Now that the football season is over except for the BCS fighting, it’s time to switch and start ranking the SEC teams in terms of basketball. Keeping in mind, there will be two new teams in the SEC next year, I am including where Missouri and Texas A&M would fit in with the rest of the SEC, even though we are a year away from having them join. So I wonder which team will be number one in the first SEC Power Rankings???
1. # 1 Kentucky 8-0 (defeated St. Johns 81-59, defeated #5 North Carolina 73-72): Who else but the Wildcats? They are the only undefeated team in the SEC and have beaten two top 25 teams in Kansas and North Carolina. Kentucky has it all: balanced scoring, harassing defense, and an undeniable will to win. Kentucky has cemented their status as a legitimate Final Four threat. This week: 12/10 @ Indiana
#13 Missouri 7-0 (defeated Binghamton 88-59, defeated Northwestern State 90-56): Cupcakes aside, this team has routed a couple of decent teams early. They beat Notre Dame 87-58 and then #18 Cal 92-53. The closest anyone has gotten to the Tigers has been 15 on the season. It will be kind of sweet if Missouri wins the Big 12 then bolts to the SEC. This week: 12/6 vs Villanova, 12/10 vs Navy
2. #24 Mississippi State 8-1 (defeated North Texas 82-59, defeated West Virginia 75-62): Losing to an average Akron team may have been the best thing to happen for the Bulldogs as they have played very good ball lately. They also own wins over Texas A&M and Arizona (then ranked #18 and #16) on back to back nights. Dee Bost and Arnett Moultrie are playing as well as anyone in the SEC now. This week: 12/10 vs Troy
3. #12 Alabama 7-1 (defeated VCU 72-64, lost to Georgetown 57-55): Alabama has not really been testing themselves schedule-wise this year, but they do own a nice win over Purdue. Defense is once again a staple of this Alabama team as they are allowing just 53 points a game. I won’t hold the Georgetown loss against the Tide as the Hoya are pretty tough this year. This week: 12/7 @ Dayton, 12/11 vs Detroit
4. #9 Florida 5-2 (defeated Stetson 96-70, lost to #3 Syracuse 72-68): I have to admit, I am not sold on the Gators this year. Their frontcourt is ridiculously thin and soft, yet Billy Donovan keeps adding guards. Florida has beaten no one of consequence on the year but they have lost to two #3 ranked teams by a total of 11 points. I guess that accounts for something. This week: 12/7 vs Arizona, 12/9 vs Rider
Texas A&M 6-1 (defeated Alcorn State 56-44, defeated Stephen F Austin 55-42): All style and no substance for the Aggies who also have beaten no one of note, but they have lost to just Mississippi State by 9. I am putting the Aggies here with trepidation and considering their one point win over St. Johns a huge warning flag. Regardless, the Aggies are on the verge of being a ranked team. This week: 12/7 vs Sam Houston State, 12/10 vs Louisiana Monroe
5. Arkansas 5-2 (defeated Mississippi Valley State 97-64, lost to #10 Connecticut 75-62): I have to admit, I like how the Razorbacks are playing for Mike Anderson and I love the way they have battled since losing Marshawn Powell for the year. Anderson’s bench goes nine players deep and he may have the “forty minutes of hell” back at Arkansas in a couple of years. 12/10 @ Oklahoma
6. Mississippi Rebels 6-1 (defeated DePaul 70-68): Granted, the 30 point loss to Marquette was U-G-L-Y but the Rebels have played well on the non cupcake part of their schedule and they have played more like a team as the season has progressed. Not saying they are going to be world beaters, but could hold their own in SEC this year. This week: 12/4 @ Penn State, 12/10 vs Mississippi Valley State
7. #19 Vanderbilt Commodores 5-3 (lost to #11 Xavier 82-70 OT, lost to #6 Louisville 62-60 OT): This was a preseason top five team? Puh-leaze. The Commodores have been a tremendous disappointment and you are expected to beat Cleveland State even without Festus Ezeli. The Commodores are playing their brand of March basketball in December and it’s not pretty. This is not a good team right now. 12/7 @ Davidson
8. LSU 5-3 (defeated Houston 59-58, defeated Rutgers 55-50): It has not been pretty, but the Tigers have won four of their last five games. Granted, the schedule is not impressive, but at least the Tigers are beating teams you have heard of like Rutgers, Georgia Tech, and WKU. This team is playing pretty solid defense, hence the wins. This week: 12/10 vs Boise State
9. Auburn 4-1 (defeated Arkansas Pine Bluff 72-59, lost to Seton Hall 81-59): Seton Hall proved that the 4-0 was a fluke, but any wins for Auburn against anyone is an upgrade from the last couple of years. This week: NO GAMES
10. Georgia 4-4 (lost to Colorado 70-68, lost to Cincinnati 57-51): Perhaps no team other than Kentucky was hit as hard as defections as Mark Fox’s gang and they are a fighting, scrappy bunch. Unfortunately that will only take you so far as this team is not that good and they have lost four of five. This week: 12/7 vs Georgia Tech
11. Tennessee 3-4 (lost to Oakland 89-81, lost to #17 Pitt 61-56): Got to hand it to the undermanned Volunteers who have given ranked teams Duke, Memphis, and Pitt all they wanted, but losing to Oakland two years in a row is inexcusable. Look for the Vols to show lots of fight, but eventually the losses will mount as the schedule gets harder. This week: 12/10 versus Austin Peay
12. South Carolina 2-5 (lost to Providence 76-67): You knew what to expect when this team lost to Elon and Tennessee State in a five day period. There is just not much to work with here as South Carolina should have a permanent lock on the cellar all year.