The SEC regular season title race is still in full swing with only two games, and that should result in plenty of intrigue ahead of the conference tournament next week in Nashville.
Of course, there are also plenty of NCAA Tournament implications, with several teams on the bubble at this point.
Let’s jump into this week’s SEC basketball power rankings.
1. Tennessee Volunteers (26-3, 14-2)
The Vols jump back into the top spot after huge wins over Ole Miss and Kentucky, and once again, there was little reason to overreact to Rick Barnes’ team losing back-to-back road games to top 15 teams.
2. LSU Tigers (24-5, 14-2)
It’s clear at this point that LSU is a legitimate Final Four contender, and wins over Florida and Vanderbilt will make them SEC regular season champions.
3. Kentucky Wildcats (24-5, 13-3)
Kentucky didn’t play its best basketball against both Arkansas and Tennessee, and now PJ Washington and company will prepare for two intriguing matchups against Ole Miss and Florida.
4. Mississippi State Bulldogs (21-8, 9-7)
Even in coming up short at Auburn, it feels like the Bulldogs will take some momentum into their showdown with Tennessee due to how well they’ve played in recent weeks.
5. Auburn Tigers (20-9, 9-7)
The Tigers rebounded nicely from their struggles in Lexington by winning two important games, and they get two more excellent opportunities with a rivalry matchup with Alabama before hosting Tennessee.
6. Florida Gators (17-12, 9-7)
Just when the Gators start playing their best basketball of the season, they turn around and lose at home to Georgia prior to two crucial games against LSU and Kentucky.
7. Ole Miss Rebels (19-10, 9-7)
Speaking of teams that are coming off rough losses, the Rebels have lost their last couple of games by two points or less but will try to make up for it against Kentucky on Tuesday.
8. Alabama Crimson Tide (17-12, 8-8)
Alabama is probably in the tournament at this point, but fans would likely be a little more confident if Avery Johnson’s team can find a way to beat either Auburn or Arkansas this week.
9. South Carolina Gamecocks (14-15, 9-7)
The Gamecocks likely need to win the SEC Tournament to go dancing, as potential wins over Texas A&M and Georgia wouldn’t do much for their overall resume.
10. Texas A&M Aggies (13-15, 6-10)
It was expected to be a down season for the Aggies, but Billy Kennedy still isn’t getting enough credit for the improvement that this team has made over the past month or so.
11. Arkansas Razorbacks (15-14, 6-10)
Arkansas was able to halt its losing streak with the win over Ole Miss, but the Razorbacks have serious work to do to get back into bubble consideration.
12. Missouri Tigers (13-15, 4-12)
While the Tigers have struggled this season, the convincing victory over South Carolina at least gives them some confidence heading into two winnable games against Georgia and Ole Miss.
13. Georgia Bulldogs (11-18, 2-14)
After having opportunities to win several games in a row, the Bulldogs finally got over the hump against Florida and will try to follow it up with victories over Missouri and South Carolina.
14. Vanderbilt Commodores (9-20, 0-16)
For the Commodores to avoid running the table in reverse, they must find a way to beat either Arkansas or LSU.
For more SEC basketball coverage, follow me on Twitter @theblakelovell.