Skip to content

Ad Disclosure

This article/post contains references to products or services from one or more of our advertisers or partners. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products or services.

College Football

SEC Basketball Power Rankings: A new No. 1 emerges ahead of SEC Tournament

Adam Spencer

By Adam Spencer

Published:

Heading into the SEC Tournament this week (games tip off Wednesday), there are a number of exciting possibilities.

The top half of the bracket seems particularly wide open, considering the drama surrounding the LSU program. If the No. 1 seed Tigers should falter, that half of the bracket features a tough Auburn team, a physical South Carolina squad and desperate Florida and Arkansas teams.

In the bottom half of the bracket, we could get a semifinal matchup between Tennessee and Kentucky. Could that end up being the de facto title game? Only time will tell, but both squads are still in the mix for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

So, as we prepare to tip off in Nashville, here’s a look at how the SEC teams stack up against one another (Note: I didn’t go strictly by seeds, but rather by how likely I think it is that each team wins):

1. Kentucky (26-5 overall, 15-3 in SEC, Last week: 3)

The Kentucky Wildcats snagged the No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament, beating Florida  and getting some help as Tennessee lost at Auburn. However, they still might not be at full strength in Nashville, as big man Reid Travis’ status is still up in the air.

On Monday, coach John Calipari said Travis likely wouldn’t start if he was able to play at all and would only be used in short bursts. Still, this team has plenty of talent. For example, one of Traviss front-court mates is a guy who is in consideration for SEC Player of the Year.

If PJ Washington makes these kinds of shots in Nashville, watch out:

https://twitter.com/Scott_Charlton2/status/1104485286506102790

Ditto for Ashton Hagans from long range:

https://twitter.com/Scott_Charlton2/status/1104469079275065349

I think Travis’ injury may be too much for the Wildcats to overcome, but they’ve won 4 consecutive SEC tourney titles, so you can never count them out.

2. Tennessee (27-4, 15-3, Last week: 1)

Who will Tennessee face Friday if the bracket seedings hold true? The Mississippi State Bulldogs, who are the No. 6 seed and just lost in Knoxville last week.

In that game, the Vols got some of their groove back (before losing at Auburn to close the regular season). I mean, look at this nasty pass from Jordan Bone to a streaking Kyle Alexander for an incredible dunk:

Because of the Vols’ health and because the tournament will be played in Nashville, I think they’ll be a very tough out this week. Will they be the ones cutting down the nets on Sunday? Only time will tell.

3. LSU (26-5, 16-2, Last week: 2)

They’re the No. 1 seed, yes, but at some point, not having their head coach (Will Wade) and a star player (G Javonte Smart) is going to take its toll. Add in freshman F Naz Reid’s injury concern and the Tigers are not entering the SEC tourney on a high note.

They still have plenty of athleticism, and star PG Tremont Waters can do things like this when his team needs him most, though, so they can’t be counted out completely:

Still, I think it’s going to be tough for them to even reach Sunday’s final, let alone win it. No. 5 seed Auburn is hot, and No. 4 seed South Carolina has the sort of physicality that could get the short-handed Tigers into foul trouble.

4. Auburn (22-9, 11-7, Last week: 4)

Bryce Brown is heating up, and if he and Jared Harper are hitting their 3s like they did Saturday in a win over Tennessee, there’s no reason they can’t cut down the nets in Nashville:

Of course, the Tigers live by the 3 and die by the 3, so it’s also possible that they lose their quarterfinal matchup if they go cold from long range. Considering they’ve won their past 3 games entering the SEC tourney, though, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and say they’re a team that could sneak into the final from the top half of the bracket.

5. South Carolina (16-15, 11-7, Last week: 8)

I give the Gamecocks the edge over Ole Miss simply based on how the bracket ended up this year. South Carolina is the No. 4 seed in a half of the bracket with LSU (which is undergoing some problems, as I detailed above).

Yes, they still have some work to do to make Sunday’s final, but based on what Frank Martin’s squad has accomplished in SEC play this year, it would be unwise to count them out.

6. Ole Miss (20-11, 10-8, Last week: 6)

The Rebels could certainly make a run in Nashville, but they have a brutal route to the final. First, they need to beat a desperate Alabama team, and then take down Kentucky. Should they do all that, Tennessee might be looming in the semifinals.

Of course, this team wasn’t expected to do much this year and still won 20 games, so bet against the Kermit Davis-led Rebels at your own risk. With Breein Tyree, Terence Davis and Devontae Shuler in the backcourt, this team can be very dangerous.

7. Mississippi State (22-9, 10-8, Last week: 5)

Much like Ole Miss (see above), the Bulldogs have a tough draw in their quest to win an SEC title. I give the Rebels a slight edge, though, because they’ll likely get a Kentucky team with a limited Reid Travis in the quarterfinals.

The Bulldogs, on the other hand, would face a full strength Tennessee squad in the quarterfinals. Considering they just lost in Knoxville to the Vols, winning more than one game in Nashville won’t be easy for Ben Howland and Co.

8. Arkansas (17-14, 8-10, Last week: 10)

In what will likely be his last game at Bud Walton Arena, Daniel Gafford brought the thunder for the Razorbacks. The sophomore big man had 29 points and a career-high 16 rebounds against Alabama to help the Hogs claim the No. 9 seed in the SEC tourney.

Gafford is a beast around the basket, as you can see in the two dunks below:

Since it’s a very weak class of potential bubble teams this year, the Hogs aren’t officially out of the NCAA Tournament just yet. However, to warrant serious consideration, they’ll probably have to at least win 2 games (probably 3) in Nashville this week.

9. Florida (17-14, 9-9, Last week: 7)

The Gators need at least one win, probably two, in Nashville to make the NCAA Tournament. It was always going to be tough to close the season against LSU and Kentucky, but a loss to Georgia before that was what really hurt the Gators.

Now, unless they win two games before bowing out of the SEC tourney, they’ll have to sweat it out on Selection Sunday. This isn’t where they want to be, obviously, and it’s tough to tell what kind of performance this inconsistent squad will turn in Thursday.

10. Texas A&M (13-17, 6-12, Last week: 11)

The Aggies enter the SEC Tournament as the No. 11 seed, but of all the teams that play Wednesday, I think they have the best chance to advance to Friday’s games. Yes, they just lost to No. 6 seed Mississippi State 92-81 in Starkville on Saturday, but this will be on a neutral court.

A&M has played much better basketball down the stretch, so we’ll see if the Aggies can bring that momentum into Nashville this week.

11. Alabama (17-14, 8-10, Last week: 9)

Yes, the Crimson Tide have a better record than Texas A&M and hold the No. 10 seed in the SEC Tournament, but man, the Tide have been awful lately. With a chance to basically clinch an NCAA Tournament spot, Avery Johnson’s squad has instead lost 3 games in a row.

As the No. 10 seed, they will have to face No. 7 Ole Miss on Thursday in a game that will be a tough one for the Tide to win. Lose, though, and they’ll almost certainly be left out of the field of 68 on Selection Sunday.

Is that something Johnson could withstand, or would it be the end of his tenure in Tuscaloosa?

12. Mizzou (14-16, 5-13, Last week: 12)

The most dangerous position for the Tigers to be in is, apparently, holding a double-digit lead. Once again on Saturday, they lost a game in which they led by 10 or more points. This time, it was Ole Miss that came back against Cuonzo Martin’s snakebitten squad.

Still, there are some positive signs from the Tigers, who have won two of their last three games entering the conference tourney. With the way Georgia has been struggling lately, the Tigers could pick up a win or two in Nashville.

13. Georgia (11-20, 2-16, Last week: 13)

I know I wrote that the Bulldogs had nothing to play for in their final game, but it still would have been nice to see a little fight from them at South Carolina on Saturday. Instead, they lost by 20 in a game that was never particularly close.

Yes, they were locked into the No. 13 seed no matter what, but they didn’t exactly give themselves a lot of positives heading into Nashville. They’ll match up against No. 12 Mizzou on Wednesday, but they’ll need to play a heck of a lot better to have a chance at winning.

14. Vanderbilt (9-22, 0-18, Last week: 14)

The Commodores put the finishing touches on a historically bad season, becoming the first team ever to go 0-18 in SEC play. Yes, the team was much better before 5-star PG Darius Garland went down with an injury, but my goodness, you can’t imploded like Vandy did.

They have a chance to win a game against an SEC foe in Nashville (you know, their home city) this week, as they’ll play No. 11 seed Texas A&M in a first-round game in the SEC Tournament). Can they pull off one upset and reach 10 wins this season? We’ll find out Wednesday.

Adam Spencer

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.

You might also like...

2025 RANKINGS

presented by rankings

RAPID REACTION

presented by rankings