WBN SEC Power Rankings: 12-16-12 Edition

Dec 15, 2012; Tucson, AZ, USA; Florida Gators guard Scottie Wilbekin (5) prepares to pass as Arizona Wildcats guard Jordin Mayes (20) defends during the second half at McKale Center. The Wildcats beat the Gators 65-64. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

1. #5 Florida Gators (7-1, 0-0) Last Week: L @ #8 Arizona 65-65: The Gators took their first loss of the season on the road against a top 10 undefeated team. Despite this, I still feel the Gators are deserving of the #1 spot in our power rankings. The Gators took an early lead and led at half time, but the Wildcats rallied late and outscored Florida 36-32 in the second half to win the game. Florida got little from Patric Young and Kenny Boyton, which is the reason why they lost. If Florida wants to make a run, those two upperclassmen need to show up every single game. No worries though, this team will be formidable all season. This Week: 12-19 vs. Southeastern Louisiana State, 12-22 vs. Kansas State

2. #12 Missouri Tigers (8-1, 0-0) Last Week: DNP: The Tigers took the week off for finals but get right back into the action tomorrow night. Despite one hiccup against Louisville, Mizzou has looked formidable all season and has a quality win against 7-3 VCU. The Tigers rank second in the country, which is a far cry from their guard heavy team from last season. Much of the credit goes to transfer Alex Oriakhi, as he has been a force all season. This Week: 12-17 vs. South Carolina State, 12-22 vs. #10 Illinois

3. Kentucky Wildcats (7-3, 0-0) Last Week: W vs. Lipscomb 88-50: The story for the Wildcats right now is the play of point guard Ryan Harrow. After a tumultuous start to the season, Harrow worked his way back into the starting line up and scored a season high 12 points against Lipscomb. Kyle Wiltjer worked his way onto the bench, but scored 23 points and shot himself out of a slump. It looks like the Wildcats starting line up of Harrow, Nerlens Noel, Archie Goodwin, Alex Poythress and Julius Mays will be the way to go in the future. Kentucky had four players score in double digits and looked balanced, something that Cal’s Kentucky teams have been successful with in the past. This Week: 12-22 vs. Marshall

4. Tennessee Volunteers (5-3, 0-0) Last Week: W vs. #23 Wichita State 69-60: It was a tough weekend for the SEC, and the Vols had one of the more impressive wins as they did defeat a top 25 team. But there are many problems as this team is finding it hard to score despite having talent, namely stud Jarnell Stokes. Stokes is in the top two in scoring, rebounds and assists for the team, too bad he can’t seem to get much help. Luckily they look to have two more wins on the schedule this week. This Week: 12-18 vs. Presbyterian, 12-21 vs. Western Carolina

5. South Carolina (6-3, 0-0): Last Week: DNP: The Gamecocks move up our rankings thanks to not having played since December seventh. Frank Martin has had a couple of weeks to focus on practice and consistency from his team. USC has had a bad loss against Elon and losses against two decent teams in Clemson and St. John’s. But decent isn’t going to get them anywhere unless they start beating mediocre teams as well as the bad ones. This Week: 12-19 vs. Appalachian State, 12-22 vs. Manhattan

6. LSU Tigers (6-1, 0-0) Last Week: L @ Boise State 89-70: LSU was looking good until they got blasted on the road by traditional football power Boise State. Notice I said “football power”. The Broncos are not known for their round ball prowess but they do own a win over Creighton and barely lost to Michigan State 74-70, so they are better than people think. But still, it’s not good form to lose on the road to Boise State in basketball. LSU continues a three game road stretch this week at UC Irvine and Marquette. This Week: 12-18 at UC Irvine, 12-22 at Marquette

7. Texas A&M (7-2, 0-0) Last Week: L vs. Oklahoma 64-54: The Aggie fans are still fawning over Heisman winner Johnny Football, so I doubt their basketball team is registering as much more than a blip on their radar. They lost to old Big 12 foe Oklahoma at home by 10. The Sooners are 7-2 on the season with losses to Arkansas and Gonzaga. A&M is still a good team and should give the West a run for it’s money. This Week: 12-18 vs. Texas A&M-CC, 12-22 vs. Southern University