What do we know about the SEC this year? Well, we know Alabama is the best team in the conference.

And that’s it.

Seriously, the rest of the league is a jumble right now. Mizzou, Tennessee, Arkansas and LSU also look like NCAA Tournament teams. So did Florida, but we haven’t seen the Gators (or Texas A&M) in a couple of weeks due to COVID-19 issues.

As we hit the stretch run, it’s make-or-break time for a number of squads as the SEC and NCAA tournaments quickly approach.

So, let’s take a look at how the 14 SEC teams stack up against one another in this week’s power rankings:

14. Texas A&M (8-7 overall, 2-6 in SEC, Last week: 13)

It’s surprising that Texas A&M finds itself in the cellar, but that’s what happens when you are 2-6 in conference play and haven’t played since Jan. 30. The Aggies are supposed to host Alabama on Thursday afternoon and Arkansas on Saturday. Neither game will be easy for a team that has yet to score 70 points against an SEC opponent this season. Coming off a long layoff, things could get ugly this week.

13. South Carolina (5-9, 2-6, LW: 12)

The Gamecocks are ice cold, having dropped 3 straight SEC matchups. Interestingly, the best game they had in that stretch was an 81-78 loss to Alabama — the best team in the SEC. AJ Lawson continues to play well, leading the team in points in each of its last 5 games, but there’s not much depth behind him.

The Gamecocks face an interesting week, as they’ll take on a pair of struggling teams. They’ll head to Tennessee on Wednesday night and host Mizzou on Saturday. We’ll see if they can pull off an upset to rise a couple of spots in these rankings.

12. Vanderbilt (6-10, 2-8, LW: 14)

I’ll admit it — win or lose, I enjoy watching Vanderbilt play basketball. There, I said it. Scotty Pippen Jr. is one of my favorite players to watch. In Saturday’s 72-51 beatdown of Mississippi State in Starkville, Pippen started the game by making 3 3-pointers in a row. The Commodores made 13-of-30 3-point attempts, including 10 in the first half:

Maxwell Evans led the Commodores with 20 points, and he and Pippen each went 4-for-8 from long range. Pippen had 18 points and 9 assists, including a pair of dimes to set up Clevon Brown Jr. for easy dunks:

https://twitter.com/VandyMBB/status/1360673184786255873

https://twitter.com/VandyMBB/status/1360668393225953280

The 21-point win was the Commodores’ largest SEC road victory since 2016. No, the Commodores aren’t beating the SEC’s giants yet, but they do seem to be on the right track under coach Jerry Stackhouse. We’ll see how they fare this week against Kentucky on Wednesday and at Alabama on Saturday.

11. Mississippi State (11-11, 5-8, LW: 9)

When you lose by 21 points at home against Vanderbilt, something is wrong with your team. After falling 95-80 vs. LSU on Wednesday, the struggles continued in Saturday’s 72-51 loss to the Commodores. It was a rough week for Ben Howland’s squad.

The bad news? They have to leave their home court this week, as a trip to Auburn looms large on Tuesday night before the Bulldogs head to Oxford to take on rival Ole Miss. The Rebels are the hottest team in the SEC, though, so the Bulldogs will need to play much better than they did this past week.

10. Auburn (11-11, 5-8, LW: 11)

Am I really about to talk about an Auburn player not named “Sharife Cooper”? You’re darn right I am. Yes, the Tigers lost at Kentucky 82-80 on Saturday, but JT Thor had his best game as a Tiger. He was everywhere, scoring a game-high 24 points to go with 9 rebounds and 2 blocks:

Thor has a legit 3-point stroke, too. Even if Cooper declares for the NBA Draft after this season, if Thor returns and Justin Powell is able to return from his concussion issues, Auburn will be a dangerous team in 2021-22.

As for this season, the Tigers have 5 games left (including vs. Mississippi State on Tuesday and at LSU on Saturday). With their record sitting at 11-11 overall and with no postseason play on tap due to a self-imposed ban, the goal should be simple — win at least 3 of the last 5 games to finish with a winning record. That will help build momentum into next year, when the Tigers should be one of the SEC’s better teams.

9. Kentucky (6-13, 5-7, LW: 10)

Ladies and gentlemen, if you’re like me, you were shocked to see the Kentucky Wildcats actually hold on to win a game in which they held a second-half lead. This team has had trouble closing out opponents in the last 4 minutes all year, but on Saturday, the Wildcats held on for an 82-80 win over Auburn.

How? Well, the offense actually looked like a modern offense, with the Wildcats knocking down a respectable 11-of-24 3-point attempts. BJ Boston went 5-for-8 from beyond the arc. The Wildcats actually looked like someone was coaching them on Saturday, too, especially late in the game.

Look at this beautiful design. Keion Brooks Jr. trails Isaiah Jackson through the lane and is wide open for an alley-oop pass from Devin Askew:

Then, there’s this play that set up Davion Mintz for the 3-pointer that iced the game:

Those were 2 of Askew’s 4 assists, but he made sure they counted. Isaiah Jackson also deserves a ton of praise. He led the team with 19 points and also added 11 rebounds and 2 blocks. It was one of his best games of the year.

When the Wildcats play like that, they’re a decent team. We’ll see if they can keep this confidence moving forward. They’ll play at Vanderbilt on Wednesday night and at Tennessee on Saturday.

8. Georgia (12-8, 5-8, LW: 7)

Georgia entered last week needing a signature win to add some legitimacy to its 12-6 record. Instead, the Bulldogs lost 89-81 at Tennessee on Wednesday and then allowed a whopping 115 points in a 33-point loss at Alabama on Saturday. It wasn’t the week Tom Crean’s crew had in mind, and defensive woes are at the heart of this team’s problems.

Now, with 5 games left in the regular season, the Bulldogs basically need to win out to be in the NCAA Tournament picture. They’ll get a chance to pick up a signature win on Tuesday night, when No. 20 Mizzou comes to Athens. Then, on Saturday, the Dawgs head to Florida with another chance to impress the Selection Committee. Time is running out.

7. Florida (10-5, 6-4, LW: 4)

Is Florida the No. 7 team in the SEC? No, probably not. But until the Gators are able to get back on the court, they’re going to keep falling. They haven’t played since a Feb. 3 home loss to South Carolina. They’re on track to visit to Arkansas on Tuesday night, but that will be a tough game for a team that hasn’t played in a couple of weeks. We’ll see if they look rusty or if they can stay competitive against the red-hot Razorbacks.

6. Ole Miss (12-8, 7-6, LW: 8)

The Rebels have won 4 games in a row and burst onto the NCAA Tournament bubble. They’ve knocked off Tennessee, Auburn, Mizzou and South Carolina during the streak and are playing the best basketball of anyone this side of Alabama.

How have the Rebels turned things around? Well, after an inconsistent start to the season, Devontae Shuler has become a star. He scored a career-high 31 points against South Carolina on Saturday, knocking down 13-of-16 free throws and also contributing 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. He only made 2 3-pointers, but this one was a definite heat-check:

https://twitter.com/OleMissMBB/status/1360750313456640000

If he stays hot, the Rebels have a pair of winnable games this week, both at home. They’ll face a dangerous LSU team on Wednesday night before hosting rival Mississippi State on Saturday. Win both games, and the Rebels will be getting some NCAA Tournament buzz.

5. Mizzou (13-5, 6-5, LW: 2)

Watching this Mizzou team is exhausting. The Tigers moved up to the top 10 in the AP Poll with a win over Alabama last weekend, then immediately took 2 steps back. They were routed at Ole Miss and followed with an overtime loss to visiting Arkansas on Saturday.

No, they didn’t have big man Jeremiah Tilmon on Saturday, as he missed the game with a death in his family. That had a major impact on the Tigers, who were hampered by foul trouble in the second half and in overtime. But the Razorbacks didn’t have big man Justin Smith when the Tigers won in Fayetteville earlier this year.

Mark Smith finished 0-for-8 from the floor and 0-for-5 from 3-point range, but he did knock down all 4 of his free throws. The rest of the Tigers went 10-for-17 from the linw, and that hurt them down the stretch. This is supposed to be one of the SEC’s best free-throw shooting teams, but they’ve crumbled in crunch time in a couple of games recently.

This week, the Tigers head to Georgia on Tuesday night and travel to South Carolina on Saturday. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised with any set of results from those games. Until this team learns how to handle a modicum of success, it’s going to continue to frustrate fans (and certain writers who attend the university).

4. Tennessee (14-5, 7-5, LW: 3)

Speaking of frustrating teams, the Volunteers certainly fit that bill. After holding on for an 89-81 win over Georgia on Wednesday, the Vols’ offense sputtered once again in a 78-65 loss at LSU. LSU has one of the worst defenses in the SEC, so scoring only 65 points is a bad look.

Victor Bailey Jr. played 25 minutes and had only 3 points. John Fulkerson played 35 minutes and had 4 points. Fulkerson has taken a huge step back after last season, and it’s one of the more baffling storylines of the year.

The bright spot continues to be 5-star freshman Jaden Springer, who went head-to-head with fellow freshman sensation Cam Thomas on Saturday and made some big plays. Here’s a smooth 3-pointer that looks like a legit NBA shot:

Then, there’s this spin move in the lane that shows just how much talent and versatility he has on offense:

Springer finished with 21 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, showcasing his do-it-all game. But Thomas had 25 points and the Tigers got the last laugh with the win.

Now, we’ll see if the Vols can get something out of Fulkerson, Bailey and Yves Pons this week as they host South Carolina on Wednesday and Kentucky on Saturday.

3. LSU (13-6, 8-4, LW: 6)

LSU got the résumé-boosting win it desperately needed Saturday, taking down a ranked Tennessee squad. Cam Thomas was sensational, making the difficult look routine. This is an insane floater in the lane, but he banks it home with ease:

Then there’s this catch-and-shoot 3-pointer from NBA range:

He finished with a game-high 25 points, but Darius Days continues to be the Tigers’ key. He finished with 14 points, and the Tigers improved to 13-1 on the season when he scores at least 10 points. If you look at their 13-6 overall record, that means LSU is 0-5 when Days either doesn’t play due to injury or doesn’t score 10 points. Incredible.

We’ll see if he and Thomas can continue torching the nets this week, as the Tigers play at red-hot Ole Miss on Wednesday night before hosting Auburn on Saturday.

2. Arkansas (16-5, 8-4, LW: 2)

Entering Saturday’s game against Mizzou, Arkansas’s NCAA Tournament résumé was thinner than me after I give up beer for a week. However, the Hogs went into Mizzou Arena and held off the Tigers in overtime to pick up a road win over a top-10 team. (The Tigers are most definitely not a top-10 team anymore, but it still goes down as a top-10 win for the Hogs.)

No, the Tigers didn’t have big man Jeremiah Tilmon on Saturday due to a death in the family. (Our thoughts go out to the Tilmon family.) But when the Razorbacks lost to Mizzou earlier this year, they didn’t have their talented big man in Justin Smith, who was out with an injury. So, the season series is 1-1, with each team not being at full strength when it lost.

Smith was a difference-maker Saturday, scoring a team-high 19 points to go with 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. He also threw down this thunderous alley-oop:

https://twitter.com/RazorbackMBB/status/1360720770327060485

Let’s just say coach Eric Musselman was hyped after the win, celebrating shirtless in the locker room:

https://twitter.com/RazorbackMBB/status/1360738580163923969

Perhaps we’ll get a third matchup between the Hogs and Tigers with both teams at full strength in the SEC Tournament. That would certainly be a game to watch!

1. Alabama (17-5, 12-1, LW: 1)

Playing Georgia was just what the doctor ordered for Alabama’s somewhat sluggish offense. The Tide came out firing Saturday, torching the nets for 115 points in their 115-82 victory. That was the most points the Tide have ever scored in an SEC game.

How did they do it? Well, SEC Player of the Year front-runner Herb Jones was sharp again, though he continues to deal with back issues. He led the team with 21 points and also had 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks.

The Tide also got their mojo back from 3-point range. That has a lot to do with Georgia, as the Bulldogs inexplicably came out in a 2-3 zone. Zone defenses beg opponents to shoot 3s, and the Tide were happy to oblige.

What do you want to do against a zone? Get the ball to the high post and kick it out to an open shooter. This is a textbook play — Jahvon Quinerly to Herb Jones to John Petty Jr. to the bottom of the net:

Piece of cake. I’ve compared Alabama’s offense to the Houston Rockets’ offense when James Harden was in town a couple of times this year. When he’s going right, Jaden Shackelford is the closest thing the Tide have to Harden.

Harden made a living shooting 3s or driving into the lane. When he was in the lane, he’d either take it to the rim and get fouled or kick it out to an open shooter. Here, Shackelford drives and then finds Herb Jones for the open 3:

Again, piece of cake. What was Tom Crean thinking with this game plan? The Tide made a whopping 18-of- 30 3-pointers. That’s 60%. Throw away that game plan, Tom.

Oh, and freshman Darius Miles threw down this insane dunk, too:

https://twitter.com/SECNetwork/status/1360720997209538560

When the Tide are hot offensively, there isn’t a more fun team to watch in the SEC. We’ll see if the good times keep going at Texas A&M on Thursday and vs. Vanderbilt on Saturday.