Kentucky – Things are beginning to click in Lexington for Calipari’s bunch. They’ve won their last three contests by an average of 26.7 points and have scored 251 points in those three games. Tyler Ulis might be the most underrated player in college basketball and Kentucky is peaking at the right time.
LSU – If someone could screw this roster up, it’s Johnny Jones. The Tigers could win the SEC if the season ended today. They would also be a bubble team. If the Tigers somehow missed the tournament, Johnny Jones should not have a job. He should probably be arrested.
South Carolina – I never fully bought in on this South Carolina team, and Saturday didn’t do anything to change my mind. The Gamecocks were throttled 89-62 by Kentucky in what could have been a huge win for Frank Martin and his program. They don’t guard particularly well at times and sometimes struggle to find offense outside of Michael Carrera. South Carolina has a lot of work to do if they want to make some noise in March.
Texas A&M – I’m shocked that a team that has Rick Stansbury on the coaching staff is faltering down the stretch. We have absolutely zero evidence that a team that has coaching from Rick Stansbury would not exactly finish the season great. This is quite irregular. Okay, I’ll stop lying. The Aggies have lost four in a row, and look to stop the skid Tuesday as the Rebels come to town.
Florida – Michael White’s young team is experiencing growing pains. They’ve been good at times this year, but have squandered a few games of late, the latest being a home loss to Alabama on Saturday. KeVaughn Allen is one of the most talented freshmen in college basketball, and this team still seems to be learning how to win.
Alabama – There were questions surrounding Avery Johnson’s hire at Alabama. There aren’t any more questions. Johnson has the Crimson Tide contending for a NCAA tournament spot as it turns to mid-February. Alabama probably needs a few more quality wins, but the Crimson Tide has gotten a lot better under one year of Johnson at the helm.
Georgia – You never know which Georgia team is going to show up on any given night, but if the one that likes to score shows up, they’re pretty good. The Bulldogs beat Mississippi State on Saturday and are now 7-5 in league play. This team may have the most to prove of any during this final stretch of games in the SEC.
Ole Miss – Andy Kennedy should be coach of the year. I say that jokingly, but he has done a great job at Ole Miss this year. His roster took a while to gel, and Kennedy and his leading scorer Stefan Moody kept the Rebels afloat. They now seem to be gelling. While time is not on the Rebels side, they’re not completely out of the postseason picture.
Vanderbilt – Vanderbilt beat an injured Auburn team to notch their 15th win of the year, but at this point in the year, many thought they’d have more. Just when you think the Dores have it figured out, an inexplicable loss seems to follow. They go on the road this week to face a 10-14 Mississippi State team, I wonder how that will turn out.
Arkansas – Arkansas is a young team that makes you scratch your head at times. The Razorbacks had a bad week in the state of Mississippi, as they were soundly defeated by Ole Miss and Mississippi State in the span of 5 days.
Tennessee – The Vols lost to Missouri this weekend, and because of that, I almost ranked them last purely based off instinct. It’ll be a slow rebuilding process for Rick Barnes in Knoxville and Saturday wasn’t a bright spot.
Mississippi State- I don’t know. I honest to God don’t know. They beat Arkansas by 32 on Tuesday, and then couldn’t stay on the floor with Georgia on Saturday.
Missouri – Missouri won their second SEC game when they beat Tennessee. We decided to reward them by not ranking them last this week. But seriously, it’s been a long year in Columbia and good on them for not packing it in for the year. It was a solid win for Kim Anderson and the Tigers.
Auburn – Auburn moved their center to point guard, and their best player is no longer part of the team and has declared for the NBA draft. I’m shocked the Tigers are struggling. Shocked.
