SEC Basketball Power Rankings: Another new No. 1, Auburn and Tennessee rise
By Adam Spencer
Published:
What a difference a week makes in the SEC. On Jan. 20, in my last power rankings, Florida was the newly crowned king and Vanderbilt was trying to stop a slow leak. Seven days later, the leak in Nashville has become a burst pipe, “Bucky Ball” has taken over the league and Rick Barnes has reminded everyone why you never count out a team with an elite defense — even when the offense is a work in progress.
Last week featured a staggering number of road upsets and the continuation of some wild trends (looking at you, Auburn). As we head into the final week of January, the bracketology picture is getting clearer, but the power rankings are a total mess.
Here is how the 16 SEC teams stack up as of Tuesday, Jan. 27:
16. Oklahoma (11-9 overall, 1-6 in the SEC)
Previous ranking: 15
It was a heartbreaking week for Oklahoma. The Sooners were seconds away from a massive momentum-shifting win against Mizzou, only to watch Mark Mitchell sink a game-winner in overtime. Porter Moser’s squad is playing hard, but it simply hasn’t found a way to close out games in this league. With games against Tennessee and Kentucky looming, things won’t get easier.
15. LSU (13-7, 1-6)
Previous ranking: 16
LSU moves up 1 spot by default, despite a winless week. They pushed Arkansas to the brink in Fayetteville but couldn’t get the stops late. Matt McMahon has some talent on this roster, but the depth is being tested. Games against Mississippi State (Wednesday) and at South Carolina (Saturday) provide this team with a couple of major opportunities.
14. Mississippi State (10-10, 2-5)
Previous ranking: 12
The Bulldogs are in a free fall. After being dismantled by Bucky Ball (Texas A&M), Mississippi State went home and got embarrassed by 32 points against a Vanderbilt team that was supposedly “reeling.” Chris Jans’ defense, usually the program’s calling card, has surrendered 88 points in back-to-back games. That won’t win you many games in the SEC.
13. South Carolina (11-9, 2-5)
Previous ranking: 14
The South Carolina Gamecocks ran into a buzzsaw in College Station. Losing by 23 to Texas A&M isn’t a résumé killer, but the lack of offensive identity outside of a few spurts is concerning. Lamont Paris needs to find a secondary scoring option if they’re going to climb out of the bottom tier.
12. Ole Miss (11-9, 3-4)
Previous ranking: 13
Chris Beard’s Ole Miss Rebels are trending in the wrong direction. After a promising start, they dropped 2 more this week to Auburn and Kentucky. AJ Storr is doing his best, but the supporting cast has gone cold. The defense was picked apart by Mark Pope’s surging Wildcats in Lexington.
11. Mizzou (14-6, 4-3)
Previous ranking: 7
A bit of a reality check for the Tigers. They needed a miracle to beat a struggling Oklahoma team and then dropped a tight one to Georgia. Did I enjoy the 2 buzzer-beaters? Yes. That was fun. Should Mizzou have needed a pair of heroic shots to take down the team I have in the No. 16 spot in my rankings? No. Dennis Gates has Mizzou playing at a fast pace, but the consistency just isn’t there yet. The Tigers are the definition of a bubble team right now.
10. Georgia (16-4, 4-3)
Previous ranking: 4
The Dawgs drop after a roller coaster of a week. Georgia looked solid in a gritty road win at Mizzou, but getting blitzed by 20 on your own floor by Texas is a tough look. Mike White has this team in the hunt, but the defensive lapses against the Longhorns were glaring. I have no idea what to do with the Dawgs in my rankings this week, so I’ll put them a spot behind Texas for now. Home games against Tennessee and Texas A&M this week will be very informative.
9. Texas (12-8, 3-4)
Previous ranking: 10
Don’t look now, but the Texas Longhorns might be finding themselves. Dailyn Swain is playing like an All-SEC first-teamer right now, dropping 26 points in that demolition of Georgia on Saturday. The Horns lost a close one to Kentucky earlier in the week, but the ceiling for this team is much higher than its record suggests.
8. Alabama (13-6, 3-3)
Previous ranking: 5
Nate Oats has the most explosive offense in the conference, per KenPom. However, the defense is far from elite. Giving up 79 to Tennessee at home — including a 29-point outburst from a freshman — is a major red flag. Labaron Philon Jr. is a superstar, and the return of Charles Bediako provides a rim-protecting boost, but this team won’t win the league until it decides to guard someone for 40 minutes.
7. Vanderbilt (17-3, 4-3)
Previous ranking: 2
The 16-0 start feels like a lifetime ago. Vanderbilt got absolutely run off the floor by Arkansas, losing by 25 and looking completely outclassed. The Commodores did bounce back with a blowout win over Mississippi State, but the aura of invincibility is gone. Mark Byington has to settle this team down before a tough February slate.
6. Auburn (13-7, 4-3)
Previous ranking: 11
What a week for Steven Pearl. The Tigers went on the road twice and came back with 2 Quad 1 wins. Beating Ole Miss was good, but taking down Florida in the O’Dome was legendary. Auburn is finally playing the elite basketball many expected in the preseason. When the Tigers shoot the ball like they did in Gainesville, they are a top-10-level team.
5. Tennessee (13-6, 3-3)
Previous ranking: 9
The Vols are back. After a rough start to conference play, Rick Barnes took his Tennessee squad into Tuscaloosa and physically dominated Alabama. Nate Ament (29 points) is officially a star, just like Barnes said he’d be if we gave him time to develop (imagine that). If Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Ament can provide this level of scoring consistently, the Vols’ elite defense will carry them a long way in March.
4. Arkansas (15-5, 5-2)
Previous ranking: 6
John Calipari has the Hogs humming. They destroyed Vanderbilt in a game that wasn’t as close as the 25-point margin suggested. Meleek Thomas is the most electrifying player in the league right now, and the Arkansas defense has tightened up significantly over the last 3 games. The Hogs look like a team poised for a deep run.
3. Kentucky (14-6, 5-2)
Previous ranking: 8
Mark Pope has the hottest team in the conference, posting 5-straight wins, including 2 more this past week over Texas and Ole Miss. The Kentucky Wildcats are playing with confidence, the ball movement is crisp and Malachi Moreno is developing into a force in the paint. Rupp Arena is officially scary again.
2. Florida (14-6, 5-2)
Previous ranking: 1
Life at the top was short-lived for the Florida Gators. They took care of business against LSU but were physically outplayed by Auburn at home. Todd Golden’s squad is still one of the most balanced in the country, but the loss showed they can be pushed around by a motivated frontcourt. The Gators have a problem with putting the ball through the hoop. Against Auburn, they were held to 22-of-59 (37%) from the floor. They didn’t do themselves any favors from beyond the arc (7-for-27, 26%) or from the free-throw line (16-for-27, 59%). They’ll look to reclaim the top spot with a big week ahead, but to do that, they’ll need to actually put the ball in the net.
1. Texas A&M (16-4, 6-1)
Previous ranking: 3
Welcome to the top, Aggies. “Bucky Ball” is officially the story of the SEC. Bucky McMillan has his team pressing, trapping and scoring in bunches. Texas A&M dismantled Mississippi State and South Carolina by a combined 43 points this past week. With a 2-game lead in the loss column over most of the league, the road to the SEC regular-season title currently runs through College Station. Make no mistake: these Aggies are for real. After getting a midweek break this week, the Aggies travel to Georgia on Saturday. Then they visit Alabama next week and host Florida next weekend. That’s a tough stretch, but the Aggies have shown they’re up to the task.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
