WBN SEC Basketball Power Rankings: 02-03-2013 Edition
By Wayne
February 2, 2013; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators center Patric Young (4) and forward/center Erik Murphy (33) high five after Young made a layup against the Ole Miss Rebels during the second half at the Stephen C. O
1. #4 Florida Gators (18-2, 8-0) Last Week- W 75-36 vs. South Carolina, W 78-64 vs. Ole Miss: Florida has a Top 3 defense in CBB and holding two conference opponents to 80 points total is ridiculous. Clearly this is Billy the Kid’s best team since his second National Championship. What they did to USC and how they mauled Ole Miss in the first half was embarrassing. With their games coming up, it would take them not physically showing up for Arkansas or MSU to have a chance…and that won’t happen. This Week: February 5 at Arkansas, February 9 vs. Mississippi State University
2. Kentucky Wildcats (15-6, 6-2) Last Week- W 87-74 at Ole Miss, W 72-68 at Texas A&M: Winning two road games was huge for this young group, especially with their inconsistent play thus far. The best part is that a different player or group of players impacted the games in positive ways. The only road record better in the SEC is Florida and that’s saying something. Expect them to dominate at Rupp this week. This Week: February 5 vs. South Carolina, February 9 vs. Auburn
3. #17 Missouri Tigers (16-5, 5-3) Last Week: L 73-70 at LSU, W 91-77 vs. Auburn: With the of Earnest Ross and Keitn Bell against Auburn, coupled with Pressey not forcing shots and their twin towers of Bowers and Oriakhi holding down the paint, Mizzou seems to be coming back around to the early season success. It also helps greatly that the NCAA has backed off a bit from Haith so the Tigers aren’t feeling the same pressure. This Week: February 7 at Texas A&M, February 7 vs. Texas A&M
4. #16 Ole Miss Rebels (17-4, 6-2) Last Week: L 87-74 vs. Kentucky, L 78-64 at #4 Florida: Now this is the Ole Miss we’ve come to expect from Andy Kennedy during his tenure as head coach. Dropping a sold out game at the Tad Pad, after having the white out AND Morgan Freeman in attendance was half expected. They had no answer to Kentucky’s D in the front court as Noel wouldn’t let anything past. They also couldn’t stop the slowest UK player in Kyle Wiltjer despite having the refs obviously in pocket. Expect them to split the games this week. This Week: February 6 vs. Mississippi State University, February 9 at Mizzou
5. Alabama Crimson Tide (14-7, 6-2) Last Week: W 59-56 vs. Arkansas, W 58-54 at Vanderbilt: These Crimson Tide are a mixed bag of sporadic defense and offense. They still don’t have consistent post presence yet have managed to win against UK along with certainty games against Arkansas and Vandy. Having Trevor Lacy and Releford continue to be Grant’s saving grace in games. Expect this two game streak to morph into four after this week. This Week: February 6 at Auburn, February 9 vs. LSU
6. Arkansas Razorbacks (13-8, 4-4) Last Week: L 59-56 vs. Mississippi State, W 73-60 vs. Tennessee: Mike Anderson’s best post defender is Hunter Mickelson and without his contributions, their record isn’t nearly as nice as it is. Having great guards isn’t enough in the SEC and with the amount of dependency Anderson’s team depends on Young and Powell, they need to develop more depth down low to have a chance for an NCAA tourney berth and I don’t see it. This Week: February 5 vs. Florida, February 9 at Vanderbilt
7. Texas A&M Aggies (13-8, 3-5) Last Week: W 55-49 at Mississippi State, L 72-68 vs. Kentucky: The Aggies have a great ability to adjust, in-game, to correct errors and recognizing that Elston Turner is the singular focus by every team since he went off against UK. They’ve struggled in their first SEC season and need Kourtney Roberson to step up his rebounding and shot blocking if they intend to be mediocre in the SEC. This Week: February 7 vs. #17 Mizzou, February 9 at Georgia