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SEC Basketball Power Rankings: Florida continues to dominate, Alabama slips up, Georgia is a disaster
By Adam Spencer
Published:
Now that the Feast Week tournaments are over, a couple of SEC teams are adding some hardware to their collections. Meanwhile, others are scratching their heads after bad losses.
We’ve got a new No. 1 in the SEC power rankings this week, as previous No. 1 Alabama suffered a loss to Rick Pitino’s Iona squad in the ESPN Events tournament.
Elsewhere, Vanderbilt pulled off a big win and Florida and Arkansas continued to roll. So, how did that impact the power rankings?
Here’s a look at where each squad stands this week:
14. Georgia (2-5 overall, Last week: 14)
It has already been a long year for the Bulldogs and we haven’t even reached conference play yet. The Dawgs are on a 4-game losing streak and just lost at home against Wofford. With Memphis coming to town on Wednesday, things will likely get worse before they get better for Tom Crean’s squad.
13. South Carolina (5-1, LW: 12)
The good news? Keyshawn Bryant is back from his 5-game suspension. He didn’t miss a beat, scoring a team-high 17 points to go with 5 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists and 2 steals. However, the Gamecocks still trailed Rider at halftime and needed a big second half to pull off a 65-58 victory. That’s not so great. We’ll see if the Gamecocks can avoid a loss at Coastal Carolina and vs. Georgetown this week.
12. Ole Miss (4-2, LW: 10)
When this offense goes cold, it goes really cold. The Rebels lost 60-50 to Boise State in the finale of the Charleston Classic and it was ugly. The Rebels bounced back with a win over Mississippi Valley State this past week, but that’s not exactly an impressive victory. We’ll see if Kermit Davis can pull off a big upset when No. 18 Memphis comes to Oxford on Saturday.
11. Mizzou (4-3, LW: 11)
The Tigers actually looked decent defensively against Wichita State on Friday. Yes, they lost, but it was something to build on. They did that against an overmatched Paul Quinn squad on Monday night in Columbia. Thursday’s game at Liberty is going to be a major challenge for Cuonzo Martin’s squad, though.
10. Vanderbilt (5-1, LW: 13)
Vanderbilt picked up an impressive road win last week, going into Pitt and leaving with a 68-52 blowout victory. Trey Thomas was a walking heat-check off the bench, scoring a team-high 14 points in only 16 minutes of play. He went 4-for-6 from 3-point range, including this nice shot:
Two Treys. Trey Thomas. 10-2 run. @iamtreythomas | #AnchorDown pic.twitter.com/F7yMgrQWN6
— Vanderbilt Men's Basketball (@VandyMBB) November 25, 2021
The Commodores have a chance to pick up another respectable road win on Saturday when they head to SMU.
9. Texas A&M (6-1, LW: 9)
The Aggies finished off a solid stay at the Maui Invitational with a win over Notre Dame on Wednesday. Now, they’ll take on New Orleans on Tuesday night with a chance to pick up win No. 7 before a bit of a break. We’ll find out if the Aggies can keep things going in a positive direction. Considering this team went 8-10 last year, a chance to be at 7 wins only 8 games into the season is incredible.
8. Mississippi State (5-1, LW: 7)
The Bahamas Championship was a mixed bag for the Bulldogs. A Thanksgiving loss to Louisville got the tournament started on the wrong foot, but they bounced back with an overtime win over Richmond in the second game. The biggest news of the week though is that Tolu Smith is back, having made his season debut against the Cardinals. Then, against the Spiders, he had a 22-point, 11-rebound double-double. He looks like he’s back to full strength:
Tolu back to doing Tolu things ?#HailState? pic.twitter.com/KwN3ueEIgy
— Mississippi State Men's Basketball (@HailStateMBK) November 27, 2021
That’s a big addition for Mississippi State. He’s a game-changer for them moving forward.
7. Kentucky (6-1, LW: 6)
After a win over Central Michigan on Monday night, Kentucky’s week is done. The Wildcats will next play at home against Southern next Tuesday. Then, the interesting nonconference action starts for John Calipari’s squad — at Notre Dame, vs. Ohio State in Las Vegas, vs. Louisville. That’s the stretch where we’ll learn if this team is better equipped to compete for an SEC title than last year’s disastrous squad.
6. Alabama (6-1, LW: 1)
Rick Pitino is a great coach, so it’s not too surprising that Alabama lost to Iona in the first round of the ESPN Events Invitational on Thanksgiving afternoon. A 9-point win over Drake in the second game was also less than convincing. Finally, the Tide broke out of their shooting slump with a 96-64 rout of Miami in the finale in Orlando. Keon Ellis scored 22 points to lead the way in that one, also throwing down this monstrous dunk:
ICYMI Keon Ellis' dunk was No. 5 on @SportsCenter's Top 10‼️ @Tyrese_Ellis00 #RollTide | #BlueCollarBasketball pic.twitter.com/pINWmhv7Js
— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) November 29, 2021
Now, things get even more interesting for the Tide, as they head to Seattle to take on No. 3 Gonzaga on Saturday. That will be a monumental test for Nate Oats and company.
5. LSU (7-0, LW: 8)
The Tigers won the Emerald Coast Classic, handing Wake Forest its first loss of the season in the title game. The offense was incredibly balanced in that contest, with 7 different players posting at least 9 points. Efton Reid is becoming a legitimate post player, leading the Tigers with 14 points against the Demon Deacons:
footwork.
? @CBSSportsNet pic.twitter.com/C6tqWTWPjj
— LSU Basketball (@LSUBasketball) November 28, 2021
How long can the Tigers remain unbeaten? They should beat Ohio on Wednesday night to go to 8-0 before a 10-day break.
4. Auburn (5-1, LW: 4)
Jabari Smith has arrived. The Tigers lost a double-overtime thriller against UConn in the opener of last week’s Battle 4 Atlantis, but bounced back with nice wins over Loyola Chicago and Syracuse. Smith led the way offensively against Syracuse, scoring 22 points. He even drew a technical foul after this shot for taunting the Syracuse bench:
Every shot, assist, rebound, block, & turnover from @AuburnMBB forward Jabari Smith's (@jabarismithll) 11-26-21 game against Syracuse https://t.co/jpbm6LQja8
I don't see any way that Smith goes later than 3 in this draft, & him vs Holmgren is worth a discussion IMO #2022NBADraft pic.twitter.com/i6R4D7K6Dr
— The Scouting Rapport (@ScoutingRapport) November 28, 2021
He’s going to be a superstar, so enjoy him while you can, Auburn fans. He’s definitely going to be a 1-and-done player and looks like a top-5 NBA Draft pick.
3. Tennessee (4-1, LW: 3)
The Vols face an interesting road test on Saturday after a Tuesday night tuneup against Presbyterian. They’ll head to Boulder to take on Colorado. That’s a tough place to play, due to the altitude. We’ll see if the Vols can keep playing like a team that should challenge for the SEC regular-season title this year.
2. Arkansas (6-0, LW: 5)
After the Hogs won the Hall of Fame Classic with an old-school, physical victory over Cincinnati, they picked up another win on Sunday against Penn. JD Notae put on an absolute show, scoring 28 points to lead Arkansas:
JD Notae in a 76-60 win vs. Penn : 28 points (13-24 shooting), 9 rebounds & 5 assists in 36 minutes pic.twitter.com/nEl8PCbEPW
— Lee Harvey (@MusikFan4Life) November 29, 2021
He’s a walking bucket. Sometimes the Hogs rely too much on him to be the whole offense, but this team continues to cruise right along.
1. Florida (6-0, LW: 2)
Should we take a look at the shot again? Yeah? OK, here it is, Tyree Appleby’s long 3 to give the Gators the title in the Fort Myers Tip-Off:
▶️?? One of the best endings to a Florida #Gators basketball game ever.
?Tyree Appleby alley-oop to Anthony Duruji to tie it at 68.
?Appleby buzzer-beater to beat Ohio State 71-68.
ONIONS! pic.twitter.com/hOL1PhF5Mb
— OnlyGators.com: Florida Gators news (@onlygators) November 25, 2021
That was a big-time shot and a huge boost for this team’s confidence. Unlike in the past under coach Mike White, this Gator team handles adversity well. A road trip to Oklahoma on Wednesday will be the next tough test for Florida.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 14 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.