We made it to the start of the SEC portion of the 2020-21 men’s basketball season! There have been plenty of bumps along the way, but we’ve hit league play, which is shaping up to be an exciting year.

On Tuesday and Wednesday nights, 12 of the 14 SEC teams (everyone except Kentucky and South Carolina) are scheduled to be in action.

So, where do the 14 teams stand as we enter league play? Here’s a look at this week’s SEC hoops power rankings:

14. South Carolina (1-2 overall, Last week: 14)

I said last week I don’t expect the Gamecocks to stay in the cellar once they can return to the court. But that assumes they do return to the court. Tuesday night’s game was postponed. As of right now, the Gamecocks have a nonconference tilt against Florida A&M scheduled for Saturday. We’ll see if they can play.

13. Kentucky (1-6, LW: 11)

This team is a complete mess. Of course, the Wildcats will enter SEC play with a 0-0 record, just like everyone else, but without a quick turnaround, things will continue to spiral. Kentucky might need to clinch an automatic berth via a regular-season or conference tournament title if it wants to play in the NCAA Tournament this year. That’s a crazy thing to say, but it’s probably true after this disastrous nonconference run.

On Saturday, the Wildcats lost 62-59 at rival Louisville. Just like against Notre Dame, Olivier Sarr had the final shot:

Yes, that came really close to falling, but it was still worth exactly 0 points. Here’s the shot vs. Notre Dame:

It just seems like it might be time to run a different play with the game on the line. There’s a reason that shot has been available to Sarr both times.

Anyway, the Wildcats won’t play South Carolina tonight due to COVID-19 issues in the Gamecocks’ program. They’ll tip off SEC action Saturday with a trip to Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are a bottom-half SEC team, so it’s absolutely a must-win game for Kentucky.

12. Vanderbilt (4-2, LW: 13)

The Commodores were demolished at home by Davidson on Tuesday night, 85-65. Then, they turned around and routed Alcorn State 87-59 on Sunday afternoon. The consistent thread between the 2 games was the play of Scotty Pippen Jr. He scored 24 points against Davidson and 30 against Alcorn State. I think Vanderbilt will win some SEC games this year, but until there’s more consistency behind Pippen, there will be some struggles. The Commodores host Florida on Wednesday night in the SEC opener.

11. Mississippi State (5-3, LW: 12)

Mississippi State is 5-3, but its 3 losses aren’t terrible. Dayton, Liberty and Clemson are all good teams. Thus, we’ll learn a lot about the Bulldogs this week when they open SEC play. Their first 2 games are at 7-0 Georgia and at home against 1-6 Kentucky. Georgia is undefeated, yes, but it hasn’t played many tough nonconference squads. We’ll see if Ben Howland’s crew can pull off an upset on Wednesday night in Athens.

10. Alabama (5-3, LW: 10)

The Crimson Tide beat ETSU 85-69 on Tuesday night in a good tune-up before SEC play. John Petty Jr. didn’t play, but the good news is that sophomore Jaden Shackelford had his best game of the season. He scored a team-high 26 points and went 8-for-13 from 3-point range.

Another good sign? Point guard Jahvon Quinerly scored 14 points, dished out 9 assists and only committed 1 turnover. This is a team that is trending in the right direction ahead of the SEC opener against Ole Miss tonight.

9. Texas A&M (5-1, LW: 9)

Texas A&M faces one of the more interesting 2-game stretches to start the SEC season — at LSU on Tuesday night and vs. Auburn on Saturday. Obviously, I have LSU and Auburn higher in my rankings than the Aggies (more on those 2 teams in a bit), but these are the types of games Buzz Williams’ team won last year. Can the Aggies continue to catch teams by surprise? The play of Emanuel Miller will have a lot to do with answering that question.

8. Ole Miss (5-1, LW: 8)

The Rebels have an interesting week, kicking off SEC play at Alabama on Tuesday night before hosting Wichita State on Saturday in a nonconference game. Going 2-0 in those games will show that this is a team on the rise. Going 0-2 will signal trouble in Oxford. I think this is a solid team that will finish in the middle of the pack in the SEC, but I’m not sure until I see these 2 matchups.

7. Auburn (6-2, LW: 7)

Auburn enters SEC play on a 5-game winning streak, with impressive victories over Memphis, Appalachian State, Troy and others during that stretch. I’ve been impressed with the way Bruce Pearl’s team has played after losing so much talent from last year and not having 5-star freshman Sharife Cooper.

But SEC play is a different beast. Can the Tigers stay hot against Arkansas on Wednesday night and at Texas A&M on Saturday?

6. LSU (5-1, LW: 6)

I didn’t like how hard the Tigers had to work to beat Nicholls on Saturday, holding on for a narrow 86-80 victory. However, they were without star PG Javonte Smart, who really makes things easier on both ends of the floor for LSU.

I did like how well freshman sensation Cam Thomas played. He scored 29 points and can hit shots from all over the floor. It’s already his third game of at least 25 points, which leads all freshman at the Division I level:

https://twitter.com/SECNetwork/status/1342946149091717120

Sophomore big man Trendon Watford had perhaps an even better game, though, scoring 22 points, grabbing 9 rebounds and dishing out 6 assists. He’s a great passer for a big guy, which really helps his overall game.

Smart shouldn’t miss too much time, it seems. So, if he’s back for the SEC opener against Texas A&M tonight, the Tigers should be favored to win.

5. Georgia (7-0, LW: 5)

I am so excited to learn more about this Georgia team. I’ve liked what I’ve seen from the Bulldogs thus far, but their best win was against a Cincinnati team that is currently No. 76 in the KenPom.com rankings. Last Tuesday, they needed one of the biggest turnarounds of the season to overcome a halftime deficit against Northeastern (No. 171 in the KenPom rankings). The Bulldogs allowed 45 points in the first half and only 13 in the second half.

At least we know Tom Crean can give a heck of a halftime speech. We’ll see if he needs to this week as the Bulldogs host Mississippi State on Wednesday night.

4. Florida (3-1, LW: 4)

The Gators will take the court for the first time since the Florida State game where Keyontae Johnson collapsed on Wednesday night at Vanderbilt. Fortunately, the Gators will be able to play knowing that Johnson is recovering well. He has even been working as a coach recently. That’s great news, but now, the Gators will have to learn how to win without the SEC Preseason Player of the Year on the floor. They should be able to beat the Commodores, but a Saturday home game against LSU will be a tougher test.

3. Arkansas (8-0, LW: 3)

The Razorbacks enter league play with the most wins of any team in the SEC. No, they haven’t played any notable opponents, but they are winning with a bunch of guys who are playing well together. At the center of all that is freshman Moses Moody. He is averaging 16.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He affects the game in so many ways and can score from anywhere:

https://twitter.com/League_Him/status/1343301734022701058

Can he keep this up as the competition gets tougher? We’ll see as the Hogs travel to Auburn on Wednesday night and host Mizzou on Saturday.

2. Tennessee (6-0, LW: 2)

The Vols have looked like an elite team this year and have a solid win on their résumé. Colorado is No. 24 in the KenPom rankings. But I’m interested in seeing how Jaden Springer and Keon Johnson progress. Neither is in the starting lineup, but they’re starting to get more playing time. I honestly don’t know who Rick Barnes should take out of the starting 5 to get his 5-star freshmen in there, but I would like to see him take the training wheels off the freshmen soon.

There’s a battle for No. 1 in these rankings on Wednesday night. It’s a safe bet to say the winner of that game will be in the top spot this time next Tuesday!

1. Mizzou (6-0, LW: 1)

As mentioned, Tennessee’s best win is against Colorado. Meanwhile, the Tigers have 2 victories against teams higher in the KenPom rankings — No. 7 Illinois and No. 17 Oregon. Yes, it took an insane comeback for the Tigers to beat Bradley last Tuesday, but the important thing is the team found a way to win, thanks to this shot and a subsequent free throw from big man Jeremiah Tilmon:

https://twitter.com/SECNetwork/status/1341567502917230592

I mentioned the game against the Vols on Wednesday night, but a road trip to Arkansas on Saturday also looms large. What a tough start to the SEC campaign for the Tigers! We’ll see if they can handle the pressure.