WBN SEC Basketball Power Rankings: 1-13-2013 Edition
By Wayne
Jan 12, 2013; Baton Rouge, LA USA; Florida Gators center Patric Young (4) is defended by LSU Tigers forward Shavon Coleman (5) and Andrew Del Piero (55) during the first half at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Florida defeated LSU 74-52. Mandatory Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports
1. #13 Florida Gators (12-2, 2-0) Last Week: W vs. Georgia 77-44, W at LSU 74-52: After a hiatus from the Top Rankings of Power, Florida finds its way back in part due to the blasting of Georgia and LSU, but more so by the recent losses by Mizzou. Patric Young is becoming more of a steady force inside. Add the scoring play of Boynton and a disciplined D, and you have the likely SEC Champs. This next week will tell the tale, though. This Week: 1-17 at. Texas A&M, 1-19 vs. Mizzou
2. #12 Missouri Tigers (12-3, 1-1) Last Week: W vs. Alabama 84-68, L vs. Ole Miss 64-47: To be fair, the perennially underachieving Rebels have snuck up on everyone this season, and coupled with Phil Pressey’s shoddy offense of late, this isn’t really a shock. Plus they are without their super Frosh Bowers so Oriakhi didn’t have any inside help. Still, they’re almost guaranteed one win this week. Can you guess which one??? This Week: 1-16 vs. Georgia, 1-19 at Florida
3. Texas A&M Aggies (12-3, 2-0) Last Week: W vs. Arkansas 69-51, W at Kentucky 83-71: Soooo…Elston Turner is a Man with a capital M. Never have I seen a more efficient and dominant game against my Wildcats, at Rupp, than last night. He was 13-19 and hit NBA range 3s with various defenders draped all over him. It was a sight. Maybe some of Manziel’s magic is rubbing off of the Aggies as they’ve been dominant in their first two SEC games, with the win against UK being on the road. This team could be legit. This Week: 1-17 vs. Florida, 1-19 at Alabama
4. Ole Miss Rebels (13-2, 2-0) Last Week: W at Tennessee 92-74, W vs. Mizzou 64-47: I’m not going to lie…I had no idea this would happen. Andy Kennedy hasn’t sniffed over-achieving in the past 7 years he’s led this program yet they find themselves at 2-0 in the SEC already. What is most shocking is that they beat Mizzou in the post with Murphy Holloway. That shouldn’t happen with a veteran leader and dominant big man like Oriakhi patrolling the paint but Holloway owned him. I expect Ole Miss to be 4-0 in SEC play after this week. This Week: 1-15 at Vandy, 1-19 vs. Arkansas
5. Kentucky Wildcats (10-5, 1-1) Last Week: W at Vandy 60-58, L vs. Texas A&M 83-71: I guess I can start where the Cats ended and that was in a heap. They could not stop Elston Turner with ANYONE. And believe me, they tried. It was just one of those nights where one player beat them. Noel had a HUGE game but he was about the only one. We don’t have an elite, on-the-ball defender and until someone takes on that responsibility, we will continue to lose. This Week: 1-15 vs. Tennessee, 1-19 at Auburn
6. Arkansas Razorbacks (10-5, 1-1) Last Week: L at Texas A&M 69-51, W vs. Vandy 56-33: It’s taken a little bit of time, but the Hogs are coming around to the “40 Minutes of Hell” that Anderson preaches. Though the loss to A&M was a thrashing, they rebounded nicely against Vandy and held them to a YMCA team score. Powell and Young will fuel this team in the SEC, and this week should be a decent test to see just how well they will perform. This Week: 1-16 vs. Auburn, 1-19 at Ole Miss
7. Mississippi State Bulldogs (7-7, 2-0) Last Week W vs. South Carolina 56-54, W at Georgia 72-61: This isn’t much to write home about but MSU IS 2-0 in the SEC. Granted, they played a couple of the worst but a win, is a win, is a win. Rick Ray is willing to try any combination of players to achieve success and with 7 players going at least 20 minutes against SC, I’d say he’ll straighten them all out. This next week should see them finishing at 3-1 in the SEC. This Week: 1-6 vs. Alabama, 1-19 at Tennessee