SEC Basketball Power Rankings, Feb. 23: Florida stays on top, race for double-byes heats up
By Adam Spencer
Published:
We are into the final stretch of the SEC season, and if this past week taught us anything, it’s that the race for top-4 seeds in the SEC Tournament is still alive and well.
With 4 games left in the regular season, Florida sits on top by 2 games over Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee. Behind the Tide, Hogs and Vols, though, are 5 other teams within 2 games of a top 4 spot — Texas A&M, Texas, Mizzou, Vanderbilt and Kentucky are all either 3 or 4 games behind the Gators in the SEC standings.
Where do things stand as Selection Sunday approaches? Here is a look at our updated SEC power rankings as of February 23:
16. LSU Tigers (14-13 overall, 2-12 in SEC)
Previous ranking: 15
The LSU Tigers find themselves at the bottom once again after another winless week. They hung tough with Alabama on Saturday, but eventually, the Tide’s pace wore them down in a 90-83 loss. Matt McMahon’s squad has suffered some bad injury luck (notably with Dedan Thomas Jr. out for the year) but the Tigers simply don’t have the depth or the defensive chops to close out games in this league right now.
15. Ole Miss Rebels (11-16, 3-11)
Previous ranking: 14
The Ole Miss Rebels ran into the Florida buzzsaw this weekend and the results weren’t pretty. A 94-75 loss at home highlighted the defensive regression Chris Beard has struggled to stop. Ole Miss has now lost 9 straight games.
14. Oklahoma Sooners (13-14, 3-11)
Previous ranking: 13
Porter Moser’s group is playing hard, but the SEC is a cruel mistress. After a narrow 75-71 loss to Texas A&M this weekend, the Oklahoma Sooners are staring at a sub-.500 record overall. Their interior defense has become a major concern, as they are currently allowing conference opponents to shoot 57.4% inside the arc, the worst mark in the SEC.
13. South Carolina Gamecocks (12-15, 3-11)
Previous ranking: 16
Welcome back to the win column, Lamont Paris. The South Carolina Gamecocks looked like a completely different team on Saturday, exploding for 97 points in a win over Mississippi State. Meechie Johnson found his stroke again with 16 points, but it was the overall team efficiency (and the fact they didn’t let the Bulldogs’ pressure rattle them) that earns them a climb out of the cellar.
12. Mississippi State Bulldogs (13-14, 5-9)
Previous ranking: 12
A disappointing week in Starkville. After a fantastic win over Auburn, the Bulldogs couldn’t capitalize. Giving up 97 points to a South Carolina team that has struggled to score all year is a massive red flag. Josh Hubbard (22 PPG) remains one of the most exciting scorers in the country, but the Mississippi State Bulldogs’ defense — usually Chris Jans’ calling card — has completely evaporated over the last 7 days.
11. Auburn Tigers (15-12, 6-8)
Previous ranking: 11
The Auburn Tigers stopped the bleeding with a gritty win over Kentucky, but it remains in the bottom half of the league due to its inconsistent defense. The Tigers are currently dead last in the SEC in 3-point percentage defense. Until they can stop teams from lighting them up from beyond the arc (39.1%), it’s hard to see them making a deep run in Nashville.
Will Auburn make the NCAA Tournament? Here’s a look at the Kalshi market for some of the SEC’s bubble teams as things currently stand:
10. Texas Longhorns (17-10, 8-6)
Previous ranking: 7
A slight dip for the Texas Longhorns after a week where they looked a bit sluggish. The loss at Georgia was a big missed opportunity for a team that had a chance to make a push. They are firmly in the double-bye hunt for the SEC Tournament, but they’ll need to sharpen the edges before playing Florida, Texas A&M and Arkansas in their next 3 games.
9. Georgia Bulldogs (19-8, 7-7)
Previous ranking: 10
The Georgia Bulldogs remain the ultimate “middle of the road” team. They play everyone tough at Stegeman Coliseum (and even on the road, as Kentucky found out this week) but still struggle to secure the defensive glass at times. Jeremiah Wilkinson is a star in the making, and getting him back from injury was huge for the Dawgs.
8. Vanderbilt Commodores (21-6, 8-6)
Previous ranking: 3
Ouch. The Vanderbilt Commodores had been the darlings of the SEC for a month, but Tennessee handed them a tough home loss on Saturday in a 69-65 final. Mark Byington has done a phenomenal job, and this is still a tournament team, but this past week was a step back with losses at Mizzou and at home against Tennessee.
7. Kentucky Wildcats (17-10, 8-6)
Previous ranking: 4
Which Kentucky team are we getting? I almost need to rank Kentucky twice in these columns every week. When Kentucky is locked in, it’s a top-3 team in the SEC. This past week, the Wildcats were not locked in, so dropping them down to No. 7 after losses to Georgia and Auburn seems fair. Mark Pope’s squad is still struggling with mid-range efficiency, and the defensive lapses are becoming a recurring theme. They have the talent, but the consistency isn’t there yet.
6. Missouri Tigers (18-9, 8-6)
Previous ranking: 8
The Missouri Tigers had a chance for a statement win against Arkansas but couldn’t quite close the door in Fayetteville. Dennis Gates has a team that can score with anyone, but its turnover rate (18.3%) continues to haunt it in high-leverage possessions. The Tigers remain a dangerous out, but one that is consistently beating itself. Still, to be in this position at this point of the season isn’t where many thought Mizzou would be.
5. Texas A&M Aggies (19-8, 9-5)
Previous ranking: 9
Texas A&M did what it needed to do this week. It took advantage of games against Ole Miss and Oklahoma, 2 bottom-tier SEC teams this year, to climb back up the ladder and position itself for a double-bye in the SEC Tournament. It wasn’t pretty, but the Aggies continue to beat up on lower-tier SEC squads. Their final 4 regular season games are against Arkansas, Texas, Kentucky and LSU. Going 2-2 likely locks up an NCAA Tournament spot. Would it be enough for a double-bye, though?
4. Arkansas Razorbacks (20-7, 10-4)
Previous ranking: 2
The Hogs drop a couple of spots, but not through much fault of their own. They played in the game of the year on Wednesday, a 117-115 double-OT heartbreaker against Alabama. Darius Acuff Jr. is playing like an All-American, and John Calipari has this team locked in. Arkansas bounced back to beat Mizzou on Saturday and remains firmly in the title hunt.
Can Arkansas overcome its deficit in the standings and win the SEC regular-season title? The Hogs have a game at Florida this weekend that will be huge. Here’s what Kalshi has to say about the SEC champion probabilities:
3. Tennessee Volunteers (20-7, 10-4)
Previous ranking: 5
The Tennessee Volunteers are peaking. The 69-65 win against Vanderbilt on the road was a big one for Rick Barnes and company. With a 10-4 conference record and 2 ranked matchups left, they control their own fate for a double-bye.
2. Alabama Crimson Tide (20-7, 10-4)
Previous ranking: 6
What a week for Nate Oats. After winning an absolute track meet against Arkansas (117-115), the Alabama Crimson Tide went on the road and handled LSU. Labaron Philon Jr. only scored 8 points against the Tigers, but I’m not really concerned about a guy averaging over 21 points per game this year. Their defense still gives up too many points, but when you’re scoring 90+ every night, you can afford a few leaks. Their 6-game winning streak is second only to the…
1. Florida Gators (21-6, 12-2)
Previous ranking: 1
The kings stay kings. The Florida Gators extended their winning streak to 7 games with a dominant 94-75 win over Ole Miss. Thomas Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu are dominating the glass, and Todd Golden’s squad looks like the most complete team in the conference. The Gators have a 2-game lead in the standings with 4 to play. The regular-season title is officially theirs to lose.
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.
