1. Kentucky Wildcats (19-0, 6-0) – South Carolina posed no threat to the Wildcats on Saturday, as John Calipari’s defensive commitment paid off yet again, limiting the Gamecocks to just 43 points on 22 percent field goal shooting. Devin Booker had his second 18-point performance in the last five games, a rarity on a team that spreads the scoring load all over. (This week: Missouri, Alabama)
2. Texas A&M Aggies (14-5, 5-2) – The Aggies have not slowed down since taking Kentucky through two overtimes back on Jan. 10th, and have won five in a row. Some of those wins have been close, but they are getting it done nonetheless. Texas A&M is 3-1 on the road in SEC play. (This week: Vanderbilt)
3. Arkansas Razorbacks (16-4, 5-2) – The Razorbacks have been clutch in their three wins last week, with their five-point victory at home over Tennessee serving as their biggest win margin out of the three. The 61-60 win at Missouri wasn’t pretty, but it just goes to show that a road win is never a given. Bobby Portis’ putback in overtime against Alabama was probably their highlight of the week. (This week: Florida)
4. LSU Tigers (15-4, 4-2) – The Tigers continued their overtime-loving ways against Vanderbilt on the road Saturday, eventually squeaking out a 79-75 win. The victory does little to play down their overtime loss to Missouri on Jan. 8th however. LSU needs to be more careful against lesser competition if they want to be dancing in March. (This week: South Carolina, Mississippi State)
5. Georgia Bulldogs (14-5, 5-2) – These SEC teams seem to love their close games as of late, and the Bulldogs did their part to contribute by edging Mississippi State and Vanderbilt 72-66 and 70-62, respectively. Georgia has been fairly consistent on the offensive end, but will need to pick up the defensive intensity a little more if they want to stay towards the top of the standings. (This week: South Carolina)
6. Tennessee Volunteers (12-7, 4-3) – The Volunteers saw their RPI dip to 53 after close losses to A&M and Arkansas. Tennessee’s defense is ok enough, but their stagnant offense would benefit from a few more three-point attempts each game, as the Volunteers currently sit at 4th in the SEC in three-point percentage (36 percent) Josh Richardson continues to lead the team in both points per game (15.6) and steals per game (2.1) (This week: Auburn)
7. Alabama Crimson Tide (13-7, 3-4) – This team is in serious danger of falling to 3-5 in the conference after dropping two-point games to Arkansas and Florida the past week. The 57-55 win over Auburn helps some, but Alabama is not likely to pick up another win until February against Missouri. (This week: Kentucky)
8. Florida Gators (11-9, 4-3) – Billy Donavan’s team showed some resilience in the Alabama victory, their first win since Jan. 15th. The Gators can make up some ground in the conference with two winnable games over the next 10 days before landing in Kentucky. Florida is 10-0 when holding opponents below 60 points. (This week: Arkansas)
9. Ole Miss Rebels (12-7, 3-3) – The Rebels have been within five-points in all of their conference losses, including against Kentucky. Their win last week against Florida was a good bounce-back after falling to Georgia on Jan. 20th, and now they have a great chance to pick up two more wins before facing A&M next week. (This week: Mississippi State, Missouri)
10. Mississippi State Bulldogs (9-10, 2-4) – Despite ranking 315th nationally in scoring with 61.3 points per game, the Bulldogs somehow managed to put 78 on the board against Auburn last week, their highest point total of the season since dropping 89 on the mighty Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils on Nov. 17th. Try saying that three times fast. (This week: Mississippi, LSU)
11. Auburn Tigers (10-9, 2-4) – Three straight losses for the Tigers last week, although they looked much better in them. Auburn leading scorer K.T. Harrell was a non-factor in the loss to A&M, something this team can’t afford to have happen. (This week: Tennessee)
12. South Carolina Gamecocks (10-8, 1-5) – The 58-43 loss to Kentucky was to be expected, but the Gamecocks have a very winnable five-game stretch ahead before meeting the Wildcats again. (This week: LSU, Georgia)
13. Vanderbilt Commodores (11-8, 1-5) – Five conference losses by eight points or less for the Commodores. They are bound to catch a break at some point, right? (This week: Texas A&M)
14. Missouri Tigers (7-12, 1-5) – The Tigers have looked much better since the 49-point loss to Kentucky on Jan. 13th. Much better, but still no wins since Jan. 8th. (This week: Kentucky, Mississippi)
