to end a seven-game losing streak. Carter scored seven points, a four-point play, and a three, in the final 20 seconds to propel the Tigers to the win.
14. Oklahoma Sooners (16-9, 3-9)
The Sooners’ NCAA Tournament hopes might have taken a huge hit this week. After getting destroyed on the road at Missouri to start the week, Oklahoma could not afford to lose to LSU. But, that is exactly what happened. Oklahoma led by 13 mid-way through the second half before the Sooners' defense completely broke down. Oklahoma was ranked as high as No. 12 this season, though the Sooners have rarely played like it since SEC play started. It's possible to get to .500 in league play, but with how they’ve been playing lately it's unlikely to happen.
13. Georgia Bulldogs (16-10, 4-9)
Georgia, Georgia, Georgia… It seems like a lifetime ago that the Bulldogs beat back-to-back ranked opponents to improve to 2-1 in SEC play. Since then, their only two wins have come against the worst teams in the conference, South Carolina and LSU. And the slide continued this week. The Bulldogs went 0-2 and did no favors to their NCAA Tournament chances. Against Texas A&M and Missouri, the Bulldogs were ahead at halftime before getting run off the court in the second half - losing both games by double-digits. Mike White is running out of time to salvage this season.
12. Texas Longhorns (16-10, 5-8)
What to do with Texas. The Longhorns split their games this week, getting beat easily by Alabama before upsetting an injury-laden Kentucky team. The win over the Wildcats stopped a three-game skid, but by this point in the season, the damage is already done. Texas has struggled defensively recently, most notably giving up 103 points to Alabama, which has led to a string of losses. Texas has flashed at points this season, but the Longhorns have struggled to put together winning streaks to prove that they belong in the postseason conversation.
11. Arkansas Razorbacks (15-10, 4-8)
Not nearly as bad as they were to start SEC play, Arkansas has shown some fight over the past couple of weeks. However, the hole they dug for themselves early on has been tough to climb out of. The Razorbacks handled LSU, beating the Tigers by 12, before falling flat in a sloppy game against Texas A&M. Even with the wins recently, this is likely a season John Calipari wants to forget. But, at least the Hogs have been competitive lately, though Arkansas is quickly running out of time to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
10. Vanderbilt Commodores (17-8, 5-7)
Vanderbilt has been so close to breaking into the top half of the SEC rankings, but the Commodores have struggled to close out games. Vanderbilt had two top-five opponents this week and was unable to pull the upsets. The Commodores had a small lead midway through the second half against Auburn but couldn’t hold off the Tigers. And then against Tennessee, Vanderbilt led by as many as 16 before falling apart in the second half. Mark Byington has done a great job with this team, but without SEC-caliber talent the Commodores have struggled to stay afloat.
09. Ole Miss Rebels (19-7, 8-5)
The Rebels beat South Carolina in Columbia to start the week, though winning by four was a little closer than most Ole Miss fans were comfortable with. The week only got worse from there. The Rebels dropped their second game to rival Mississippi State, getting swept by the Bulldogs this season. The Rebels are by no means a bad team, but with only two wins over the top half of the conference, it's hard to rank Ole Miss much higher. Chris Beard has a good team, now the Rebels need to prove it for the rest of SEC play.
08. Mississippi State Bulldogs (18-7, 6-6)
The Kings of Mississippi. Mississippi State beat Ole Miss on Saturday to sweep their in-state rival this season. This was just the pick-me-up that was needed following a double-digit loss to Florida. At times, the Bulldogs have played like one of the better teams in the conference, but the wins haven’t always been there. Still, MSU shouldn’t be taken lightly, though, without the usual Chris Jans suffocating defense, the Bulldogs have struggled in SEC play. Mississippi State has a couple more top-25 opponents coming up to prove they can beat a ranked SEC team not named Ole Miss.
07. Kentucky Wildcats (17-8, 6-6)
The rollercoaster ride continues for Kentucky in SEC play. The Wildcats, when healthy, are good enough offensively to beat just about any team in the country. But, it’s been a long time since Kentucky was a full strength. Without Jaxson Robinson and Lamont Butler, Kentucky handled Tennessee at home before falling short at Texas. This is how it’s gone for the Wildcats throughout SEC play, one step forward, two steps back. If Kentucky ever gets healthy, watch out. Until then, proceed with caution when it comes to expectations for the Wildcats.
06. Missouri Tigers (19-6, 8-4)
Missouri bounced back nicely following a two-game losing streak - winning both games this week by double-digits. The Tigers thumped Oklahoma at home, then turned around and knocked off Georgia in Athens. Dennis Gates has this team playing so much better than anyone could have imagined coming into the season and has worked his magic to turn this team around for the second time in three years. The Tigers have a manageable schedule to end the season, so we will see just how high Mizzou can rise. Watch out for these Tigers.
05. Texas A&M Aggies (20-5, 9-3)
Sloppy but effective. That’s the best way to describe Texas A&M’s week. The Aggies went 2-0 with wins over Georgia and Arkansas, but A&M didn’t crack 70 points in either game. We learned early on what to expect from the Aggies, and even at this point of the season, they are still winning games the same way. Texas A&M’s ability to force teams to play their style of basketball is one of the reasons the Aggies are so hard to beat. A&M might be, at times unwatchable but the Aggies have 20 wins already this season.
04. Tennessee Volunteers (21-5, 8-5)
Not a great week for the Volunteers, but it could have been worse. Tennessee lost to a short-handed Kentucky team in Rupp Arena to start the week and then needed a major comeback to spoil Vanderbilts upset bid. Falling behind big has started to become more commonplace for Tennessee, which is concerning moving forward. The Vols aren’t winning games convincingly but they are getting the job done most nights. There’s still plenty of time to get back on track, but at this point of the season, the inconsistent play isn’t ideal.
03. Florida Gators (22-3, 9-3)
Florida hasn’t been at full strength this week, but that hasn’t mattered. The Gators went 2-0 without a couple of major pieces - Alijah Martin and Alex Condon missed the Mississippi State game, and Condon missed the South Carolina game - and still won both games by double-digits. Florida has won four in a row and has slowly closed the gap on the top two teams in the conference. This Florida team is scary good, and if it weren’t for the two teams ahead of them, would have a strong case for being the top team in the conference.
02. Alabama Crimson Tide (21-4, 10-2)
Alabama split its games this week. First, dominating Texas on the road, then falling short against rival Auburn at home. The game at Texas was one that the Tide needed to win easily, and they did. However, the same couldn’t be said about Auburn. This was a winnable game, but for the first time in SEC play, Alabama’s offense wasn’t quite enough to make up for its defense. It’s hard to drop the Tide after a hard-fought loss to Auburn, but the gap between these two rivals might be larger than once thought.
01. Auburn Tigers (23-2, 11-1)
After this week's slate of games, there is absolutely no doubt which team is the best in the conference. Auburn hit the road this week and picked up two wins including a nine-point win at Alabama, to take back sole possession of first place in the SEC standings. The game was never really as close as the score suggested. This week showcased the many different ways the Tigers can beat you - with a stifling defense or a ridiculously good offense. When Auburn is firing on all cylinders, the rest of the conference doesn’t have a chance.