The SEC this year is not as dominant as it was last year, but there are some elite teams playing at a very high level right now. 5 teams are sitting at 2-0, 6 at 1-1, and 5 at 0-2, which, unfortunately, Kentucky is a part of after getting crushed by Bama on the road and then losing as a double-digit favorite to Missouri.
But where does that put them in the first power ranking of the season? Let's find out.
1. Vanderbilt
No one in the league is hotter than Vanderbilt. They came into the SEC undefeated, and they have maintained that, dispatching South Carolina in Columbia and then knocking off Alabama at home. Mark Byington has a team that is for real.
2. Arkansas
More of a vintage Cal team. Since moving to Arkansas, Calipari has been reinvigorated and is running an offense he wouldn't dare run in Lexington. The move has been good for Cal, but the inconsistency shows up at times, keeping them behind Vandy for now. They have knocked off Tennessee and Ole Miss.
3. Florida
The defending national champion is inconsistent at times in its shooting, but they possess a killer instinct that will aid it in SEC games. They lost to Missouri but throttled a ranked Georgia team.
4. Texas A&M
"Bucky Ball" is in the SEC, and they currently average 94 points a night. They are a danger every time they step on the court, but they could also lose to anyone. Currently 2-0, the Aggies have every reason to be happy with the direction the new coach is taking them.
5. Georgia
The Bulldogs were dismantled by Florida, but they are a problem. They scored 104 in their SEC opening win over Auburn, and Jeremiah Wilkinson is at over 17 a night. The Dawgs will be in nearly every game they play going forward.
6. Alabama
Nate Oats threw shade at Mark Pope, calling his offense "fraudulent," and then said Vandy hadn't played anyone. Then Vandy knocked them off. This Tide team can go hot and cold, but they are still in the upper half of the SEC.
7. Missouri
Winning matters, and despite not playing good basketball at times, Missouri finds itself 2-0 in the conference and looking to move up. They'll have plenty of opportunities to do so. The comeback win over Kentucky was much more about the collapse the Cats had in the final 4 minutes, but credit them for not going away.
8. Tennessee
Rick Barnes is trying to modernize his offense, but there are some issues in Knoxville right now. Ja'Kobi Gillespie and Nate Ament are talents, but right now they are volume shooters and are only combining for 42 percent overall. They will need better efficiency if the Vols are ever going to reach a Final Four.
9. Mississippi State
They might just be the worst 2-0 team in all of Power 4 basketball, but they are 2-0. They have won 6 straight but were just 4-5 before that moment, with a loss to San Francisco and a few blowout losses.
10. Oklahoma
The Sooners knocked off Ole Miss in their opener but lost by 19 to the team just above them, Mississippi State. Porter Moser's squad will go as far as Nijel Pack and Xzayvier Brown can take them.
11. Auburn
While they are 0-2, they are 6 points from being undefeated, and in one of those losses, they had a buzzer-beating 3 called no good. Bruce may have stepped down, but Steven Pearl has his team playing hard.
12. South Carolina
The Gamecocks may not actually be as good as they were last year, and still, they will end up with a much better record. That is just how good the SEC was last year. They lost to Vandy, no shame there, and then knocked off LSU.
13. LSU
The Tigers aren't deep, but they have 4 really good players in Dedan Thomas Jr., Mike Nwoko, Max Mackinnon, and Marquel Sutton. All of them average over 12 points a game. Losing both of their conference games puts them down the list, but LSU could make a run as the season progresses.
14. Texas
At 0-2, the Longhorns could start 0-4 with Alabama and Vanderbilt up next. But they have do-it-all Dailyn Swain, who leads the team in scoring, rebounds, assists, and steals.
15. Kentucky
Down near the bottom, it really is splitting hairs here, as all these teams are pretty equal. They beat St. John's, and the team below them didn't, and that is really the only difference. At 9-6, Year 2 is falling apart for Mark Pope.
16. Ole Miss
Travis Perry swapped blue for red, and it hasn't been much different for the former Kentucky player. Chris Beard is struggling in Oxford at 0-2 and 8-7 overall. The bottom of the SEC is bad right now.
We will be back next Friday after the weekend and midweek games to give an update. Kentucky has a long way to go to even get to the NCAA Tournament, but we will be here all season long.