The road to the SEC tournament in Nashville is only a week away.
That means that the final week of the regular season should offer up plenty of intrigue as teams fight for seeding and NCAA at-large bids.
Let’s get right to this week’s SEC basketball power rankings.
1. Kentucky (24-5, 14-2)
The Wildcats are officially back on top after spending a few weeks elsewhere. There are still aspects of their game that makes you question whether they are a Final Four contender, but when Malik Monk and Bam Adebayo are playing this well, Kentucky is hard to beat.
This week: vs. Vanderbilt, at Texas A&M
2. Florida (23-6, 13-3)
The absence of John Egbunu was more clear in Lexington than it had been in the previous two games against South Carolina and Mississippi State. However, the Gators have enough weapons on offense to make a run in March.
This week: vs. Arkansas, at Vanderbilt
3. South Carolina (21-8, 11-5)
It was a much-needed blowout win for the Gamecocks against Tennessee after losing three in a row. South Carolina should finish out strong with games against Ole Miss and Mississippi State.
This week: vs. Mississippi State, at Ole Miss
4. Arkansas (22-7, 11-5)
Things looked bleak for the Razorbacks after losing back-t0-back games to Missouri and Vanderbilt, but Mike Anderson has led his team to five straight victories. Arkansas isn’t a complete NCAA tournament lock yet, but it would take losing three straight for the Hogs to be concerned.
This week: at Florida, vs. Georgia
5. Vanderbilt (16-13, 9-7)
After many up and down weeks throughout the season, the Commodores are finally back to where I thought they’d be heading into the year. Bryce Drew has his team playing its best basketball of the season, and winning one of the final two regular season games should put Vandy in serious consideration for an at-large bid.
This week: at Kentucky, vs. Florida
6. Georgia (17-12, 8-8)
The Bulldogs almost blew an important game against LSU, but JJ Frazier once again fueled Georgia to victory. Believe it or not, this team is likely still on the bubble, but it’ll need a few more quality wins to make things interesting.
This week: vs. Auburn, at Arkansas
7. Alabama (16-12, 9-7)
An 0-2 week with an NCAA tournament bid within reach wasn’t ideal for the Crimson Tide. However, for anyone thinking that Avery Johnson is struggling to turn this program around, just read this.
This week: vs. Ole Miss, at Tennessee
8. Ole Miss (18-11, 9-7)
Ole Miss may have an outside chance to somehow get into NCAA tournament contention, but it’ll likely take winning this week’s games and making a run all the way to the SEC tournament final. I’d watch out for this team in Nashville, because Andy Kennedy has the talent to make a surprise run.
This week: at Alabama, vs. South Carolina
9. Tennessee (15-14, 7-9)
After getting a ton out of the young players throughout the year, it seems as though Rick Barnes has seen his team hit a wall. The Vols went winless in their most important week of the season, so they now have a lot of work to do to get back on the bubble.
This week: at LSU, vs. Alabama
10. Texas A&M (15-13, 7-9)
The Aggies are another team you may want to keep an eye on next week at Bridgestone Arena. The Tyler Davis/Robert Williams duo is tough to stop, and if Texas A&M can get its guards to play consistent the rest of the way, it’s a team that could spoil the fun for several of the top seeds.
This week: at Missouri, vs. Kentucky
11. Auburn (17-12, 6-10)
Auburn has lost four of five down the stretch, which is obviously a disappointing finish to what many thought could be a promising season. The Tigers have a plethora of young talent that will continue getting better, but the defense will have to take a huge step forward for Bruce Pearl’s squad to reach its potential.
This week: at Georgia, vs. Missouri
12. Mississippi State (14-14, 5-11)
Speaking of young teams that have struggled mightily down the stretch, the Bulldogs have now lost six in a row and 10 of 12 after showing promise earlier in the year.
This week: at South Carolina, vs. LSU
13. Missouri (7-21, 2-14)
Missouri nearly snapped its length road losing streak at Ole Miss over the weekend, but it was another SEC loss in a long line of them for this program.
This week: vs. Texas A&M, at Auburn
14. LSU (9-19, 1-15)
Give the Tigers credit for not giving up and taking Georgia to the limit. However, losing a close game isn’t enough to wipe away the rough season in Baton Rouge.
This week: vs. Tennessee, at Mississippi State