It’s hard to believe, but there are only 2 weeks left in the SEC regular season. That’s 4 games each for all 14 SEC squads.

Kentucky still holds a 2-game lead in the regular-season race, but Auburn and LSU are 10-4 and within striking distance should the Wildcats slip. A showdown between the Wildcats and Auburn looms large Saturday in Lexington.

Whatever happens the next 2 weeks, the finish of the regular season should be exciting. As we enter the penultimate week of the 2019-20 campaign, here’s a look at where each squad stands in our updated power rankings:

14. Vanderbilt (9-18 overall, 1-13 in SEC, Last Week: 14)

What has it been like to be a Vanderbilt basketball fan these past 2 years? I imagine it feels a lot like this on a daily basis:

Yep, that’s Tyree Crump hitting a shot from just past half court to snatch the Commodores’ second SEC victory from their hands. So close, yet so far. That’s the Vanderbilt story the past 2 years.

The Commodores have 2 great chances to win this week, though. First, they host Mizzou on Wednesday, then travel to Oxford to play Ole Miss on Saturday. We’ll see if they can get back in the win column.

13. Ole Miss (13-14, 4-10, LW: 9)

The Rebels’ defense was … well, it wasn’t great Saturday against Alabama. The Crimson Tide won 103-78, scoring 58 points in the second half.

Breein Tyree continues to score points, dropping 29 against Mizzou and 28 against Alabama, but the Rebels lost both games. Now, Ole Miss has to try to get back on track at Auburn on Tuesday night and at home against Vanderbilt on Saturday. They’ll need to play better defense against both of those high-scoring squads.

12. Georgia (14-13, 4-10, LW: 13)

Beating Auburn and Vanderbilt was a great sign from the Bulldogs, who desperately needed to show some signs of life. However, beating Vanderbilt on a last-second shot isn’t exactly a great win.

Still, you can see Crump’s game-winning shot in the Vanderbilt section above, and Anthony Edwards was up to his usual impressive play, scoring 18 points against Auburn and 19 at Vanderbilt. He also had this incredible dunk:

Even though the Dawgs are struggling this year, he’s a special player. It’ll be fun to see him at the NBA level next year.

11. Mizzou (13-14, 5-9, LW: 11)

The Tigers beat Ole Miss early last week, but their Saturday road trip to Fayetteville wasn’t quite as fun. Mizzou battled, but the Razorbacks emerged with a much-needed 78-68 victory.

Still, the Tigers have won 2 of their past 3 games and have an interesting week ahead. They’ll play at Vanderbilt on Wednesday in a game they can’t get caught looking past (just ask LSU). Then, Saturday, they host a desperate Mississippi State team. We’ll see if the Tigers can add another win or 2 to their record.

10. Arkansas (17-10, 5-9, LW: 12)

Isaiah Joe is back! And, he wasted no time making a difference for the Razorbacks in Saturday’s win over Mizzou. He led the team with 21 points and was 5-for-10 from 3-point range.

He was also clutch. Just look at these 2 late 3-pointers that were absolute daggers to the Tigers:

That’s the sort of clutchness Arkansas has been missing while Mason Jones has had to carry most of the offensive load. Now that Joe is back, the Hogs have no room for error, though.

This week, they face must-win games vs. Tennessee (Wednesday) and at Georgia (Saturday). Lose either and their NCAA Tournament hopes will be on life support.

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

The Vols had a couple of tough games last week, taking down a feisty Vanderbilt team and then losing at Auburn. That loss to the Tigers was brutal, as the Vols really needed a signature win to boost their NCAA Tournament résumé.

Still, there were some positives. Jordan Bowden continues to break out of his slump, leading the Vols in points in both games. He scored a career-high 28 points against Auburn and threw down this vicious dunk:

He made 9 of his 12 shots (including 3 of 4 from 3-point range) and also dished out 6 assists. He has seemingly regained his confidence, and that’s a great sign for Tennessee.

Don’t count the Vols out of the NCAA Tournament just yet, though. The road will be tough, but if they can beat Arkansas on Wednesday and Florida on Saturday, they’ll remain in the hunt.

8. Alabama (15-12, 7-7, LW: 7)

When Alabama’s offense is clicking, there aren’t many teams that can hang with the Crimson Tide. Nate Oats’ team has scored at least 100 points 3 times after Saturday’s 103-78 blowout win over Ole Miss. (They’ve also allowed 100 or more points 3 times, though.)

Five players scored in double figures against the Rebels, led by John Petty with 21 points. Unfortunately for this team’s NCAA Tournament bid, the Tide also lost to Texas A&M earlier in the week.

Now, they’ll have to win at Mississippi State on Tuesday and at home against South Carolina on Saturday to keep their slim hopes alive.

7. Mississippi State (17-10, 8-6, LW: 4)

The Bulldogs suffered perhaps the most hurtful loss of the weekend in terms of an NCAA Tournament bubble bursting. Yes, Texas A&M has been tough this year (more on the Aggies in a second), but that was a game the Bulldogs needed to win.

Now, they absolutely have to go 4-0 to close out the regular season. Fortunately for Mississippi State, that is possible. Here are their final games:

  • vs. Alabama
  • at Mizzou
  • at South Carolina
  • vs. Ole Miss

Those are tough but winnable games. Getting to 20 wins before the SEC Tournament starts will be crucial for Ben Howland’s squad.

6. Texas A&M (14-12, 8-6, LW: 10)

Sign me up for the “Buzz Williams for SEC Coach of the Year” bandwagon. What Williams has done in his first year in College Station has been nothing short of incredible.

The Aggies have won 3 games in a row, thanks to the strong play of Josh Nebo, Wendell Mitchell and others. In Saturday’s 87-75 win over Mississippi State, Mitchell scored 20 points and hit this NBA-range 3-point shot:

https://twitter.com/aggiembk/status/1231370361557700608

Oh, and he was fouled on the shot, too. That’s the kind of confidence the Aggies are playing with lately, and Williams deserves a ton of credit for that.

This week is going to be brutal, though. The Aggies host Kentucky on Tuesday before heading to Baton Rouge to play at LSU on Saturday. We’ll see if A&M can continue pulling off upsets.

5. South Carolina (16-11, 8-6, LW: 4)

The Gamecocks’ NCAA Tournament hopes took a big hit last week when they lost to Mississippi State and LSU. That was exactly what South Carolina couldn’t have happen, and even though the Gamecocks played well, the losses were brutal.

Keyshawn Bryant did throw down this great dunk as part of a 15-point, 10-rebound effort against LSU, though:

Both games this week (vs. Georgia on Wednesday and at Alabama on Saturday) are must-wins for Frank Martin’s squad. The good news? They are definitely both winnable.

4. Florida (17-10, 9-5, LW: 5)

If Florida is going to hold onto its spot in the NCAA Tournament, the Gators are going to have to earn it. Here are the last 4 games on the Gators’ schedule:

  • vs. LSU
  • at Tennessee
  • at Georgia
  • vs. Kentucky

The Gators battled tough in Lexington on Saturday, but eventually fell 65-59 to the Wildcats. It’ll be important for them to bounce back quickly against the Tigers and Vols this week.

3. LSU (19-8, 10-4, LW: 3)

Losing by 3 against Kentucky earlier last week was far from a bad loss. Yes, it would have been good for the Tigers to win, but they played well enough that they should have confidence if they meet the Wildcats in the SEC Tournament.

As for Saturday’s win at South Carolina, that was a big deal. The Gamecocks had been one of the hottest teams in the conference, and the Tigers won 86-80 in Columbia.

The LSU frontcourt played really well, with Trendon Watford recording a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double (to go with 2 blocks and 2 assists) and Darius Days scoring 18 points, grabbing 9 boards and scooping up 5 steals. Giving up 20 offensive rebounds to the Gamecocks wasn’t ideal, but the Tigers picked up an important win nonetheless.

Now, they’ll head to Florida on Wednesday before hosting a hot Texas A&M squad on Saturday. Those are must-win games to hold onto a top-3 spot in the SEC standings.

2. Auburn (23-4, 10-4, LW: 2)

Star Auburn freshman Isaac Okoro still couldn’t play against Tennessee on Saturday, and it looked like the Tigers were going to lose for the third game in a row. Instead, they rattled off an incredible 18-0 run in the second half against the Vols to get back in the game. Here’s the shot that gave them the lead:

Now, Auburn has its confidence back, and Okoro could return as soon as Tuesday night. That would be a great sign for Bruce Pearl’s squad.

Oh, and I’d be remiss not to mention this incredible play by freshman Jaylin Williams:

That’s pretty creative for a freshman. We’ll see if he continues to get playing time as the Tigers move into another important week. They’ll need to beat Ole Miss on Tuesday before heading to Lexington to play Kentucky on Saturday in a game that could help Auburn get back in the race for at least a share of the regular-season title.

1. Kentucky (22-5, 12-2, LW: 1)

For all the hype Nick Richards has been getting this year (and it has all been well-deserved), Immanuel Quickley’s play as of late has been incredible. In Saturday’s win over Florida, he finished with 26 points, including 22 in the second half:

Quickley, Richards and Tyrese Maxey have emerged as the 3 offensive leaders of this team, and they’re heating up at exactly the right time. If Ashton Hagans can bounce back from his slump, this squad should hold on for the SEC regular-season title.

After heading to Texas A&M on Tuesday, the Wildcats host Auburn on Saturday in what should be one of the best games of the SEC season.