04. Vanderbilt Commodores (24-7, 11-7)
Three straight road games to end the season is brutal, so finishing with a 2-1 record, especially in the SEC, is about as good as you can hope for. Vanderbilt ended league play with a close win at Ole Miss and at Tennessee, fighting its way back into the top-five of these rankings. Giving up 80-plus points to two of the worst scoring teams in the conference isn’t a great way to end the regular season, but at the end of the day, it’s the winning that matters. Vanderbilt might have fallen from being a team considered a conference title favorite. Though having the grit to battle its way back into contention says a lot about the job Mark Byington has done.
03. Arkansas Razorbacks (23-8, 13-5)
This young Arkansas team continues to impress, which shouldn’t be a surprise with John Calipari’s track record. Even with a shoddy defense, over the second half of SEC play, the only two losses Arkansas suffered were to Alabama and Florida - the only two teams ranked higher than the Razorbacks. The Hogs finished out the regular season strong, with wins over Texas and Missouri to keep pace with Alabama, not only in these rankings but also in the conference standings. Much of this season's success should be attributed to the play of Darius Acuff Jr, but as Arkansas proved in the OT win against Mizzou, this team is capable of piling on points without the conference’s leading scorer.
02. Alabama Crimson Tide (23-8, 13-5)
There might have been some doubt early in SEC play, but Alabama finished the regular season with the second-best record in the conference. The Crimson Tide has won nine of its last 10 games, with the only blemish on Alabama’s record over the last month being a surprising 10-point loss to Georgia this week. Otherwise, the Tide have been rolling over their opponents with some ease - a 12-point win over Auburn on Saturday is proof of this. Nate Oats has his team playing elite basketball. A confident Alabama team is a dangerous one, which is why the Tide holds on to the second spot despite the loss. If it weren't for Florida, Alabama would be the clear favorite to leave Nashville with a title.
01. Florida Gators (25-6, 16-2)
With 11 straight wins, Florida enters conference tournament season with the fourth-longest winning streak in D1 and by far the longest among P5 programs. A 34-point win over Mississippi State marked the second time in as many games that the Gators notched a victory by that margin. And with Florida setting the bar so high, the seven-point win over Kentucky on Saturday feels like a letdown. It’s not often that you see margins of victory as high as Florida’s once you enter conference play; those numbers are usually reserved for lopsided non-con matchups. It was the case a few weeks ago, but it still bears stating that there is absolutely no doubt that Florida is by far the top team in the SEC.