Saturday marked the opening day for SEC basketball for the 2024-25 season, and we were treated to some great games. From the first game of the morning, Florida vs Kentucky, until the final game of the evening, Texas vs Texas A&M, the SEC was showcased as the top conference in the country. Following the first full day of conference play here’s where the SEC power rankings currently sit.
16. South Carolina Gamecocks (10-4, 0-1)
Things couldn’t have gone worse for South Carolina to start conference play. The Gamecocks traveled to Mississippi State only to get beat by 35 points. South Carolina couldn’t make a bucket in the first half, and it took nearly 15 minutes for the Gamecocks to score 10 points. Zachary Davis led South Carolina in scoring with 22 points off the bench, but with the Gamecocks only scoring 50 points there wasn’t much scoring being done by the rest of the team. The gap between South Carolina and the rest of the conference grew a little larger following the lopsided defeat.
15. LSU Tigers (11-3, 0-1)
LSU took on Vanderbilt to open conference play. The Tigers trailed by seven at the break but dropped the game 80-72 to the Commodores. LSU trailed by four with three minutes to play, but Vanderbilt pulled away in the final minutes. Three Tigers scored in double figures, led by Cam Carter with 22 points. LSU’s defense, which was a bright spot this season, struggled to slow down Vanderbilt’s offense. The Tigers, while ranked 15th, are closer to the next few teams in the rankings than it is to South Carolina, so things aren’t quite so bad for LSU.
14. Georgia Bulldogs (12-2, 0-1)
Georgia, much like South Carolina, struggled to score against a team from Mississippi. The Bulldogs traveled to Ole Miss and only managed 51 points against the Rebels. Georgia only made 29 percent from the floor and if it weren’t for 15 made free throws, this game would have been truly awful for the Bulldogs. Asa Newell scored 13 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, but no other Georgia player scored more than eight points. Luckily for Georgia, Ole Miss struggled to score the ball as well, only making 41 percent of its shots. The Bulldogs led at the break before falling apart in the second half.
13. Texas Longhorns (11-3, 0-1)
Texas didn’t fare well in its first SEC game, falling 80-60 to Texas A&M. The Longhorns looked like they might keep the game close for about 20 minutes, but the Aggies pulled away in the second half. Texas got outscored by 20 points in the second half, which is something to monitor moving forward. Was Texas A&M’s defense that dominant, or are there concerns with Texas’ offense? With some of the hype around Texas in the offseason, this poor performance against A&M was quite disappointing. Texas has the talent but hasn’t quite figured out how to use it well.