SEC Basketball Power Rankings: Third Edition

Power Rankings

1. No.18 Auburn: 7-0 (-)
2. No.9 Kentucky: 5-1 (-)
3. No.17 Tennessee: 5-0 (-)
4. LSU: 4-2 (-)
5. No.24 Florida: 5-2 (+1)
6. Ole Miss: 5-1 (-1)
7. Arkansas: 6-0 (+1)
8. Mississippi State: 6-1 (-1)
9. Georgia: 5-2 (-)
10. Vanderbilt: 5-1 (+4)
11. Texas A&M: 3-1 (+2)
12. Alabama: 2-3 (-)
13. Missouri: 4-3 (-3)
14. South Carolina: 4-3 (-3)

Top Tier (1-5)

The top three teams in the SEC did not trip up last week. All three teams went 2-0 since the last power rankings. LSU remains in the top tier after a very close loss to No.15 Utah State in a game they were winning 54-35.

Florida comes back to the top tier power rankings. Their win in the Charleston Classic has brought them back into the top 25. The Gators defeated Saint Joseph’s and Miami on their way to No.18 Xavier in the championship game. Florida controlled most of the game en route to a 70-65 win.

Mid Tier (6-9)

Senior Breein Tyree led Ole Miss with 18 points against Penn State. (Photo by ocxfordeagle.com).

Ole Miss went 1-1 with a very close loss against No.16 Memphis on the road. The Rebels lost by just one after fighting their way back into the game at the end. Ole Miss outscored a good Penn State team 43-20 at the end of the game to steal a win from the Nittany Lions in the NIT Season Tip-Off.

Arkansas continues to climb the ladder. The Razorbacks have cruised against their lesser non conference opponents, winning each game by 20 points or more. Their overtime win on the road against Georgia Tech was gritty and eventually won with their only basket in overtime coming with less than a second left.ole

Mississippi State and Georgia are not far behind. Both have won the games they should and with relative ease. Mississippi State lost a well contested game against ranked Villanova. And Georgia lost games against what looks like an eventual ranked Dayton team and a top five Michigan State team who they played closely.

Bottom Tier (10-14)

Vanderbilt has surprisingly jumped in the standings. They’ve won the games they should and made a strong given themselves a chance to make this a season should they find success in conference play. Texas A&M played one game since the last rankings but managed to pull off a win and are benefiting from some other bad weeks around the league.

Alabama won a close one to Furman but made it competitive against UNC. They still have a high ceiling despite coming in at 12th in the rankings. Missouri has three losses but all against potential tournament teams.

South Carolina has hit a brick wall in the early season. The blowout loss to Wichita State combined with a loss to Northern Iowa has them bringing up the rear in the SEC.

Outlook

Fresh,an Tyrese Maxey leads Kentucky in scoring at 16 points per game. (Photo by bleacherreport.com).

The league is still mostly wide open. Teams like Ole Miss, Arkansas and Mississippi State are making great arguments for NCAA Tournament bids.

The bottom of the SEC has a lot of work to do. The window for error is closing for teams like Missouri and South Carolina. Alabama needs to really put a winning streak together to earn their place in the top half of the SEC.

The top of the SEC remains strong. Auburn and Tennessee have earned the right to be ranked at this point in the season. Kentucky remains one of the best teams in basketball despite the hiccup. And LSU will be no easy match for any team.

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