The early part of the season has been a little disappointing by SEC standards - half the conference is still undefeated, six teams sport only one loss, and two teams have fallen twice. While not a terrible start to the season, only Alabama has beaten a ranked opponent. This isn’t for a lack of trying; through the first two weeks, the SEC is 1-7 against ranked teams. Overall, the league remains one of the best in the country, even if it no longer has the stranglehold on college basketball that it did just a year ago. Now that we’ve completed the second week of the regular season, here are my latest SEC power rankings:
16. Texas A&M Aggies (2-2)
The Aggies are the first team in the SEC with two losses. Through the first two games of the season, it appeared that new head coach Bucky McMillan’s first year was off to a great start. That was until the Aggies faced a power conference opponent. Double-digit losses in both games this week, including a 24-point loss at Oklahoma State, have A&M tumbling down these power rankings. Obviously, there is still plenty of time for the Aggies to get back on track, though year one might not go as expected for McMillan.
15. South Carolina Gamecocks (3-0)
South Carolina hasn’t truly been tested yet this season. This non-con slate was about racking up wins and building confidence. So far, that’s exactly what Lamont Paris’s squad has done. An overtime win against Southern Miss was a little too close for comfort, but SC bounced back nicely to beat Presbyterian by 20 a few days later. Meechie Johnson (18.7 ppg, 43.5% 3pt) has been great through the team's first three games. With their first P5 opponent coming up this week, we’ll see if the Gamecocks are on pace to compete in the SEC or if it’s just another disappointing year.
14. LSU Tigers (3-0)
I know it’s only been three games against mid and low major competition, but LSU has been better this season than I anticipated. The offense has been great. The Tigers are averaging nearly 96 points per game, and even better, are making 54.2 percent from the floor. Michael Nwoko’s breakout season is a main reason for LSU’s success, as he’s averaging over 17 points per game while making close to 77 percent of his shots. We’ll see if his early-season success holds up against better competition, but for now, LSU couldn’t have asked for a better start.
13. Mississippi State Bulldogs (2-1)
Splitting this past week's games was probably always going to be the result, considering that the Bulldogs were scheduled to take on a ranked Iowa State team. However, getting blown out 96-80 by the Cyclones wasn’t how Mississippi State wanted its first real game of the season to go. Josh Hubbard did his best to keep the Bulldogs in the game, but after the first 15 minutes, any hopes for an upset win were gone. And following that up with a seven-point win over SE Louisiana has MSU trending in the wrong direction.
12. Oklahoma Sooners (2-2)
Oklahoma’s season is off to a rocky start. The Sooners have looked great against inferior competition, but have failed to meet the moment against tournament-quality teams. The week started with an easy 26-point win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Then the Sooners faltered down the stretch against Nebraska to drop their second game of the season 105-99. Had the loss to Nebraska not been close, the Sooners would be down at the bottom with A&M. Oklahoma has to be better if it wants to get back to the NCAA Tournament, and at this point of the season, I don’t think the Sooners quite have what it takes.
11. Georgia Bulldogs (4-0)
I’m intrigued by Georgia so far. The Bulldogs are currently averaging more than 102 points per game. While the first three games of the season were against bad mid-major opponents, Georgia dropped 92 points on in-state rival Georgia Tech on Friday. It might not be against a great P5 opponent, but the Bulldogs do have a quality win on their resume, which some SEC teams are still looking for. I wanted to move Georgia up a few more spots, but decided that I needed to see more against good teams. Either way, I’m excited to see what Georgia does moving forward.
10. Texas Longhorns (3-1)
The Longhorns have rattled off three straight wins by double figures following their season-opening loss to Duke. Texas won its two games this week in wildly different ways. The 35-point win over Fairleigh Dickinson was a great offensive performance, while the 17-point win over Kansas City was all about defense. There continues to be a few too many mouths to feed on the perimeter, but on the bright side, the frontcourt has been more than good enough to carry the offense. The defense should keep this team afloat, although the offense might be its downfall.
09. Ole Miss Rebels (4-0)
Ole Miss stayed undefeated this season after knocking off Memphis by six points and Cal State Bakersfield by 22. The Rebels have been one of the most consistent teams in the conference, scoring between 82 and 88 points in every game while holding all but one opponent (Memphis) to under 70 points. AJ Storr (15.3 ppg) and Ilias Kamardine (16.0 ppg) have kept the offense humming, though Malik Dia (13.5 ppg) has been a steady contributor to the offense as well. I’m still trying to figure out the Rebels, but the early returns are encouraging.
08. Auburn Tigers (3-0)
It appears the Tigers have overcome whatever issues plagued them in the season-opening game against Bethune-Cookman, though it's taken three different starting lineups. Auburn's defense has been elite over the past two games, most recently holding Wofford to 62 points in a 31-point win this week. The offense has been great with Keyshawn Hall (24.3 ppg) putting up huge numbers, but with the Tigers’ next game against Houston, it will be interesting to see if he can keep this up. The easy part of the season is over; it’s time for Auburn to show out on the national stage.
07. Missouri Tigers (4-0)
The Tigers stayed undefeated this season following two lopsided wins this week. Missouri took down VMI 106-68 last Sunday, though the win looked to be in doubt early on due to VMI’s inability to miss from deep. Then the Tigers dominated Minnesota in a midweek game, taking down the Golden Gophers 83-60. Mark Mitchell has taken over the offense, averaging nearly 24 points per game over the last three games, which is something I expected to happen this season. The Tigers aren’t quite an NCAA Tournament lock, but the big win over Minnesota is a good sign moving forward.
06. Vanderbilt Commodores (4-0)
Vanderbilt’s hot start continued this week as the Commodores blew past both their opponents. Vandy saw its first “off” night against Eastern Kentucky, only putting up 92 points in a blowout. But the Commodores got the offense back on track against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, scoring in triple figures for the third time this season. I’m curious to see this team against an elite defense, because right now the Commodores are one of the most efficient teams in the country, making 52.9 percent from the floor, including over 40 percent from three. The ceiling is super high right now, which is fun to see from a team with Vanderbilt's recent history.
05. Arkansas Razorbacks (3-1)
Arkansas easily beat Central Arkansas this week, but the four-point win over Sanford is concerning. The Razorbacks are one of the most talented teams in the conference, though it appears at times that the lack of experience hurts the Hogs. Don’t get me wrong, the freshman duo of Darius Acuff (19.8 ppg) and Meleek Thomas (17.8 ppg) has been impressive, it’s the rest of the team that hasn’t really performed to expectations. Arkansas is by no means out of the SEC title conversation, the Hogs just might not be quite as close to the top as I originally thought.
04. Tennessee Volunteers (3-0)
The only thing keeping Tennessee from seeing the top of these rankings is its incredibly easy schedule to start the season. The Vols have yet to win a game by less than 15 points and have blown out their last two opponents, winning by an average of 33 points. Tennessee’s defense is once again elite, holding every opponent to less than 70 points. The trio of Nate Ament (20.0 ppg), JP Estrella (17.3 ppg), and Ja'Kobi Gillespie (16.3 ppg) has been great to open the season. Now all that is left to see is if they can keep it up against better competition.
03. Kentucky Wildcats (3-1)
Kentucky splits its two games this week - losing 96-88 at No. 12 Louisville before destroying Eastern Illinois by 46 points. The Wildcats might still be working some things out, but it’s a little concerning that the only power conference opponent to date nearly scored 100 points. There aren’t many concerns with Kentucky’s offense so far this season, though I’m still waiting for Otega Oweh to take over a game. It’s possible all the preseason hype around Kentucky was a little premature, though a win against No. 17 Michigan State later this week would go a long way for the Wildcats.
02. Florida Gators (2-1)
Since dropping their opening season game to Arizona, the Gators have rattled off two straight wins. Beating North Florida by 40 and sneaking past rival Florida State by two. Thomas Haugh has been great so far, scoring 20 or more points twice this season, though the Gators have struggled to score efficiently - especially from three, where they are making a paltry 21.1 percent. There is still plenty of time for Florida to round into its final form, but with a tough stretch of games coming up, the sooner the Gators do, the better.
01. Alabama Crimson Tide (2-1)
Alabama picked up its first loss of the season, but with it being at the hands of arguably the best team in the country, it’s hard to penalize the Tide too much. While Alabama did make 16 threes in the 87-80 loss, and Purdue all but eliminated Bama’s inside scoring, it took a monster second half by Braden Smith to snag the win in Tuscaloosa. Alabama is still the only SEC team to beat a ranked opponent this season, so until the Tide drops a couple more games, I’m confident that they will continue to be one of the best teams in the country.