1. Kentucky (19-0, 6-0 SEC)- No surprise here at all. Despite two overtime wins over Ole Miss and Texas A&M, the Wildcats have dominated all of their games. With several NBA prospects on this team, expect this team to not only win the SEC, but to dominate their way through the NCAA Tournament.
2. Georgia (13-5, 4-2 SEC)- The Bulldogs are currently on a four-game winning streak and looks to challenge Kentucky as they’ll face them twice before the SEC Tournament begins. Senior power forward Marcus Thornton has been a major contributor to their success as he’s averaging 13.4 points and 7.3 rebounds so far this season.
3. Texas A&M (13-5, 4-2 SEC)- The Aggies are also on a hot streak as they’ve won four straight as well, including two big road wins over LSU and Tennessee. This Texas A&M team is on the rise as they gave Kentucky a fight this year after losing to them in two overtimes. They will visit Oxford on February 4th to take on the Rebels.
4. Arkansas (15-4, 4-2 SEC)- The Hogs got back on the winning track since their loss to Ole Miss last week. Since then, they’ve knocked off Alabama and Missouri. The Razorbacks are a borderline AP Top 25 team with a lot of potential. Expect them to get back there if they continue to win as they have three of their next four game at Bud Walton Arena.
5. LSU (15-4, 4-2 SEC)- Rebel fans remember LSU junior guard Keith Hornsby, who torched Ole Miss with 23 points in their win earlier this month. In the past week, LSU went on the road to Gainesville to upset Florida, and rallied to beat Vanderbilt in overtime. This is a very good basketball team that is clicking at the right time.
6. Tennessee (12-6, 4-2 SEC)- The Vols are coming off a close loss to Texas A&M at home, but had previously won three games in a row. The Volunteers weren’t expected to contend for an NCAA Tournament spot under first year head coach Donnie Tyndall, but they’re shocking a lot of critics right now.
7. Ole Miss (12-7, 3-3 SEC)- The Rebels have yet to find any consistency this season as they have yet to win consecutive games in conference play. Following their big 72-71 home win over Florida, the Rebels will have a chance to play consistent basketball as they’ll face Mississippi State and Missouri, who are both below .500 in conference play. If Jarvis Summers can continue to play to his potential, then Ole Miss will fight to dance in March.
8. Alabama (13-6, 3-3 SEC)- The Crimson Tide are back on track after their game-winning tip-in over rival Auburn. The Tide will have two tough games this week against Florida and Kentucky. We will learn more about this team once they play two of the toughest teams in the conference.
9. Florida (10-9, 3-3 SEC)- It is hard to fathom how bad Florida has been this year. They’ve lost three in a row with arguably the second most talent in the SEC. I’m not giving up on this team as they are capable of racking up many wins in the conference considering they have several of their players from last year’s Final Four team on the roster.
10. Auburn (10-9, 2-4 SEC)- Bruce Pearl’s bunch is playing hard, but not closing out games well. They’ve lost their last two against Mississippi State and Alabama who aren’t projected to finish above Auburn. The Tigers have a huge week ahead with games against Texas A&M on January 27th, and Pearl’s return to Knoxville against Tennessee on January 31st.
11. Mississippi State (9-10, 2-4 SEC)- The Bulldogs travel to Oxford to take on their rival Ole Miss, and they have to win that one if they want any chance to get back into the fold in the conference. They did knock off Vanderbilt and Auburn in consecutive wins, but they laid an egg at home against Georgia this past Saturday.
12. South Carolina (10-8, 1-5 SEC)- Frank Martin’s team has disappointed a lot of critics this season. Martin recruits well, but he has yet to bring success to South Carolina. The schedule doesn’t get any easier this week as they’ll travel to LSU and host Georgia.
13. Vanderbilt (11-8, 1-5 SEC)- Losers of five straight, things aren’t looking good Kevin Stallings in Nashville. The road continues to be tough as they’ll travel to Georgia and Texas A&M this week.
14. Missouri (7-12, 1-5 SEC)- Also losers of five straight games, Mizzou is also disappointing in the conference. The Tigers are coming off a close one point loss to Arkansas in a game they arguably should’ve won. Missouri will host Kentucky and Ole Miss this week.
