This week brought us one week closer to March and the SEC Basketball race is flying towards the finish line. This game gave us several top matchups along with some shocking upsets shaking up the NCAA Tournament Picture and the projected seeding for the SEC Tournament. The race for the Regular Season crown is Auburn's to lose but, the races for byes in the SEC Tournament remain hectic.
After another hectic week in the SEC, here is how we Power Rank each team in the SEC with March looming later in the week.
For the first time this season, the South Carolina Gamecocks got into the win column in the SEC with an upset win over the Texas Longhorns. The Gamecocks went 1-1 on the week as they got blown out by LSU but, avoiding going winless in SEC play is big for the program. The rest of the way South Carolina will be looking to pick off upsets but, getting the pressure of getting a win off of their back is big.
After beating Oklahoma last week, the LSU Tigers carried momentum into the week beating South Carolina before losing to Florida in a game that was much closer than the score indicates. When LSU is clicking they can beat any team in the Country and the rest of the way they'll put a scare into several top teams. This week is another week of Top 25 opponents for LSU as they'll face off against Tennessee and Mississippi State.
The Sooners started the week off getting blown out by the Florida Gators but, they closed the week out by beating Mississippi State getting Oklahoma back in the win column and back on track. The Sooners still have an outside chance at making the NCAA Tournament but, they'll need to carry their momentum into next week when they face Kentucky and Ole Miss.
The Georgia Bulldogs continue to slide further away from the NCAA Tournament picture losing their fourth straight game his week. The issue for Georgia is that the matchup against Auburn wasn't close while Georgia hasn't been able to knock off one of the top teams in the SEC. The final four games for Georgia are manageable as Florida is the only ranked opponent but, the Bulldogs need to start moving in the right direction.
The Texas Longhorns had one game this week and it should've been a rather easy win but, instead Texas got blown out by South Carolina giving the Gamecocks their first win of SEC play. The Longhorns are right inside the bubble but, losing to South Carolina is a massive concern for Texas heading into postseason play.
While Arkansas started the week by losing a close game to Auburn, they gave their NCAA Tournament resume a massive boost by knocking off Missouri. As things currently stand Arkansas is a "Last Four In" team for the NCAA Tournament which means they need to continue winning to be firmly in the tournament picture. Three of the final four games for Arkansas come against unranked teams which should help John Calipari's team in making the Tournament.
After their losing streak extended to three games against Kentucky to start the week, Vandy got off the mat knocking off Ole Miss to end the week. The Commodores will continue to be a massive threat in the SEC and in March with their balanced offense but, they still have work to do. Vanderbilt is a last four in team according to Joe Lunardi and with two ranked opponents remaining they'll need to pick up steam.
After destroying Vanderbilt to start the week, everyone thought we'd see Kentucky finally put it together against a top team yet, they let Mark Sears and Alabama win by 13 after back to back losses. The Wildcats continue to be a middle of the road team in the SEC which is fine in year one of the Mark Pope Era but, won't be acceptable for Kentucky fans.
Chris Beard's team lost their only game of the week against Vanderbilt but, after a long break it was predictable. The Rebels final stretch of the season will define them as they face off against Auburn, Tennessee, and Florida all of whom will likely be top five teams. The defense continues to show up for Ole Miss but, to win in March they may need to take the next step on offense.
This week started with Mississippi State picking up a massive win over Texas A&M but, it ended with a bad loss to Oklahoma. On Tuesday, Mississippi State has the most intriguing game as they'll put their incredible defense up against Alabama's incredible offense in an intriguing matchup. Aside from the game against Alabama, games against LSU, Texas, and Arkansas all linger giving the team a chance to head into the SEC Tournament with momentum.
Saturday's Game against the Tennessee Volunteers was a tough result for the Aggies as they lost at home to Tennessee. Leaving the game, the Aggies have plenty to look at and dismiss the result as Wade Taylor and Zhuric Phelps struggled shooting yet the team only lost by 8 points. Paired with losing to Mississippi State to start the week does raise some concern but, the team has what it takes to go on a run in March. Texas A&M still has their two biggest tests of the year lingering against Auburn and Florida as they jockey for a chance at earning a top four seed in the SEC Tournament.
The Missouri Tigers proved with their massive win over Alabama this week that they're no longer the exciting underdog as they're a true threat in the SEC Tournament and in March. The Tigers offense was clicking on all cylinders against Alabama and the loss to Arkansas is excusable as its really tough to win on the road in this league. The next three games for Missouri are against three unranked teams which gives Missouri a chance to end with a truly impressive record.
The lone game for the Tennessee Volunteers this week came against 7th ranked Texas A&M and it was an impressive showing. Chaz Lanier was incredible carrying the team with a 30 point performance while the team shot the lights out from three. This week provides a trap game for Tennessee against LSU before a game that will tell us a ton as the Vols face Alabama.
This week saw the best of Alabama and the worst of Alabama as the Crimson Tide knocked off Kentucky but, started the week getting beat by Missouri. The biggest concern with Alabama is their defense, Missouri was able to score 110 points on Alabama. Alabama is still very much in contention for a one seed in the NCAA Tournament and if Auburn can slip up, they'll have a chance at the SEC Regular Season Crown but, the Tide still have a few pieces to iron out.
The Florida Gators continue to rack up wins in the SEC this week adding a dominant win over Oklahoma and a win over LSU when the Gators were tested. While Florida remains in the race for the top seed in the SEC, the biggest priority the rest of the way is getting and staying healthy. Todd Golden has a National Championship caliber team and if the Gators continue to get healthy the sky is the limit.
We've once again seen another week open and close and the Auburn Tigers remain the best team in the SEC and the best team in America. The Arkansas Razorback pushed Auburn to the brink before the Tigers held on and on Saturday they left no doubt against Georgia. Bruce Pearl's team is the deepest in the Country and they're on the brink of clinching the SEC Regular Season Championship in one of the toughest years in the league.