This past week may not have been as exciting as the previous one, in my opinion, but we saw some remarkable games take place. Florida continues to bulldoze every SEC team that it takes on; most recently, Arkansas saw just how incredible the Gators are playing. Alabama has started to reach its final form, shaking off some early-season struggles. And then there’s Missouri, which has quietly battled its way into the final double-bye in the conference tournament. But not every team had a good week. Texas A&M’s free fall has continued after leading the SEC standings just a few weeks ago. And let’s not forget about Auburn. No matter how you slice it, the Tigers are imploding right in front of our eyes. Following the penultimate week of SEC play, here are the latest SEC power rankings:
16. Ole Miss Rebels (12-17, 4-12)
Following a loss to LSU, it looked as if Ole Miss’s best shot at a win before the end of conference play had passed it by. The defeat at the hands of the Tigers marked the tenth straight loss for Ole Miss. The Rebels' luck did rebound a bit on Saturday, but in respect to these rankings, the damage had already been done. Ole Miss ended February with an upset of Auburn on the road, taking down the Tigers 85-79. The win might not have changed much in Oxford, but for a team that hasn’t played well for a long time, it was a sign that they could still compete.
15. Mississippi State Bulldogs (13-16, 5-11)
Mississippi State’s record might not warrant the second-to-last spot in these rankings, but its play over the past three games certainly does. The Bulldogs have lost three straight, including losses of 25 and 24 points to Alabama and Missouri this past week. The strain of needing to play hero each and every game has started to take its toll on star Josh Hubbard, as he failed to score more than 16 in his last three games. While the season has overall been a huge letdown, the biggest disappointment might be the fact that the streak of MSU finishing with an 8-10 SEC record will come to an end next week.
14. South Carolina Gamecocks (12-17, 3-13)
The Gamecocks might have ended a seven-game skid last week, but this week brought more of what we’ve come to expect from this team. South Carolina kept things close-ish against Kentucky, falling to the Wildcats by nine points. But a 19-point loss to Georgia put a damper on an already down season. Lamont Paris’ squad has struggled all season, so it’s not unexpected that the wins down the stretch are few and far between. With two games remaining, the Gamecocks are likely to finish out the season without a win, though the final game of SEC play is at Ole Miss, so maybe there’s still a chance.
13. LSU Tigers (15-14, 3-13)
Wins might not have come very often this season for LSU, but unlike a couple of other SEC teams, the Tigers haven’t been uncompetitive for most of the season. LSU avoided embarrassment on Wednesday by taking down a struggling Ole Miss team, though it did take double-overtime to get the job done. Any excitement from the mid-week win, which ended a five-game losing streak, didn’t last very long. LSU fell behind early and let Oklahoma pull away, dropping the game to the Sooners by 16 points. Whatever the plan was for this season clearly didn’t work, but with two games left, this team can make this season look not as bad on paper. Â
12. Auburn Tigers (15-14, 6-10)
This season was always going to be tough, but I don’t think anyone could have predicted Auburn’s collapse over the past month of games. During the month of February, the Tigers went 1-6 with their only win coming against Kentucky. But any hope that the victory over the Wildcats would spark a turnaround for this program didn’t materialize. Auburn went 0-2 this week, dropping games at Oklahoma and at home against Ole Miss, two teams that have struggled mightily this season. The Tigers’ strength of schedule has kept them in the NCAA Tournament conversation, but with how bad they’ve looked lately, it wouldn’t be surprising to see that Auburn has played its way out of a postseason bid.