The past couple of weeks have been relatively light when it comes to SEC basketball. With the upcoming holidays and finals weeks, most teams in the conference not only cut back to one game a week but also cut back on the level of competition. Settling for mid to low major opponents to sleepily finish out the non-conference slate. Not everyone took this approach. Kentucky, Tennessee, and Auburn found it selves in battles with ranked opponents and finished with mixed results. With how light the schedule was, for most, this week, there isn’t a ton of movement in these rankings. Though there was a shakeup towards the top. Here are the latest SEC Basketball power rankings:
16. Mississippi State Bulldogs (7-5)
For the past four weeks, Mississippi State has had a stranglehold on the bottom spot of these rankings. The Bulldogs have been serviceable offensively, but absolutely horrible on the defensive end. It took a 34-point performance from Josh Hubbard to will Mississippi State past LIU on Tuesday after allowing 83 points to the Sharks. However, things are starting to turn around for the Bulldogs. MSU has won its last three games, including taking down a scrappy Memphis team to end the week. The Bulldogs are still down bad, but maybe there's light at the end of the tunnel.
15. South Carolina Gamecocks (7-4)
Even with four losses so far, South Carolina has fared better during the non-conference schedule than most expected. However, with the 68-61 loss to Clemson this week, the Gamecocks will be without a power conference win before SEC play. While this isn’t disqualifying moving forward, it doesn’t provide much hope for South Carolina. The Gamecocks' best bet to snag wins in conference play will be to grind games to a halt, but without much of an offense, South Carolina might have peaked at number 14 in these rankings the past couple of weeks.
14. Ole Miss Rebels (7-4)
Two straight wins following a close loss to a ranked St. John’s team have the Rebels up slightly in these rankings. The offense showed its head (80 points) in a 14-point win over Alabama A&M on Wednesday, which was desperately needed since Ole Miss hadn’t scored more than 74 points in over a month. Luckily for Chris Beard, the defense has been elite most of the season. Only one team has scored more than 75 points against the Rebels, so if nothing else, they have this to fall back on. However, with how little success Ole Miss has had against quality competition, the defense might not be enough.
13. Texas Longhorns (8-4)
Texas took out its frustrations following its close loss to UConn last week by beating LeMoyne by 42 points. This has been the Longhorns' M.O. this season, destroying mid and low major teams following a loss. Unfortunately for Texas, with only one more non-conference game on the schedule, it won’t have these smaller teams to beat up on once the calendar turns to 2026 and SEC play begins. I would have liked to see a little more consistent play from Texas, but Sean Miller and the Longhorns have played well enough to be dangerous in SEC play, even if their ceiling isn’t all that high.
12. Oklahoma Sooners (8-3)
For the first time since early in the non-con slate, Oklahoma’s offense has shown up in consecutive games. The Sooners have scored at least 85 points in consecutive games for the first time since mid-November. The 89-67 win over Kansas City also gives the Sooners a two-game win streak, which will likely hit four games before SEC play. The return of its high-powered offense is a good sign for Oklahoma. The Sooners haven’t been a very good defensive team, so not having to rely on getting stops should be beneficial moving forward.
11. Texas A&M Aggies (8-3)
My willingness to call it quits on Texas A&M earlier this season was clearly premature. The Aggies have won six of their last seven games. Its most recent win was in a truly impressive offensive outing against Jacksonville. The 112 points against the Dolphins were A&M’s fourth game this season in triple digits. I don’t know how well Bucky Ball holds up in conference play, but with how much this team has improved throughout the first two months, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see the Aggies have success against their SEC opponents.
10. Missouri Tigers (10-2)
Missouri hasn’t been the most dominant team this season, even against its weak non-conference schedule. So, the 22-point win over Bethune-Cookman was a much-needed result. The Tigers' defense has been suspect most of the season, especially when it comes to defending the perimeter. Luckily for Mizzou, the offense has been super efficient. The Tigers currently lead the country in field goal percentage, making 53.7 percent from the floor. But that won’t matter if they continue to let opponents make nearly 10 threes per game. A game against Illinois on Monday could make or break this team.
09. LSU Tigers (10-1)
I say this almost every week, but LSU has far exceeded expectations this season. Other than a 24-point loss to Texas Tech, the Tigers' offense has been one of the best in the country. Even though LSU only put up 78 points, due to a bad second half, against SE Louisiana, the Tigers still managed to make 54 percent from the floor. Much like Missouri, these Tigers have benefited from a somewhat easy schedule to date, though the fact that LSU hasn’t really slipped up against bad teams is still impressive considering where expectations were to start the season.
08. Georgia Bulldogs (10-1)
Georgia’s hot start has been incredible to see. The Bulldogs, barring any disastrous offensive performances, should finish the non-con part of the schedule with the country's top scoring offense, currently leading at 99.5 ppg. If Georgia’s most recent win, 112-82 over Western Carolina, is any indication of how it will finish out 2025, the Bulldogs will be just fine. Like multiple other teams, I have no idea if this holds up once SEC play starts. Mike White’s decision to play faster and bring in Jeremiah Wilkinson has transformed this Georgia team into one of the most fun ones in the country.
07. Auburn Tigers (8-4)
Other than a one-point loss to then No. 1 Houston and an 11-point win over No. 14 St. John’s, this Auburn team has been completely outclassed by its ranked opponents. The 88-60 loss to Purdue on Saturday marked the third time this season that the Tigers have fallen to a ranked team by more than 28 points. That’s not ideal for a team hoping to make another deep NCAA Tournament run this season. The defense has, understandably, taken a step back this year, but unless Steven Pearl can make some changes, there is a clear ceiling on how far the Tigers can go.
06. Kentucky Wildcats (8-4)
It might have taken longer than expected, but by beating No. 22 St John's 78-66, Kentucky notched its first ranked win of the season - and for the second straight week improved in these rankings. Surprisingly, the Wildcats have been great on the defensive end of the court and should only be better with Jayden Quaintance finally making his debut for Kentucky. His presence was already felt in the win over St. John’s. A little more run before SEC play starts should really show his impact on this team. The Wildcats are finally healthy, which should scare the rest of the league.
05. Florida Gators (7-4)
Most of the season, the Gators haven’t been anything close to efficient, but in the 102-61 win over Saint Francis (PA), they absolutely were. Florida made a ridiculous 81.3 percent from two. I highly doubt we’ll see something like this moving forward, but it's nice to know that this team has it in them. There’s too much talent on this roster to struggle from the floor for an entire season, though it would be nice if they played more to their strengths. Even without a ranked non-conference win, the Gators should still be considered one of the top SEC teams.
04. Tennessee Volunteers (8-3)
Coming into this week, Tennessee had lost three straight games, so the 10-day break from action was the perfect reset for the Volunteers. Upsetting No. 11 Louisville by 21 points was about as good a bounce-back win as Rick Barnes could have asked for. And holding the Cardinals to nearly 30 points below their season average proved just how elite this Tennessee defense can be. With how limited the offense is, we might see some truly ugly games involving Tennessee. But at their best, the Volunteers are a national title contender.
03. Alabama Crimson Tide (8-3)
The hardest part of the non-conference is over the Alabama, but that didn’t stop South Florida from giving the Tide a scare Wednesday night. Alabama needed 104 points to get past the Bulls, but still ended up winning by 11 points in the end. Any hopes of an improved defense are likely out the window at this point in the season, but luckily for the Tide, the offense hasn’t really fallen off at all. Until Nate Oats’s program loses multiple games in a row, I’m not going to worry about how far the Tide will go.
02. Arkansas Razorbacks (9-3)
The 94-85 loss to No. 8 Houston might have ended Arkansas’ four-game winning streak, but I came away from the defeat feeling positive about the Razorbacks. Arkansas is the only team this season to score more than 80 points against a Houston team that allows 60 points per game. The Hogs will need the offense to stay hot moving forward, since there will likely be nights when the defense fails to show up. John Calipari has made a career of reaching great heights with young rosters, and it looks like this year's team will once again help him win a ton of games.
01. Vanderbilt Commodores (11-0)
The past two games might have been a little closer than Vanderbilt wanted, but the Commodores pulled out wins to improve to 11-0 on the season. The first real threat of a loss this season came at Memphis on Wednesday, where Vanderbilt needed overtime to get the 77-70 win. With how well Mark Byington has his team playing, Vanderbilt should continue to be one of the best teams in the SEC, if not the country. At the start of the season, I was unsure if the hype around this team was warranted. Now, it feels like the Commodores could end the season with a conference title.