For the second consecutive week, a team lost its midweek game and then took care of business against Tennessee at home.

This time, it was the LSU Tigers who beat the Vols, and they didn’t even have star PG Tremont Waters, who missed the game due to illness. Javonte Smart stepped up (see below) and made sure the Tigers weren’t going to lose on their home court, though, and now LSU controls its fate in the SEC regular-season title race.

With two weeks remaining before the SEC Tournament, the 3-way race between Kentucky, LSU and Tennessee will be fun to watch.

That said, here’s a look at who’s hot and who’s not this week across the SEC:

Ice Cold

Team: Arkansas

Ouch. For a team that desperately needed a win, the Razorbacks sure didn’t show much fight. They got blown out at Auburn and then lost at home to Texas A&M.

With games against Kentucky and Ole Miss this week, it seems the Razorbacks’ attempt to make the NCAA Tournament has come to an end. Barring a miracle run in the SEC Tournament, it’s probably off to the NIT for Mike Anderson’s squad.

If they can’t make the field of 68 with potential lottery pick Daniel Gafford, can Anderson hold on to his job? This will be an interesting offseason in Fayetteville.

Player: Chris Silva, F, South Carolina

Silva is still a great player, but he wasn’t as dominant this past week. After recording double-doubles against Tennessee and Texas A&M, he had 18 points and 4 rebounds against Ole Miss and only 5 points and 1 rebound against Mississippi State on Saturday.

He got into foul trouble against the Bulldogs, and it hurt his team. For a preseason all-SEC player, that was something the Gamecocks couldn’t overcome. At 9-5 in conference play, the Gamecocks still have a chance to finish with a top-4 seed in the SEC Tournament, but with 4 winnable games (Alabama, Missouri, Texas A&M and Georgia) left, they’ll need to finish strong. Silva’s performance will be a big part of that.

Heating Up

Team: Mississippi State

After home losses to LSU and Kentucky on Feb. 6 and 9, respectively, the Bulldogs have stepped up to the plate and are playing much better basketball. They’ve won 4 consecutive games, taking down Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia and South Carolina.

They are looking good as far as an NCAA Tournament berth goes, but a few more wins would go a long way toward improving their seeding. A top-4 seed in the SEC Tournament isn’t out of reach, either. Games against Mizzou and at Auburn this week will be interesting to watch.

Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Player: Ashton Hagans, PG, Kentucky

Hagans is an interesting player. He started the year slowly then got really hot at the start of conference play. Lately, he’s been in a bit of a slump offensively, though he’s managed to keep the Kentucky offense running smoothly and is playing mostly stellar defense.

Now, with big man Reid Travis out, Hagans needs to be even better, and he’s stepping up to the challenge so far. The past two games, he’s scored in double figures. Against Auburn, he had 14 points and 5 assists.

Guard play is important in the postseason, so if Hagans continues to improve and get back to midseason form, the Wildcats will be tough to beat.

On Fire

Team: Florida

I had the Gators in the “heating up” section last week. Since then, they’ve won on the road at LSU (a team tied for the lead in the SEC standings) and managed to hold off a feisty Mizzou squad Saturday.

That LSU win is a signature victory for a program that badly needed one, and as long as they continue to play well down the stretch, their position in the NCAA Tournament should be secure.

They’ll need to take care of business this week against Vanderbilt and Georgia (two of the worst teams in the conference), as they have a brutal final week of games — home vs. LSU and at Kentucky.

Player: Javonte Smart, G, LSU

Smart didn’t play too well in the midweek loss to Florida, but boy, did he step up against the Vols on Saturday. His shooting percentages weren’t great (9-for-22 from the floor, 2-for-6 from 3-point range), but he put up a game-high 29 points and had 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.

He came through when his team needed him the most, as the Tigers were without star PG Tremont Waters due to illness and had to overcome struggles and foul trouble from freshman big man Naz Reid.

Waters should be back soon, and with Smart playing so well and proving to be a clutch player, the Tigers will be tough to beat down the stretch and in the SEC Tournament (where they could end up being the No. 1 seed).