04. Florida Gators (6-4)
Florida couldn’t finish its comeback against UConn earlier this week, dropping its matchup with the Huskies 77-73. The Gators ended their two-game skid on Saturday, beating George Washington by 10. The win over the Revolutionaries marked the first time that Florida made at least 50 percent from the floor in any game this season. Florida’s offense still relies heavily on three-point shooting, but the Gators are one of the worst teams from deep in the country, making only 26.8 percent. I don’t know how far this Florida team can go with how inefficient it is on offense.
03. Alabama Crimson Tide (7-3)
A 22-point win over UTSA to open the week wasn’t enough to keep Alabama atop these rankings after a brutal 96-75 defeat at the hands of Arizona. The Tide took on, quite arguably, the best team in the country and got tossed aside. It’s not often that Alabama gets beat at its own game, but the Wildcats went shot-for-shot from deep and dominated the glass. Alabama is by no means in trouble, but its struggle with size this season might cause a little stress for the Tide moving forward.
02. Arkansas Razorbacks (8-2)
Arkansas has won its last three games, including two ranked wins in the past 10 days, the latest coming against Texas Tech. The 93-86 win over the Red Raiders was just the latest impressive offensive performance for the Razorbacks, who have scored at least 80 points in all but three games. The defense still has a ways to go, though, with how well the offense is performing, maybe the Hogs will hold steady once we get to conference play. Year two for Calipari at Arkansas is off to a great start.
01. Vanderbilt Commodores (10-0)
It was only a matter of time, but Vanderbilt has risen to the top of these rankings. The Commodores are the last undefeated team in the SEC and one of only seven in the country. Win number ten game against Central Arkansas, a game that the Commodores won 83-72, their ninth double-digit win of the season. Mark Byington has his team firing on all cylinders and is on the verge of taking the country by storm. I know it’s still early in the season, but with what we’ve seen from Vanderbilt so far, this might be the team to beat in the SEC.