Not a lot of movement in the standings this week; however, we do have a new leader atop the standings — the Auburn Tigers.
After winning 14 straight games, Bruce Pearl’s squad is in prime position for a high seeding in the NCAA Tournament.
Kentucky stays in 2nd this week and is followed by Tennessee and Arkansas both who remain in the top four.
Although Texas A&M has started 0-5 in SEC play, their SOS and record against quadrant 1 opponents has kept them at a solid position of 34th nationally. If the Aggies can take advantage of having their full roster back, I expect them to win some key games and stay highly regarded in RPI.
Missouri stays one spot behind Texas A&M while Alabama jumped two spots after beating South Carolina and LSU.
Frank Martin’s Gamecocks come in at 10th this week with two huge opportunities to strengthen their tournament resume. South Carolina will play host to Kentucky on Tuesday and face Tennessee this weekend. Both teams will come into Colonial Life Arena nationally ranked.
LSU, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss follow the Gamecocks and have every chance of upping their tournament chances this week.
All three teams will play a higher-ranked opponent over the next seven days.
Vanderbilt remains at the bottom of the standings this week. The Commodores are currently the only SEC team outside the top 100.
Knowing that Vanderbilt can beat anyone on any given night (especially in Memorial Gym), it’s quite obvious this is the strongest and deepest the SEC has been in basketball in a long time.
Note: If using a mobile device, you will need to turn it sideways to properly view the table below.
SEC RPI Report – Tuesday, Jan. 16th
| SEC | NCAA | Team | Record | SOS | Quad 1 | Quad 2 | Quad 3 | Quad 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Auburn | 16-1 | 45 | 5-0 | 2-1 | 4-0 | 5-0 |
| 2 | 11 | Kentucky | 14-3 | 13 | 2-3 | 2-0 | 6-0 | 4-0 |
| 3 | 13 | Tennessee | 12-4 | 4 | 2-4 | 5-0 | 2-0 | 3-0 |
| 4 | 18 | Arkansas | 12-5 | 16 | 2-4 | 3-1 | 3-0 | 4-0 |
| 5 | 34 | Texas A&M | 11-6 | 18 | 3-4 | 1-2 | 3-0 | 4-0 |
| 6 | 35 | Missouri | 11-5 | 30 | 2-3 | 2-1 | 4-1 | 3-0 |
| 7 | 38 | Alabama | 11-6 | 19 | 2-2 | 5-3 | 2-1 | 2-0 |
| 8 | 41 | Florida | 12-5 | 34 | 3-2 | 3-2 | 1-1 | 5-0 |
| 9 | 55 | Georgia | 11-5 | 91 | 2-2 | 3-2 | 2-1 | 4-0 |
| 10 | 56 | S. Carolina | 10-6 | 72 | 1-2 | 1-4 | 3-0 | 5-0 |
| 11 | 62 | LSU | 11-5 | 68 | 3-3 | 2-1 | 0-1 | 6-0 |
| 12 | 73 | Miss. State | 12-4 | 140 | 1-3 | 1-1 | 2-0 | 8-0 |
| 13 | 93 | Ole Miss | 10-7 | 26 | 0-3 | 3-2 | 2-2 | 5-0 |
| 14 | 149 | Vanderbilt | 6-11 | 11 | 0-8 | 1-2 | 2-1 | 3-0 |
** All data presented in this report is courtesy of the NCAA’s Nitty Gritty & Team Sheet Reports which reflect only games against D1 opposition. **
Now that we have taken a look at the current positioning and figures for each SEC team, let’s take a look at what the next week of basketball holds for each of the 14 squads.
The Week Ahead (Jan. 15 – Jan. 21)
Alabama Crimson Tide
| Date | Opponent (H/N/A) | Record | RPI |
| 1/17/18 | #17 Auburn Tigers (H) | 16-1 | #7 |
| 1/20/18 | Miss. State Bulldogs (H) | 12-4 | #73 |
Arkansas Razorbacks
| Date | Opponent (H/N/A) | Record | RPI |
| 1/17/18 | Florida Gators (A) | 12-5 | #41 |
| 1/20/18 | Ole Miss Rebels (H) | 10-7 | #93 |
Auburn Tigers
| Date | Opponent (H/N/A) | Record | RPI |
| 1/17/18 | Alabama Crimson Tide (A) | 11-6 | #38 |
| 1/20/18 | Georgia Bulldogs (H) | 11-5 | #55 |
Florida Gators
| Date | Opponent (H/N/A) | Record | RPI |
| 1/17/18 | Arkansas Razorbacks (H) | 12-5 | #18 |
| 1/20/18 | #18 Kentucky Wildcats (A) | 14-3 | #11 |
Georgia Bulldogs
| Date | Opponent (H/N/A) | Record | RPI |
| 1/16/18 | LSU Tigers (A) | 11-5 | #62 |
| 1/20/18 | #17 Auburn Tigers (A) | 16-1 | #7 |
Kentucky Wildcats
| Date | Opponent (H/N/A) | Record | RPI |
| 1/16/18 | South Carolina Gamecocks (A) | 10-6 | #56 |
| 1/20/18 | Florida Gators (H) | 12-5 | #41 |
LSU Tigers
| Date | Opponent (H/N/A) | Record | RPI |
| 1/16/18 | Georgia Bulldogs (H) | 11-5 | #55 |
| 1/20/18 | Vanderbilt Commodores (A) | 6-11 | #149 |
Mississippi State Bulldogs
| Date | Opponent (H/N/A) | Record | RPI |
| 1/16/18 | Vanderbilt Commodores (H) | 6-11 | #149 |
| 1/20/18 | Alabama Crimson Tide (A) | 11-6 | #38 |
Missouri Tigers
| Date | Opponent (H/N/A) | Record | RPI |
| 1/17/18 | #21 Tennessee Volunteers (H) | 12-4 | #13 |
| 1/20/18 | Texas A&M Aggies (A) | 11-6 | #34 |
Ole Miss Rebels
| Date | Opponent (H/N/A) | Record | RPI |
| 1/16/18 | Texas A&M Aggies (A) | 11-6 | #34 |
| 1/20/18 | Arkansas Razorbacks (A) | 12-5 | #18 |
South Carolina Gamecocks
| Date | Opponent (H/N/A) | Record | RPI |
| 1/16/18 | #18 Kentucky Wildcats (H) | 14-3 | #11 |
| 1/20/18 | #21 Tennessee Volunteers (H) | 12-4 | #13 |
Tennessee Volunteers
| Date | Opponent (H/N/A) | Record | RPI |
| 1/17/18 | Missouri Tigers (A) | 11-5 | #35 |
| 1/20/17 | South Carolina Gamecocks (A) | 10-6 | #56 |
Texas A&M Aggies
| Date | Opponent (H/N/A) | Record | RPI |
| 1/16/18 | Ole Miss Rebels (H) | 10-7 | #93 |
| 1/20/18 | Missouri Tigers (H) | 11-5 | #35 |
Vanderbilt Commodores
| Date | Opponent (H/N/A) | Record | RPI |
| 1/16/18 | Miss. State Bulldogs (A) | 12-4 | #73 |
| 1/20/17 | LSU Tigers (H) | 11-5 | #62 |