SEC Power Rankings after Week 11 of the college basketball season
The end of January is here. With just over 1 and 1/2 months left until the SEC Tournament kicks off in Nashville, things are heating up across the college basketball world.
No conference, besides maybe the Big 12, has been more intriguing this season than the SEC. This past week saw more upsets, shakeups, and madness as each team has played nearly a third of their conference schedule so far.
Here is where each SEC squad ranks as we enter the best part of the college basketball season.
Vanderbilt
Last Week: 0-2
Regular Season: 5-13
Projected NCAA Tournament Seed: N/A
Any hope Vanderbilt had at making a magical run at an SEC title this season has all but evaporated.
The Commodores just aren’t very good outside of guards Ezra Manjan and Tyrin Lawrence.
It wouldn’t suprise me if they go winless on the road in conference play, though the backcourt could win them a few games at home.
Missouri
Last Week: 0-2
Regular Season: 8-10
Projected NCAA Tournament Seed: N/A
It’s really a shame to see a talented Missouri team falter in the SEC East this season.
Guard Sean East II is a flat out star but inconsistencies from Nick Honor, Noah Carter, and Tamar Bates have been Mizzou’s Achilles heel this season.
The Tigers are talented enough to stay in a game with anybody in the SEC but lack the defensive tenacity and timely shot making to win close games.
Arkansas
Last Week: 1-1
Regular Season: 10-8
Projected NCAA Tournament Seed: N/A
It’s now or never for Eric Musselman and the Arkansas Razorbacks. After a huge home win over Texas A&M, Arkansas fell to South Carolina at home by double digits this week.
The Razorbacks will need to at least earn a split this week in Oxford against Ole Miss and at home against Kentucky to get their season on track.
They’ll then need to go on a three game winning streak against Missouri, LSU, and Georgia.
Tramon Mark and company have the talent to go on a 4-1 run, but nothing they have done this season proves they can.
Mississippi State
Last Week: 1-1
Regular Season: 13-5
Projected NCAA Tournament Seed: 10
The addition of forward Tolu Smith has helped the Mississippi State Bulldogs offense significantly in SEC play.
The issue is, the Bulldogs aren’t playing the great brand of defense we are used to seeing from them.
Mississippi State has a brutal stretch starting this week at Florida, vs. Auburn, at Ole Miss, and at Alabama.
A 1-3 or 0-4 record over the next to weeks could spell disaster for a team trending towards the bubble.
Texas A&M
Last Week: 1-1
Regular Season: 11-7
Projected NCAA Tournament Seed: 11
After an extremely impressive overtime win over Kentucky two weeks ago, Buzz Williams’s Aggies struggled immensely on the road against inferior competition last week.
Texas A&M was the first team to fall to Arkansas in conference play before narrowly escaping Baton Rouge to earn a season split against LSU.
I’m not sure how long the Aggies can rely on Wade Taylor IV to carry them through the gauntlet that is the SEC.
LSU
Last Week: 1-1
Regular Season: 11-7
Projected NCAA Tournament Seed: N/A
Jalen Cook’s return has made the LSU Tigers a decent basketball team.
Matt McMahon’s squad still isn’t good enough to finish in the top half of the SEC but they have shown the ability to hang with most teams in the conference, especially at home.
They’ll need forward Will Baker to return to an All-SEC caliber player if they hope to make a run at a postseason tournament.
Florida
Last Week: 1-1
Regular Season: 12-6
Projected NCAA Tournament Seed: Next Four Out
Walter Clayton Jr., Tyrese Samuel, and the rest of the Florida Gators starting five is still one of the premier units in the SEC.
Unfortunately head coach Todd Golden is getting virtually no production from his bench in SEC play.
The Gators bench combined for just 32 points in Florida’s two games this week. That won’t get it done in the long term.
Georgia
Last Week: 1-1
Regular Season: 13-5
Projected NCAA Tournament Seed: N/A
UGA had a chance to earn a spectacular road win this week against Kentucky but faltered down the stretch in a 105-96 barnburner.
The loss describes the Bulldogs to a tee. They are super talented behind guards Noah Thommason and Jabri Abdur-Rahim, but just aren’t quite good enough to beat the elite teams in the conference.
Georgia has every chance in the world to finish with an above .500 SEC record but won’t accumulate enough big wins to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
If I had to pick a team to shock the world and win the SEC Tournament in March the Bulldogs would be my choice though.
Ole Miss
Last Week: 0-2
Regular Season: 15-3
Projected NCAA Tournament Seed: 9
The wheels haven’t yet started to fall off in Oxford, but the tire pressure is depleting fast for the Rebels.
After an undefeated start to the regular season, Chris Beard and Ole Miss have not looked like the same team in conference play.
Outside of guards Matthew Murrell and Allen Flanigan this team just isn’t that talented. The Rebels could finish with an SEC record below .500.
South Carolina
Last Week: 1-1
Regular Season: 15-3
Projected NCAA Tournament Seed: 11
The South Carolina Gamecocks and the Ole Miss Rebels are almost the exact same team.
South Carolina gets the nod infront of the Rebels for now simply because they have the best player on their roster in guard Meechie Johnson.
The Gamecocks play close game after close game and will need to continue to pull out narrow victories in order to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.
Alabama
Last Week: 1-1
Regular Season: 12-6
Projected NCAA Tournament Seed: 6
Nate Oats and the Alabama Crimson Tide have made their way back into the conversation for one of the better teams in college basketball.
A 20-point loss in Knoxville wasn’t great for the resume this week, but Alabama has the chance to pick up a major home win against Auburn to open up the new week on Wednesday.
Guard Aaron Estrada and forward Grant Nelson are starting to become the kind of contributors Nate Oats believed they would be all season long.
Kentucky
Last Week: 2-0
Regular Season: 14-3
Projected NCAA Tournament Seed: 3
At some point the Kentucky Wildcats are going to have to start playing some semblance of defense.
The pure offensive prowess of Antonio Reeves, Reed Sheppard, Rob Dillinghman, Tre Mitchell, and so many others is enough to carry the Wildcats to a bunch of wins, but they are prone to loses against lesser teams without solid defense.
Until they prove they can stop opposing teams, Kentucky can’t be trusted more than Tennessee or Auburn.
Auburn
Last Week: 2-0
Regular Season: 16-2
Projected NCAA Tournament Seed: 2
Bruce Pearl’s Auburn Tigers have been one of the most impressive teams in college basketball this season.
Still, the lack of quality wins is concerning. I’ll have no choice but to move the Tigers to the top of the rankings if they can continue winning this week on the road against Alabama and Mississippi State.
Tennessee
Last Week: 2-0
Regular Season: 14-4
Projected NCAA Tournament Seed: 2
The Tennessee Volunteers were a national championship contender before the season started. Now they have the likely SEC Player of the Year leading them in Dalton Knecht.
The Vols have an easy week with games in Nashville against Vanderbilt and at home against South Carolina, leading me to believe they could be leading the SEC heading into February.
