SEC Power Rankings after Week 7 of the college basketball season
The calendar has nearly flipped to 2024, which means only one thing for college basketball. Conference play is about to begin.
Most of the SEC had fantastic non-conference seasons, with all but four teams finishing with at least four more wins than losses. The conference should once again be extremely competitive.
It’s almost impossible to predict which squad will take home the regular season championship once the dust settles, although we do have a good idea of what direction each team is treading heading into January.
Here are our final SEC Power Rankings of 2023.
Vanderbilt
Last Week: 0-2
Regular Season: 4-8
The Vanderbilt Commodores are one of the best bad teams in college basketball. They are still bad though.
Ezra Manjon is a star and should find himself on an All-SEC team after the season is over but he can’t do it alone. Vanderbilt has lost three games in a row by a combined 11 points.
Two of those losses aren’t bad (Memphis and Texas Tech) but a loss to mid-major Western Carolina at home is brutal.
The Commodores may have trouble contending for a NIT or CBI bid in 2023-2024.
LSU
Last Week: 1-0
Regular Season: 7-5
LSU blew out a 5-7 Lamar team at home by 22 this week.
That doesn’t really tell us anything. The Tigers still have trouble getting contributions outside of forward Will Baker and guard Jordan Wright.
That needs to change once conference play begins.
Missouri
Last Week: 0-1
Regular Season: 7-5
Missouri had a chance to prove they belonged as a contender with four consective games against solid competition.
The Tigers lost three of those games, including their most recent one by 24 points at home against Illinois.
Mizzou can score, but they’ve given up 90+ points in back-to-back games. That is not a recipe for success in a talented SEC.
Georgia
Last Week: 2-0
Regular Season: 9-3
The Georgia Bulldogs are working on one of their best non-conference performances in recent memory.
UGA’s issue lies in the fact its three losses have all come against good teams, while the Bulldogs best win isn’t great (Georgia Tech).
9-3 is still 9-3, but I have my eyes on a possible fall off from this squad considering their lack of quality wins on the over the first couple months of the season.
Alabama
Last Week: 1-1
Regular Season: 7-5
At some point close loses against great competition don’t deserve celebrating. I’ve been high on the Alabama Crimson Tide despite their mediocre record because of the high quality of their non-conference schedule.
Unfortunately that schedule doesn’t mean much if you can’t claim some victories along the way.
Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide have played to a 1-5 record against Power 5 competition in 2023. Alabama’s lone win came against an Oregon team that has lost to Santa Clara and Syracuse.
The Tide have some sole-searching ahead.
Texas A&M
Last Week: 1-0
Regular Season: 8-4
Texas A&M hosted a “buy game” this week against in-state opponent Houston Christian. The Huskies came into the game 2-8 on the season so it came as no surprise when Texas A&M beat them by 27.
The Aggies SEC hopes are ultimately going to come down to their ability to score enough points. Wade Taylor IV and Henry Coleman III are good enough to contribute 30+ a night, but they’ll need others to step up once the calendar flips to 2024.
Arkansas
Last Week: 1-0
Regular Season: 8-4
Arkansas and Alabama have had eerily similar starts to the regular season. Both squads have played difficult non-conference schedules and struggled to rack up wins.
The difference? Arkansas was able to claim a victory over ACC favorite Duke.
The Razorbacks backcourt of Tramon Mark and Khalif Battle is right up there with Kentucky’s backcourt as the best in the SEC, but head coach Eric Musselman hasn’t gotten much production beyond those two.
Sophomore forward Trevon Brazile needs to get out of his slump come SEC play.
South Carolina
Last Week: 2-0
Regular Season: 11-1
I’m sorry, but I am still not sold on the South Carolina Gamecocks as a legitimate threat in the SEC.
Guard Meechie Johnson is an All-SEC player, but the Gamecocks aren’t battle tested at all and the lack of size in the starting five is a major cause for concern heading into SEC play.
They’ve played a ton of close games early in the season against mediocre mid-major teams.
Florida
Last Week: 2-0
Regular Season: 9-3
The Florida Gators just put on a clinic in the Jumpman Invitational.
Florida’s entire starting five is still averaging double figures and the duo of Walter Clayton Jr. and Tyrese Samuel has become a scoring machine.
Opponents are going to have a difficult time winning games in “The Swamp” this season. The Gators should finish in the top half of the SEC and be a lock for the NCAA Tournament.
Mississippi State
Last Week: 1-0
Regular Season: 10-2
Mississippi State proved themselves once again this week after taking down the Rutgers Scarlet Knights 70-60.
The Bulldogs defense is suffocating and should travel well in the conference. The question all year long will be if this team can score enough to win games.
Auburn
Last Week: 1-0
Regular Season: 9-2
Bruce Pearl’s Auburn Tigers are a criminally underrated group heading into the meat of the season.
Outside of a weird matinee game at Appalachian State, the Tigers have looked the part of not only one of the best teams in the SEC, but one of the best teams in the nation.
Auburn will have its hands full against solid mid-major programs Chattanooga and Penn to end the non-conference schedule, but if they can win both the Tigers should finally be ranked heading into SEC play.
Tennessee
Last Week: 1-0
Regular Season: 9-3
The Tennessee Volunteers are going to be a top 5 team in the country once the regular season comes to a close.
Rick Barnes’ squad has been overlooked since a poor showing at the Maui Invitational, but have since collected power 5 wins over Illinois and NC State.
The Vols have a chance to reclaim their throne at the top of the SEC when they host Ole Miss next week.
Kentucky
Last Week: 1-0
Regular Season: 9-2
Kentucky is good enough to run the table in the SEC this season.
That probably won’t happen simply because of the grind of the season, but they have the talent to beat anybody.
Six Wildcats average more than 10 points per game, with Antonio Reeves and Rob Dillinghman leading the pack.
John Calipari needs to teach his young team how to defend, but winning games by simply outscoring opponents will do the trick early on.
Ole Miss
Last Week: 2-0
Regular Season: 12-0
The Ole Miss Rebels have the chance to finish the non-conference half of the season undefeated with a victory over the Bryant Bulldogs next week.
Things immediately get tough for the Rebels after that, as they travel to Tennessee before hosting Florida to open up conference play.
We’ll finally get a gauge whether this team is for real after those two contests.
