We didn’t learn a whole lot this week, with a few teams taking the week off. Though we did learn quite a bit about Missouri, the biggest faller in this week’s power rankings. Most of the teams in the conference are ending the non-conference slate on a high note, setting themselves up for success as we enter 2026 and SEC play. There wasn’t much movement this week, so a large portion of the rankings remained unchanged from last week. Only a couple risers with Mizzou dropping. Here are the latest SEC basketball power rankings:
16. Mississippi State Bulldogs (7-5)
Mississippi State was off this week, so there wasn’t an opportunity to build on its three-game winning streak. The Bulldogs have not looked great so far this season, though picking up wins over Utah and Memphis late in non-conference play is giving the fans in Starkville some hope moving forward. I expected a Chris Jans-ed team to have somewhat of a stable floor, considering how consistent his teams have been, though even he hadn’t been able to scheme up a workable defense. Luckily for the Bulldogs, they should at least have a fighting chance with Josh Hubbard putting up ridiculous offensive numbers.
15. South Carolina Gamecocks (8-4)
South Carolina hasn’t moved much in these rankings since the Gamecocks haven’t really done anything of note so far this season. They’ve won the games they should have, including beating South Carolina State by 25 points on Monday. Though Lamont Paris’ crew hasn’t gotten over the hump against P5 competition, losing its four games by a total of 19 points. Which is very reminiscent of last year's team, and we all remember how bad that was. The Gamecocks most likely won’t win a ton of games once the calendar hits 2026, but if the SEC isn’t ready, South Carolina could dash some NCAA Tournament hopes.
14. Missouri Tigers (10-3)
Dropping the Tigers four spots this week might be a little dramatic, but Missouri’s embarrassing performance against Illinois this week shattered any optimism about this team. A 43-point loss to a rival isn’t an ideal way to finish out non-conference play, especially when you don’t have any big wins to make up for it. Missouri is dealing with some significant injuries; however, not enough to essentially throw in the towel on the season. A slightly down SEC was supposed to help keep the Tigers towards the top half of the conference standings; now it will be a surprise if Mizzou even makes the NCAA Tournament.
13. Ole Miss Rebels (7-5)
Even with a six-point loss to NC State on Sunday, the Rebels are up one spot in these rankings by virtue of Missouri plummeting. The game against the Wolfpack was the last opportunity for Ole Miss to notch a power conference win before SEC play begins. I had concerns about this team coming into the season, mainly its offense. The Rebels have been okay on that end of the court, but as we’ve moved through the season, things have gotten much better. Luckily for Beard, the defense has been great. Though I don’t have much confidence that the defense will lead the team to many wins.
12. Texas Longhorns (9-4)
With a 94-71 win over Maryland Eastern Shore, Texas has won its last two games of the non-conference schedule, entering 2026 and SEC play with some momentum. The offense has been better than I expected, scoring at least 93 points in all but one win this season. The defense hasn’t been lockdown, but it has done enough to lead the Longhorns to some easy wins. Texas is playing solid basketball right now, that might be a product of its schedule, though the Longhorns did nearly knock off a top-5-ranked UConn team. Texas has the ability to be competitive in SEC play; now we’ll see if it can follow through.
11. Oklahoma Sooners (9-3)
The Sooners have won three straight games, including a 107-54 victory over Stetson on Monday, and will likely move to four games with MVSU as the final non-conference opponent on the schedule. Oklahoma has been a tough team to place in these rankings all season. The offense has been great, and the defense has been serviceable, though that might be a product of a weak schedule. Fair or not, I’ve had Porter Moser’s history of struggles in conference play in the back of my head all season. Oklahoma could still be a good team in SEC play, though its struggles in big games leaves some doubt.
10. Texas A&M Aggies (9-3)
The Aggies' offense has been unconscious over their past two games. Texas A&M is averaging 115 points while giving up only 76 points per game. Granted, this was against two bad mid-major programs, but even then, it's hard to keep up that kind of scoring over multiple games. We’ll see if the Aggies have what it takes to hit triple digits in three straight games. I have my doubts about A&M’s offense staying hot during conference play. Early returns have been promising in Bucky McMillan’s first year. Now with SEC play looming, we should learn if the Aggies are a real contender.
09. LSU Tigers (11-1)
LSU needed every bit of its 104 points to get past Prairie View A&M on Monday, giving up 90 points to the Panthers. This was the first time all season that an opponent had more than 82 points against the Tigers. I’m not quite ready to say this result was a red flag on what has been a stellar season in Baton Rouge. LSU still has one non-con game against Southern Miss left, so we’ll see if the Prairie View result was just a fluke. I’m not confident LSU will keep this pace up once SEC play starts, but that doesn’t mean the Tigers haven’t been impressive thus far.
08. Georgia Bulldogs (11-1)
Other than a few games in mid-November, this Georgia offense has been unstoppable. The 103-74 victory over West Georgia gave the Bulldogs their fifth straight win. Georgia is averaging just under 100 points per game and has hit triple figures in four of its last five matchups. The Bulldogs have benefited from one of the easier non-conference schedules, but that doesn’t take away from just how dominant they’ve been on offense. Georgia still has one non-conference game remaining, against Long Island University, so we will see just how far into 2026 it can keep up this ridiculous scoring barrage.
07. Auburn Tigers (8-4)
Auburn didn’t play this week, though I’m sure the Tigers would’ve loved an opportunity to forget about the 26-point loss to Purdue to end last week. Auburn played one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country, so four losses before conference play isn’t terrible. However, three of those losses coming by more than 20 points is. The two-headed offensive monster of Keyshawn Hall and Tahaad Pettiford makes this team hard to beat, but if one of them has an off night, that's when the Tigers are vulnerable. Their schedule doesn’t get much easier from here, so we’ll have to wait and see if Auburn can hold on.
06. Kentucky Wildcats (9-4)
After holding three straight opponents to under 70 points, Kentucky gave up 85 points in a win over Bellarmine to close out the non-conference portion of the season. This was by far the most points Kentucky has allowed to a non-P5 opponent this year, but with incredible defensive outings against Indiana and St. John’s in the two games prior, I’m not ready to panic. While there are still some significant injuries, the Wildcats' health is starting to improve. We may never know just how great Kentucky could have been this season, though even with some significant injuries, the Wildcats are still a threat in the SEC.
05. Florida Gators (8-4)
After some up-and-down offensive performances earlier this season, it appears Florida has finally figured out its scoring. Since getting held to 73 points against UConn, the Gators have won three straight games, including a 90-60 win over Colgate on Sunday. During this stretch, Florida is putting up nearly 91 points per game. It’s important to note that these games haven’t been against great competition, though it's the Gators' best run of scoring all season. It’s taken a while for Florida’s offense to round into form, but it looks like the Gators might be peaking at the right time.
04. Tennessee Volunteers (9-3)
With how well Tennessee has been defensively the past two games, you’d never know that the Volunteers had lost their previous three matchups. This week, the Vols beat up on a bad Gardner-Webb team 94-52, giving Tennessee its second straight win. If it weren't for some offensive struggles and a three-game losing streak early in the month, the Volunteers would likely be fighting for a top spot in these rankings. An elite defense already makes this Tennessee team an SEC title contender. A slight improvement on the offensive end might put the Vols in a tier of their own.
03. Alabama Crimson Tide (9-3)
Alabama led by as many as 30 against Kennesaw State on Sunday before needing to stop the Owls from making a huge second-half comeback. The final 20 minutes of games in the month of December haven’t been kind to the Tide. Even with a 4-1 record this month, Alabama’s opponents are averaging more than 51 points per game in the second half. With a matchup against Yale still looming, it's not a given that the Tide will enter SEC play on a winning streak. I still trust that Nate Oats will win a ton of games this season; they just might be really close in the end.
02. Arkansas Razorbacks (9-3)
Without a game this week, Arkansas took some time to celebrate the holidays and to also reset following a tough loss to Houston the week prior. The Razorbacks still have one game remaining in the non-conference schedule, James Madison, so it’s likely that the Hogs will enter 2026 on a high note. Arkansas still has a long way to go defensively, especially on the glass and protecting the paint, so there’s a chance the Hogs won’t finish atop the SEC standings. With how well Calipari has this offense playing, it's not unreasonable to expect the Razorbacks to be one of the final SEC teams playing this year.
01. Vanderbilt Commodores (12-0)
This was a good and bad week for the Commodores. First, the good: Vanderbilt absolutely destroyed Wake Forest, on the road in Winston-Salem, by 31 points. Vandy looked mortal in the overtime win at Memphis the week prior, but this decisive victory over the Demon Deacons has the Commodores looking unbeatable once again. The bad: Frankie Collins, a key defensive piece, is out indefinitely due to a torn meniscus. Mark Byington has his team playing incredibly well this season, so a large drop-off isn’t likely. Vanderbilt’s reign at the top of these power rankings doesn’t look to be in danger anytime soon.