The conference standings are starting to look less crowded than they did just a week or so ago - the bottom half of the standings, that is. The top teams in the SEC are playing extremely well. Some of the others are struggling to even get wins on the board. Following the most recent Saturday slate, six league programs have lost consecutive games, with four having a losing streak of four or more games. However, the likes of Florida, Texas, and Alabama have countered this, each rattling off at least four straight victories. Following another exciting slate of conference games, here are the latest SEC power rankings:
16. South Carolina Gamecocks (11-14, 2-10)
The floor is really starting to fall out from beneath this South Carolina team. The Gamecocks have lost their last six games, with four of them being by 14 points or more. South Carolina did a decent job not letting the game against Alabama on Saturday get too out of hand, but, as they have nearly all season, the Gamecocks' lack of scoring never gave them a fighting chance. Lamont Paris has stuck to his guns while leading SC, but now, with yet another terrible season, might need to shake up his game plan if he hopes to hold onto his job. Â
15. Ole Miss Rebels (11-14, 3-9)
The Rebels might be one spot higher than South Carolina in these rankings, though in all actuality, are much closer to the bottom than it appears. Ole Miss currently holds the longest losing streak among SEC teams at seven games and hasn’t shown that things are going to get much better anytime soon. Two double-digit losses might have put the final nail in the coffin of this season for the Rebels. Getting beaten soundly by Alabama is one thing, but a 12-point loss to your most hated rival is another. It’s hard to imagine things getting much worse for Ole Miss.
14. LSU Tigers (14-11, 2-10)
The Tigers kept the game against Tennessee on Saturday somewhat close, only losing by 10 points, but the damage had already been done earlier in the week. LSU had a chance to avenge a four-point road loss to Arkansas from a couple of weeks ago, but instead the Tigers got blown out by 29 points on their home court. The lopsided defeat to the Hogs reset LSU’s worst loss of the season, not a spot you want to be in this late in the season. The Tigers can try to play spoiler over the next few games, though the season is likely over already.
13. Mississippi State Bulldogs (12-13, 4-8)
It’s tough to watch Josh Hubbard put up insane numbers nearly every time he takes the floor to only see his team end up on the losing end of games. He averaged 31.5 points this week, and the Bulldogs still only went 1-1. Mississippi State lost to Tennessee by nine points early in the week, but turned around and knocked off in-state rival Ole Miss by 12 in Oxford to end a three-game skid. It’s worth tuning in just to see what ridiculous numbers Hubbard will put up. If it weren’t for him, this team would be truly unwatchable.
12. Oklahoma Sooners (13-12, 3-9)
The offensive performances from Oklahoma over the past two games are what we all expected to see this season. The defense was always going to be a liability, but the offense was supposed to be this team's saving grace. For the first time in SEC play, the Sooners have scored more than 90 points in back-to-back games, so whatever changes Porter Moser has implemented over the last two games have worked wonders for his offense. The Sooners also held a really good Georgia offense to 78 points this week, which shouldn’t be overlooked. There might be some fight left in the team from Norman.
11. Auburn Tigers (14-11, 5-7)
Things are starting to go from bad to worse for Auburn. The Tigers got off to a rocky start in conference play, but looked to be back on track when they won four straight games. Well, since then, Auburn has lost four straight and is in danger of finishing league play with a losing record. Tahaad Pettiford has scored at least 21 points in each of the last three games, but that hasn’t been enough to help the Tigers avoid double-digit losses in both games this week. Luckily, the remainder of the schedule is manageable, so the season isn’t over yet.
10. Georgia Bulldogs (17-8, 5-7)
As strange as it seems, Georgia’s offensive regression since the start of SEC play isn’t what has hurt this team the most. The Bulldogs are averaging nearly 81 points per game, down from 99 in non-con play, but since the start of league play, they are giving up an SEC-worst 85.3 points per game. Mike White’s squad has quickly learned that if they don’t shoot lights out, they won’t win many games, which was the case against Oklahoma on Saturday. Georgia still has a chance to make the NCAA Tournament if it can prevent this two-game losing streak from snowballing into many more games.
09. Texas A&M Aggies (17-8, 7-5)
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Well, maybe not the mighty, but just three weeks ago, the Aggies were the top team in the rankings. However, four straight losses have them down to the bottom half of the conference. There have been both offensive and defensive issues over this skid, just never in the same games. The defense struggled against Missouri, giving up 86 points in a one-point loss, and then only scored 69 against Vanderbilt to lose by 13 to finish out the week. After a 7-1 start to SEC play, it looks like the magic of Bucky Ball has run its course this season.
08. Missouri Tigers (17-8, 5-7)
Beating Texas A&M this week put Missouri in a great position to compete for a top-four seed in the conference tournament. And the 17-point loss at home against Texas might have slammed that door shut. The Tigers trailed by only three points at halftime against the Longhorns, but let the game get away in the second half. Second-half meltdowns aren’t uncommon for Dennis Gates-led Missouri teams, but with a 31-3 home record over the last two seasons, was far more frustrating than some of the others. A win over Texas could have put the Tigers solidly into the postseason; now there's more work to be done.
07. Texas Longhorns (16-9, 7-5)
Texas could very much add a couple more games to its four-game winning streak before it comes to an end. The Longhorns are in the middle of an extremely favorable segment of their SEC schedule and are winning the games they need to. This week, Texas knocked off Ole Miss by 11 points, then used a huge second half to snag the 17-point win at Missouri. With how well Texas has played of late, there should be no doubts about an NCAA Tournament bid. Though if the rest of the conference isn’t prepared, the Longhorns might make some noise as the postseason begins.
06. Tennessee Volunteers (18-7, 8-4)
It was touch-and-go for a few games, but Tennessee’s elite defense has finally decided to show its head over the past few games. The Volunteers have only allowed one opponent to score more than 70 points over their last five games, which was their only loss during that span. The offense still has a ways to go, but Tennessee hasn’t needed all that many points to pick up its last two wins. 73 points were more than enough to get the job done against Mississippi State and LSU this week. This might not be a final four caliber team right now, but Tennessee is still in the mix of things.
05. Alabama Crimson Tide (18-7, 8-4)
It only lasted five games, but we finally have a resolution on the Charles Bediako drama. After being ruled ineligible earlier this week, we should soon see just how much of an impact he had on this team, whether good or bad. Though, in all honesty, Alabama would have easily won its games this week regardless of who was on the court. After two straight games of terrible defense, the Tide showed some life on that end of the court, holding both opponents this week to  75 or fewer points, though that might have been a product of playing Ole Miss and South Carolina.
04. Vanderbilt Commodores (21-4, 8-4)
The head-scratching loss to Oklahoma last weekend didn’t keep the Commodores down long. An eight-point win at Auburn and a 13-point win over Texas A&M have Vanderbilt back in the chase for a conference title. Other than the weird game against the Sooners, the Commodores have been playing some impressive defense, holding opposing teams to a meager 64.8 points over their last five wins. Vanderbilt has returned to form since slipping a little in SEC play a couple of weeks ago, silencing its detractors. As long as Mark Byington’s team keeps playing like this, the Commodores are capable of making a tournament run come March.
03. Kentucky Wildcats (17-8, 8-4)
You can’t really ding Kentucky too much following a loss to the best team in the conference. Saturday’s nine-point loss at Florida marked the end of the Wildcats' most recent winning streak, but it by no means knocks them out of the conference title conversation. Kentucky has been playing well lately, winning eight of its last 10 games, and the remaining schedule sets the Wildcats up to keep doing so, with its next three games being against teams below .500 in SEC play. Mark Pope’s team has gone through a very different version this season, but this current one is quite easily the best.
02. Arkansas Razorbacks (19-6, 9-3)
It’s been quite the week in Fayetteville. Off the court, Arkansas landed five-star commit Jordan Smith. On the court, the Razorbacks beat LSU by 29 and Auburn by 13 to extend their winning streak to three games. Not to be outdone by his team's success, Darius Acuff Jr continues to keep his name among the top freshmen in the country with his sixth consecutive game with at least 20 points. It’s hard to imagine things going much better for John Calipari and the Hogs, but with a tough remaining six games of SEC play, Arkansas could really make waves on a national level.
01. Florida Gators (19-6, 10-2)
Florida is having about as dominant a conference slate as you’ll ever see. The Gators have only stumbled a couple of times, but in their wins, have completely destroyed the competition. Other than a four-point win over Vanderbilt last month and this most recent nine-point victory over Kentucky, no other team has gotten within 15 points of Florida during league play, which is truly incredible. Guard play has been the biggest concern this season, though now that Xaivian Lee and Boogie Fland are playing up to expectations, there seems to be absolutely no stopping this Florida team.