1. (LW-1) # 1 Kentucky 8-1 (lost to Indiana 73-72) You really did not think I was going to drop Kentucky after a one point loss to an undefeated Indiana team on the road, did you? No, one loss does not a basketball season make and Kentucky still should have won the game despite playing by far their worst basketball of the season and Terrence Jones was a non factor. Kentucky will learn from this game and despite the loss are still the best team in the SEC. THIS WEEK: 12/17 vs Chattanooga
#10 Missouri 9-0 (beat Villanova 81-71, beat Navy 84-59) I knew I was opening a can of worms by putting the “not SEC yet” teams in here, but I wanted to give some comparison about what to look for next year. That said, yes, Mizzou is the only undefeated here but they are not better than Kentucky. Props to no losses, but there are no wins against currently ranked teams either. THIS WEEK: 12/15 vs Kennesaw State
2. (LW-2) #18 Mississippi State 9-1 (defeated Troy 106-68) Dee Bost is having an amazing year for the Bulldogs and former Kentucky recruit Arnett Moultrie is the real deal so far. This team got a lot better when they decided to not try to depend on Renardo Sidney to make or break their season and other players stepped up. If Sidney can ever play near his hype level, this is a legitimate Sweet 16 Team. THIS WEEK: 12/13 vs Florida Atlantic, 12/17 @ Detroit
3. (LW-4) #12 Florida 7-2 (defeated Arizona 78-72 OT, defeated Rider 90-69) Good win for the Gators as they held off a tough Arizona team at the O-Dome. Florida showed lots of guts and scrap in that game. Florida is starting to look more legitimate and are rebounding a bit better than I thought they would. Will Yegeute is not a scorer yet, but has been a pleasant surprise on the boards. THIS WEEK: 12/17 vs #25 Texas A&M at Sunrise, FL
#25 Texas A&M 8-1 (defeated Louisiana Monroe 67-54): I’m not too impressed with the ULM win, but 8-1 deserves recognition. I admit, I don’t follow the Big 12 teams a lot, but this team seems to be in the mode as Alabama – tough on defense and struggles to find points. We will find out a lot more about the Aggies on Saturday. THIS WEEK: 12/17 @ #12 Florida at Sunrise, FL
4. (LW – 6) Mississippi 8-1 (defeated Penn State 72-70, defeated Mississippi Valley State 80-56): I will be honest. Ole Miss has not played a killer schedule but they have beat some decent mid-level teams. True, this team does not shoot well (43.2%) or score a lot (69.3) but they have made the most of their season thus far. They may be peaking in December, but I will recognize 8-1. THIS WEEK: 12/14 vs Louisiana Lafayette, 12/17 @ Southern Mississippi
5. (LW- 3) #15 Alabama 7-2 (lost to Dayton 74-62): I forgave the Georgetown loss, but Dayton is not a world beating mid major. They are tough, but Alabama should not have lost by 12. Plus throw in the fact the Tide have not won in December yet (the Detroit game just started when writing this) and you have to drop a team for two straight losses. THIS WEEK: 12/11 vs Detroit, 12/17 vs Kansas State
6. (LW -7) Vanderbilt 6-3 (defeated Davidson 87-83) So now that Festus Ezeli is back, we can assume the Commodores are as well? Let’s see if they live up to the preseason top five hype but beating Davidson by just four is not living up to the hype. There are a lot of things to fix with this Vandy team now. Let’s see if they are ready for conference play. THIS WEEK: 12/17 vs Indiana State
7. (LW – 8) LSU 6-3 (defeated Boise State 64-45) In a game that Boise State has been clamoring for all season, they finally got a taste of the LSU Tigers and were trounced by 19 …. well this was in basketball but anyway. A win is a win for LSU. And Boise State was 8-1. So good win, Tigers. THIS WEEK: 12/15 vs UC Irvine
8. (LW – 5) Arkansas 5-3 (lost to Oklahoma 78-63): Two losses in a row for the Hawgs and you start to get the feeling this may be a long season for Mike Davis. OU will probably be ranked this week, but its clear that Arkansas is not ready to step on the court with ranked teams yet. THIS WEEK: 12/17 vs SE Louisiana
9. (LW – 9) Auburn 4-1 (no games last week): Not much to say as the Tigers have not played since 12/2. Still 4-1 is pretty to look at, I guess. THIS WEEK: 12/14 vs South Florida, 12/17 vs North Florida
10. (LW – 10) Georgia 4-5 (lost to Georgia Tech 68-56): Four straight losses and counting for the Bulldogs. Looking back at their schedule and who they have played and lost to makes me think this Bulldog team may not see single digits in our rankings all year. THIS WEEK: 12/17 @ USC
11. (LW-12) South Carolina 3-5 (defeated Clemson 58-55): Good win for the Gamecocks on the road against Clemson. The Tigers are an average team, but it has to feel good to beat a bitter rival and an ACC Team to boot. THIS WEEK: 12/13 vs Presbyterian, 12/17 @ #2 Ohio State Buckeyes
12. (LW-11) Tennessee 3-5 (lost to Austin Peay 74-70): Never underestimate the power of the Kentucky football win over Tennessee. The Vols’s psyche was obviously shaken as Tennessee’s basketball has not won a game since that happened, now losing three in a row. Seriously, how else do you explain losing to 1-9 Austin Peay on your home court? THIS WEEK: 12/14 @ Charleston