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SEC Basketball Power Rankings: Alabama loses first SEC game, Mizzou’s struggles continue, Vanderbilt on the rise

Adam Spencer

By Adam Spencer

Published:

We only have 2 weeks left in the regular season in college basketball. That’s a crazy sentence to type.

It seems like just yesterday that conference play was starting, but now each SEC men’s hoops team only has 4 regular-season matchups left.

Texas A&M and Vanderbilt both are riding 5-game winning streaks, tied for the longest in the league, just as we all predicted. Alabama just suffered its first SEC loss to Tennessee. Then the Vols promptly lost at Kentucky.

Here’s how all the back-and-forth, up-and-down action impacted our weekly power rankings:

14. LSU (12-15 overall, 1-13 in SEC, Last week: 14)

It’s time to stop making excuses for LSU. Yes, the Tigers had a really tough start to conference play, but with a 14-game (and counting) losing streak, it’s time to call it like it is – this is a bad team. The Tigers have a chance to climb out of the cellar this week, though. First, they host a red-hot Vanderbilt squad on Wednesday night. Then they travel to Oxford to play a bad Ole Miss team on Saturday. Speaking of the Rebels …

13. Ole Miss (10-17, 2-12, LW: 13)

That Saturday night home game against the LSU Tigers is super-important for the Rebels, too. A win keeps them out of last place in the SEC. Would it be enough to save Kermit Davis’s job? Probably not, but it would show that this team at least has some pride heading into the stretch run. A Wednesday night road trip to Auburn won’t be easy for the Rebels.

12. South Carolina (10-17, 3-11, LW: 12)

Meechie Johnson has stepped up to be a leader of this team. Meanwhile, freshman sensation GG Jackson had seen his playing time dwindle in a major way recently, but bounced back with a huge effort in a win over LSU, scoring 20 points to go with 8 rebounds. That’s the player we all thought we’d be seeing more of this year. This week is a brutal one for the Gamecocks, though. First they host No. 2 Alabama on Wednesday night and then travel to No. 11 Tennessee on Saturday night. Ouch.

11. Florida (14-13, 7-7, LW: 11)

This just isn’t a good team without Colin Castleton in the middle. The big man suffered a hand injury and will continue to miss time. Without him, the Gators lost by 19 points at Arkansas on Saturday. The offense is stagnant without Castleton making things happen in the paint. That doesn’t bode well against Kentucky and Vanderbilt this week. Todd Golden’s first season at the helm of the program seems to be in jeopardy of ending with a whimper.

10. Georgia (16-11, 6-8, LW: 10)

The Bulldogs at least managed to avoid losing to LSU last week, squeaking out a narrow 65-63 win in Athens. Then they got absolutely crushed by an angry Alabama team on Saturday in Tuscaloosa to the tune of a 108-59 final score. It won’t be easy by any means, but this week provides the Bulldogs with a fighting chance to get back to .500 in SEC play – at Arkansas on Tuesday night and vs. Mizzou on Saturday.

9. Auburn (18-9, 8-6, LW: 8)

The Tigers became the latest victims of Vanderbilt on Saturday, falling 67-65 in Nashville. This year’s team just doesn’t have enough firepower offensively when Wendell Green Jr. struggles. He had only 5 points on Saturday, going 2-for-14 from the floor, 0-for-3 from 3-point range and 1-for-2 from the free-throw line. That’s not going to cut it this year for the Tigers. Auburn hosts Ole Miss on Wednesday night before having a chance to add a signature win to its résumé on Saturday at Kentucky.

8. Arkansas (18-9, 7-7, LW: 6)

Tuesday night is an incredibly important game for Eric Musselman and company. The Georgia Bulldogs come to Fayetteville in what is nearly a must-win game for the Razorbacks’ NCAA Tournament résumé. They can’t avoid a bad loss at this stage of the season, especially with a road trip to Tuscaloosa to face No. 2 Alabama on Saturday afternoon. The good news? Nick Smith Jr. played 30 minutes on Saturday in a beatdown of Florida and scored 10 points. He is getting better every day.

7. Vanderbilt (15-12, 8-6, LW: 9)

How about the Vanderbilt Commodores, y’all? They’re riding a 5-game winning streak and have taken down the likes of Tennessee, Florida and Auburn in that span. Liam Robbins is playing like an All-SEC big man. In Saturday’s 67-65 win over the Tigers, Robbins had 24 points and 12 rebounds. He was the only Commodore to score in double figures, going 17-for-20 from the free-throw line and also knocking down a 3-pointer:

If LSU and Florida are going to snap the Commodores’ winning streak this week, stopping Robbins is a top priority.

6. Mississippi State (18-9, 6-8, LW: 5)

Needing overtime to beat Ole Miss isn’t a good sign for the Bulldogs, but that’s a rivalry game, so it’s always going to be tougher than normal. Mississippi State continues to be a top-5 defense in the country, per KenPom’s rankings, so that’s still a good sign. This is going to be a tough, but important, week for Chris Jans and company. On Tuesday night, the Bulldogs head to Columbia to face Mizzou. Then on Saturday, Texas A&M comes to Starkville. Neither of those games will be easy.

5. Mizzou (19-8, 7-7, LW: 3)

The Tigers are trending in the wrong direction, but that’s how this team has played all year. When the 3-point shot is falling, Mizzou is nearly unstoppable. When it isn’t, the Tigers are very mediocre. In a loss at Auburn on Tuesday, Mizzou only managed to go 5-for-22 from beyond the arc. In Saturday’s loss to Texas A&M? Only 9-for-26 from deep. It won’t be easy to fix those shooting woes against Mississippi State’s defense on Tuesday night, but that’s what the Tigers have to do to stay off the NCAA Tournament bubble and firmly in the field of 68.

4. Tennessee (20-7, 9-5, LW: 4)

The Vols continue to be a mystery. When Tennessee is playing well, it can beat anyone, including an Alabama team that entered Knoxville with a 12-0 SEC record. When Tennessee isn’t playing well, it is the definition of brutal on offense. Which version of the Vols will we see on Tuesday night in a huge game against No. 25 Texas A&M in College Station? We’ll find out soon enough!

3. Kentucky (18-9, 9-5, LW: 7)

This might be hard to believe based on how this season started, but Kentucky would be a top-4 seed in the SEC tournament if it began tomorrow. The Wildcats have finished off a season sweep of rival Tennessee, and did so behind a big game from Cason Wallace. The freshman guard had 16 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. He also played his usual strong defense, showing why he’s going to be a lottery pick. This is NBA-level shot-creating and shot-making:

Kentucky plays at Florida on Wednesday and hosts Auburn on Saturday. Those games would be very helpful to add to the Wildcats’ NCAA Tournament résumé.

2. Texas A&M (20-7, 12-2, LW: 2)

The Aggies have now won 5 in a row and have remained within striking distance of Alabama atop the SEC standings. But the Aggies’ final 4 regular-season games won’t be easy. They’re hosting Tennessee on Tuesday, then play at Mississippi State on Saturday. Next week, they travel to Ole Miss before finishing the regular season with a massive game against Alabama in College Station. That could be the game that decides the SEC title. What an atmosphere that would be in Reed Arena!

1. Alabama (23-4, 13-1, LW: 1)

The Crimson Tide absolutely embarrassed Georgia 108-59 on Saturday after losing at Tennessee earlier in the week. It’s a good sign for Nate Oats and company that bad losses don’t hurt this team’s morale. The Tide are great at bouncing back. Freshman Brandon Miller was great once again, scoring 21 points against the Dawgs. Alabama plays at South Carolina and hosts Arkansas this week before finishing the regular season next week with a home game against rival Auburn and a road trip to Texas A&M.

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.

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