8. Texas Longhorns (7-1)
Texas is currently in the middle of a seven-game winning streak following a season-opening loss. The Longhorns have wins against Syracuse and North Carolina State has signature wins in the non-conference portion of the schedule. The wins over the Orange and the Wolfpack were by four points each, not very convincing but wins in the end. Texas does have Connecticut up next, so we should see if the Longhorns are a real team to watch for the rest of the season. The Huskies have struggled a bit early on, but are still one of the better teams in the country.
I still think this Texas team can compete for the SEC title, but most of the roster will need to play a little better. The offensive struggles in three of the Longhorn's last four games are a little concern since none of those defenses have been overly dominant this year. Freshman Tre Johnson continues to lead Texas’ offense, but it’s a little worrying that some of the more high-profile transfers still haven’t taken off yet. But, until that starts to cost the Longhorns some games it’s hard not to consider Texas one of the better teams in the SEC.
7. Mississippi State Bulldogs (7-1)
Mississippi State started the season with six straight wins before falling to Butler in an extremely winnable game. The Bulldogs bounced back in a big way, drubbing No. 18 Pittsburgh in the SEC/ACC Challenge. The 33-point win over the Panthers was MSU’s second-largest win of the season after beating Georgia State by 35 points earlier in the year.
The Bulldogs have been solid on both ends of the court this season, scoring 85.6 points per game while holding opponents to 67.4 points. Josh Hubbard (18.3 ppg) continues to be the driving force behind the offense, shooting 43.8 percent from deep. The 57 points allowed to Pitt was the best defensive performance of the season, holding the Panthers to 31 percent from the floor.
It’s hard to not like what Chris Jans has done this season. Wins over SMU, Utah, and Pitt have proved to be some of the better wins in the SEC. The loss to Butler is the only thing holding the Bulldogs back from consideration for one of the top spots in the SEC. I think the Butler game was more of an outlier for Mississippi State through the non-con slate. The Bulldogs are a dangerous team to play right now, and I don’t see this stopping any time soon.