It was another interesting week for teams around the SEC, as some made big strides while others struggled to find victories.
And since it’s Monday, that means a new set of SEC basketball power rankings.
There aren’t many changes at the top this week, but there are several teams that are continuing to climb rapidly.
Let’s get to the rankings.
1. Tennessee Volunteers (16-1, 5-0)
The Vols should be the No. 1 team in the country in this week’s polls, and once again, I fully believe they’re the most complete team in college basketball right now.
2. Kentucky Wildcats (14-3, 4-1)
Winning at Auburn was one of the best road wins of the season for any SEC team, and we’ve reached that familiar point in the year where the Wildcats seem to be figuring things out.
3. LSU Tigers (14-3, 4-0)
LSU is a legitimate SEC title contender, and don’t look now, but the Tigers have a great shot at extending their winning streak this week with winnable games against Georgia and Missouri.
4. Ole Miss Rebels (14-3, 4-1)
You can learn a lot about a team based on how they respond to a loss, and the Rebels told us quite a bit about their toughness after a convincing win over Arkansas on Saturday.
5. Auburn Tigers (13-4, 2-2)
Auburn came up just short against Kentucky, with Bruce Pearl’s team entering a crucial week with back-to-back road games against South Carolina and Mississippi State.
6. South Carolina Gamecocks (9-8, 4-1)
The loss at LSU maybe shouldn’t have been all that surprising, but the way that the Gamecocks lost probably won’t make Frank Martin all that happy.
7. Mississippi State Bulldogs (14-3, 2-2)
It still feels like the Bulldogs are a top five team in the SEC, and this week will offer a tremendous opportunity to prove that when they head to Kentucky before hosting Auburn on Saturday.
8. Florida Gators (10-7, 2-3)
Despite losing Keith Stone for the season, the Gators got a much-needed road win at Georgia, and Mike White’s squad set for an excellent opportunity to get several games over .500 in the SEC with their next three conference matchups in Gainesville.
9. Alabama Crimson Tide (11-6, 2-3)
If Alabama would consistently play like it did in the near win at Tennessee, this team would be in a lot better shape in terms of its NCAA Tournament resume.
10. Missouri Tigers (10-6, 1-3)
The Tigers deserve a lot of credit for going in and taking care of business in dominant fashion at Texas A&M, as that was as must-win as it gets after an 0-3 start.
11. Arkansas Razorbacks (10-7, 1-4)
Arkansas has had a tough schedule to open up SEC play, and with upcoming home games against Missouri and Georgia, this is one of the most important stretches of the season for the young Hogs.
12. Georgia Bulldogs (9-8, 1-4)
You could argue that Georgia’s schedule has been among the toughest in the league thus far, but it doesn’t get any easier this week with a trip to LSU on Wednesday.
13 Texas A&M Aggies (7-9, 1-4)
Texas A&M’s next five games are against Florida, Kansas State, LSU, Tennessee, and Ole Miss, which is going to make it hard to completely turn things around after consecutive blowout losses.
14. Vanderbilt Commodores (9-8, 0-5)
The problem with the Commodores losing their first five SEC games is that Tennessee and Kentucky are up next, with a challenging trip to Oklahoma in the middle of those two intimidating matchups.
For more SEC basketball coverage, follow me on Twitter @theblakelovell.