SEC Basketball Power Rankings: Another big win for Tennessee, Mississippi State defends home court
The Tennessee vs. Memphis rivalry was one of the most entertaining games of the year, with the Vols picking up a 102-92 victory in enemy territory.
It had flopping, icy handshakes, whining by both coach and player, and even had a guy arrested for doing something disgusting in the concourse. Next year, the rivalry shifts to Knoxville, and in 2020, it’ll be played in Nashville.
Beyond that, the future of the game is unclear, but this proved to be a fantastic rivalry and it should be played every year. As more rivalry games come up this weekend, it’s important to note how much fun they are.
Let’s hope teams continue to play their nonconference rivals every year (looking at you, Mizzou and Kansas). With that said, here’s a look at this week’s SEC basketball power rankings, with the Vols holding on to the top spot:
1. Tennessee (8-1, Last week: 1)
Another week, another big win for the Vols, who went into Memphis and won a heated rivalry game against Penny Hardaway and the Tigers. It got chippy, but the Vols managed to control the game from the opening tip, and it was the sort of dominant performance that should continue to give fans a lot of hope moving forward.
Admiral Schofield had a huge game, scoring 29 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. After the final buzzer, he also made sure Memphis players and fans knew who ran the state of Tennessee:
Admiral Schofield on his victory lap: “They were chirping a lot. I just had to let them know that UT was still on top” @TreyWallace_ pic.twitter.com/goHe1EQuqd
— FOX Sports Knoxville (@FOXSportsKnox) December 15, 2018
Games against Samford and Wake Forest this week should be manageable, but this team is must-see TV every time it takes the court.
2. Auburn (9-1, Last week: 2)
The Tigers needed overtime to hold off UAB in Birmingham, but a win is a win, and the Blazers are a quality mid-major foe. Jared Harper was dominant once again, scoring 23 of Auburn’s final 30 points and finishing the game with a team-high 31 points.
He’s also a good creator, getting easy buckets for teammates, including some in exciting fashion:
#8 Auburn outlasts UAB 75-71 in OT. Jared Harper scores 23 of the Tigers’ final 30 and closes with a new career-high 31 points.
— CollegeBB News (@CollegeBBNCAA) December 16, 2018
The Tigers need some more consistency behind Harper moving forward, but there is still plenty of talent on Bruce Pearl’s roster.
3. Mississippi State (9-1, Last week: 3)
The Bulldogs picked up arguably their biggest nonconference win of the past two years on Saturday night, beating a tough Cincinnati squad 70-59 in Starkville and avenging last year’s loss to the Bearcats.
Lamar Peters had another big game, scoring 14 points and dishing out nine assists to lead the Bulldogs. Here’s a look at how Peters is able to get to the basket and create easy dunks for his teammates in traffic:
It was determined tonight that @_R1bang_ is an absolute unit. Here's Reggie snatching someone's soul on this second half jam (another beauty from Lamar Peters) #WCBI pic.twitter.com/EjWgvi62cu
— Tom Eble (@Tom_Eble) December 16, 2018
This is a fun team to watch, and Ben Howland has his guys playing their best basketball right now.
4. Kentucky (8-2, Last week: 5)
Utah isn’t as good as it has been in years past, but a 27-point win over a Pac-12 foe is still impressive for this young team. Keldon Johnson is becoming an absolute star before our eyes, hitting his first five 3-point shots Saturday against the Utes:
https://twitter.com/FrankieVision/status/1074098984900190208
Johnson finished with a team-high 24 points and finished 6-of-7 from behind the arc. He’s becoming the leader and the Wildcats will need to ride him moving forward, with a game against a red-hot North Carolina squad coming up on Saturday night in Chicago.
5. LSU (7-3, Last week: 4)
The Tigers wasted a chance to pick up a signature road win over a ranked Houston team, blowing a 15-point second-half lead to lose by 6. They bounced back nicely against a tough Saint Mary’s team Saturday, and are playing some fun basketball (as illustrated by this alley-oop connection between Tremont Waters and Marlon Taylor):
.@LSUBasketball out here hooping ? pic.twitter.com/OdmJnFbAbF
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) December 16, 2018
Still, blowing that big lead on the road shows how much work is left to be done with this LSU team. The Tigers won’t be fun to play when the SEC portion of the schedule starts, though.
6. Arkansas (7-2, Last week: 7)
We knew big man Daniel Gafford was going to be a star heading into this season, but the emergence of freshman guard Isaiah Joe has been impressive. He’s averaging 16.9 points per game and hit 5 of his 6 3-pointers Saturday against UTSA while scoring 21 points:
3IJoe! Freshman guard Isaiah Joe @Isaiah_joe10 just dropped his 5th bomb as the Hogs use a 5-0 run to regain the lead, 53-52, w/8:00 remaining … Joe leads Arkansas w/15 pts, & freshman forward Reggie Chaney @reggie_chaney has 10 of his 11 pts in the 2nd half … pic.twitter.com/fCHRXPXVzW
— Kevin McPherson (@ARHoopScoop) December 16, 2018
The Hogs host Georgia Tech and Texas State this week ahead of Christmas break, so they have a chance to pick up two more wins for their sneakily impressive resume.
7. Alabama (6-3, Last week: 6)
The Crimson Tide were off this week, and that caused them to drop a spot, as Arkansas picked up an impressive win and Alabama didn’t. Still, the Tide can climb back into that No. 6 spot potentially, with games against Liberty and Penn State this week.
8. Vanderbilt (7-2, Last week: 10)
Even without Darius Garland, the Commodores dominated a ranked Arizona State squad in Nashville on Monday night. PG Saben Lee led the way with 14 points, but five Vandy players scored in double figures, so it was a very balanced effort from Bryce Drew’s squad. That is a positive sign moving forward, and the Commodores will have a chance to build on this momentum against Kansas State in Kansas City on Saturday.
9. Florida (5-4, Last week: 8)
The Gators haven’t played since a tough home loss to Michigan State on Dec. 8, but this week sets up nicely for them to build some momentum. On Tuesday, Mercer comes to Gainesville, and they have a game against Florida Gulf Coast on Saturday. Neither opponent is anything special, but it’ll be good for Mike White’s team to get a couple of wins heading into a Dec. 29 showdown with Butler.
10. Mizzou (6-3, Last week: 9)
This week will be a make-or-break week for the Mizzou season, with a home game against Xavier and a rivalry game against Illinois in St. Louis on the schedule. The Tigers should be well-rested for these tests, but they’ll need to bring their “A” game if they’re going to pick up a big win or two.
11. Georgia (5-4, Last week: 12)
The Bulldogs battled a ranked Arizona State team well Saturday afternoon, but a pair of late-game mistakes (and star F Rayshaun Hammonds fouling out) hampered them in the eventual 76-74 home loss.
The Dawgs have a chance to pick up some nice wins this week, though, with games against Oakland and Georgia Tech looming before the Christmas break.
12. Ole Miss (7-2, Last week: 12)
The Rebels keep winning, but it’d be nice if they beat a quality team. Their last two victories came against Southeast Louisiana and Chattanooga, teams ranked No. 300 and No. 309, respectively, in the KenPom rankings. A win over No. 60 Baylor is their best so far, and even that is nothing to write home about at this point.
13. Texas A&M (4-4, Last week: 14)
The Aggies went out to Portland and won a “neutral site” game against Oregon State — a big victory for their confidence moving forward. TJ Starks played well, scoring 18 points and dishing out eight assists against the Beavers.
A&M doesn’t have any remaining road games before conference play starts, so we’ll see if they can ride the momentum from Saturday’s win into the SEC portion of their schedule.
14. South Carolina (4-5, Last week: 13)
The Gamecocks were off this week, but the rest likely won’t make a difference, as No. 5 Virginia rolls into town Wednesday night. Then, on Saturday, Frank Martin’s squad hosts a tough Clemson team in a rivalry game. That could be an 0-2 stretch, which would hurt the Gamecocks heading into SEC play.