SEC basketball power rankings: Auburn's demolition of Alabama brings new name to the top
Another Iron Bowl of Basketball between Alabama and Auburn has re-shaped the race for the SEC basketball title.
Meanwhile, Tennessee looks like an offensive powerhouse – yes, you read that right. South Carolina is here to stay. And the NCAA Tournament bubble picture continues to grow clearer.
Here's the latest update to our SEC basketball power rankings.
1. Auburn
The Tigers were at their turnover-forcing, free-throw spamming, crowd-pleasing and Alabama-trolling best in a 99-81 rivalry win over the Tide. Remember when we thought Auburn couldn't beat good teams? That's two Quadrant One wins in a row.
Last week: 8
Record: 19-4
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2. South Carolina
Welcome to the SEC title race, South Carolina. Lamont Paris' team is more than just a good story destined to peter out. With the rest of the SEC's top tier playing fast and furious, the Gamecocks are winning with one of the slowest paces in college basketball. Time to put that old fable to the test.
Last week: 2
Record: 20-3
3. Tennessee
Tennessee was 4-35 at Rupp Arena until it hired Rick Barnes, who picked up a fourth win in nine trips. In conference games, the Vols have the SEC's most efficient offense, per KenPom. Maybe this team really is different.
Last week: 3
Record: 17-5
4. Alabama
Nate Oats criticized his team's effort in a loss to Auburn, noting that the Crimson Tide didn't accumulate enough of what he calls "blue-collar points." Maybe he should be worried about actual points instead. At 1.05 points per possession, Wednesday was one of the few times all season the Tide's offense has looked average.
Last week: 1
Record: 16-7
5. Kentucky
The emergence of five-star freshman Justin Edwards, who scored 17 points in a win over Vanderbilt, was notable. But the success or failure of UK's season will be decided by whether it can get things figured out on defense, not how many scoring options it discovers.
Last week: 5
Record: 16-6
6. Florida
The Gators lost the battle of college basketball's top two offensive rebounding teams to Texas A&M. They have a chance to leave the bubble behind when Auburn visits The Swamp.
Last week: 6
Record: 15-7
7. Ole Miss
The Rebels had their four-game winning streak snapped with a home loss to Auburn and followed it up by laying a first-half egg at South Carolina. The analytics don't like the Rebels, whose seat on the NCAA Tournament bubble is becoming increasingly uncomfortable without a true signature win.
Last week: 4
Record: 18-5
8. Texas A&M
The Aggies were a clutch Tyrece Radford shot against Florida away from having a real problem, having already lost two home games in a conference where road wins are valuable currency. With no offensive explosiveness to pair with a team that has everything else required to win, Texas A&M will hope it can carve out an NCAA Tournament bid in the margins.
Last week: 9
Record: 14-8
9. Mississippi State
In beating Georgia, the Bulldogs made more than 70% of their free throws for the first time since a win over Tennessee on Jan. 10. The next four games look quite manageable for the Bulldogs, especially if they've decided they're going to start cashing in on their freebies.
Last week: 7
Record: 15-8
10. LSU
Blowout defeats at Tennessee, Alabama and Auburn have taught us that the Tigers are not yet ready to be pesky on the road. How about at home? A visit from Alabama should prove instructive.
Last week: 12
Record: 12-10
11. Georgia
After four straight losses, it's time to clear Stegeman Coliseum's event calendar to make sure the Bulldogs are ready to host an NIT home game should the opportunity arise.
Last week: 10
Record: 14-9
12. Arkansas
Be strong, Razorbacks fans. We're nearly there. If you listen closely, you can hear the cleats trodding and gloves popping. It's almost baseball season.
Last week: 11
Record: 11-11
13. Vanderbilt
Congratulations, Commodores, on winning the toilet bowl over Missouri and moving out of the bottom place in these power rankings. Your reward is a 32-point home loss to Kentucky.
Last week: 14
Record: 6-16
14. Missouri
Mizzou isn't just bad. It's the variety of bad that is most cruel and unusual – the kind of bad that is good enough to be in games but not good enough to win them. Six SEC losses by single digits is just outright painful stuff.
Last week: 13
Record: 8-15
David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.
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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: SEC basketball power rankings: Making sense of big wins for Auburn, Vols
