George Bagwell gives his SEC basketball power rankings heading into week 8 of the 2023 season.
Matchup of the week: Arkansas vs. UNCW
Sneaky good matchup of the week: Alabama at Liberty
All games listed are EST.
The SEC Basketball Power Rankings aren’t going to change much this week. That’s what happens after a week when the conference (excluding Vanderbilt) goes 16-2 with just 3* Power 6 victories (one was Louisville) in that pre-holiday cupcake week. This week likely won’t be too different, as it’s the post-holiday cupcake week for all but two teams. (Alabama travels to Lynchburg, VA, to play Liberty, and Arkansas faces off against UNCW.) That means there’s less to write about (sad) but more to look forward to for the SEC Power Rankings fan club (with membership hopefully reaching over a dozen by now) once SEC games come rolling around (ecstatic).
After this week, however, the fun returns. SEC conference games start, and the first week of games includes Ole Miss vs. Tennessee, Texas A&M vs. Auburn, Kentucky vs. Florida, and South Carolina vs. Alabama. We at the SEC Power Rankings HQ cannot wait. This week, with not much to write about, we’ll be throwing in a non-conference MVP for each team, because every team deserves their flowers.
1) Ole Miss Rebels
Last week’s ranking: 1 (-)
Record: 12-0
Last week: W vs. Troy (74-53), W vs. Southern Miss (89-72)
Next week: vs. Bryant (Dec. 31 – 4 p.m.)
Quality wins: Memphis, NC State, at UCF
Bad losses: N/A
Looks like the SEC Basketball Power Rankings curse may not be real. That is, unless Ole Miss loses to (insert next opponent on their schedule) this week. This week, it’s Bryant, but honestly, I’m going to keep doing it until Ole Miss picks up their first loss of the year and then claim it was the work of the curse. We need some magic to invigorate these rankings. Maybe it’s Earl Timberlake and the Bulldogs (who’ve already beaten FAU), but most likely the Rebels will start the SEC calendar without a blemish on their record, which is higher than almost anyone had them to start the season. Congrats, Oxford. Who’s the team MVP? That title belongs to Allen Flanigan, the Auburn guard/small forward transfer. They wouldn’t be at the top of the mountain (one of just three unbeatens left!) without him.
2) Kentucky Wildcats
Last week’s ranking: 2 (-)
Record: 9-2
Last week: W at Louisville (95-76)
Next week: vs. Illinois State (Dec. 29 – 7 p.m.)
Quality wins: North Carolina, Miami (Fla)
Bad losses: UNCW
Kentucky played their rivals last week, but it was really just kind of sad. I like Kenny Payne, as a person. I think Louisville should give him a permanent job at press conferences to just answer any question he gets asked, because it’s pure comedy in a sport that seems a bit too serious at times. How many other coaches are going to answer every question from the press with 100% sincerity and honesty? I could name maybe a handful off the top of my head. But I digress, because this is a Kentucky space to write about, not Louisville, and Kentucky fans probably want Kenny to stay the Louisville coach just as much as I do, albeit for different reasons.
The Wildcats’ non-con season has been about as good as anyone could hope for, minus the loss against UNCW, which, with a team of mostly underclassmen, was bound to happen at some time. Coach Cal deserves major props for the work he did this offseason retooling this roster from near-scratch. The freshmen he brought in, Rob and Reed especially, deserve the flowers as well. One of those is the team MVP, and it’s the four-star, actually. Reed Sheppard leads the team in steals, assists, (tied with Rob) and is shooting 57.8% from deep. He’s only started one game this season, but he’s definitely the Wildcats’ MVP so far.
3) Tennessee Volunteers
Last week’s ranking: 3 (-)
Record: 9-3
Last week: W vs. Tarleton State (65-46)
Next week: vs. Norfolk State (Jan. 2 – 7 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Wisconsin, Illinois, NC State
Bad losses: N/A
Tennessee made quick work of Tarleton State last week, holding the Texans to 30.0% from the field and 9.1% from deep. That’s the kind of Tennessee defense we love to see, and it’s the type of defense that can take them far in March. And I’m not just overreacting to a game against Tarleton. Ever since the loss to UNC, the Vols have looked like a new team. They’ve won 5 in a row, including wins over Illinois and North Carolina State, and the biggest factor has been the improved health of Zakai Zeigler. While this team is ranked 3rd in the SEC Basketball Power Rankings, they’re the highest-ranked of all the SEC schools in the AP poll, rising to 6th. That’s because their three losses this year have all been against teams currently ranked inside the top 10. \
Only three teams in the conference have yet to lose to a team unranked in the latest poll, those teams being Ole Miss (no losses), South Carolina (Clemson), and Tennessee (UNC, Purdue, and Kansas). Of those teams, Tennessee has the best win so far, a neutral-site victory over Illinois. The team’s MVP this season has been Dalton Knecht, the NoCo transfer who, often at times, has been the Vols’ best chance to get a bucket on offense. He’s leading the team with 15.7 PPG.
4) Auburn Tigers
Last week’s ranking: 4 (-)
Record: 9-2
Last week: W vs. Alabama State (82-62)
Next week: vs. Chattanooga (Dec. 30 – 9 p.m), vs. Penn (Jan. 2 – 9 p.m.)
Quality wins: Virginia Tech, Indiana, St. Bonaventure, USC
Bad losses: N/A
Auburn doesn’t quite have a “signature” win yet, but they have a handful of quality wins on the season. They’ve beaten four teams between 46-83 in the KenPom ratings but not a team above 46. In their first seven conference games, they’ll have three chances to get that first signature win, at least according to KenPom, with games against Texas A&M, Alabama, and Mississippi State on the horizon. All in all, these non-con results, similar to Kentucky, has been all the program could have asked for minus a loss to a mid-major program. Instead of UNCW, the Tigers lost to App State, on the road. It’s excusable, honestly, and the concerning part isn’t that they lost, it’s that they went 3-of-27 from deep. That’s just very bad shooting, and Auburn can’t afford to just go out and perform like that on the road against SEC basketball competition.
But yes, similar to Kentucky, they have looked quite impressive for most of the year. They deserve to be ranked right now. The Tigers do have two more games of non-con to get over with, with home contests against UTC and Penn this week. It would be surprising to see either game come down to the final few minutes. The Auburn MVP this year has been, of course, Johni Broome, who leads the team in PPG, RPG, and BPG. He’s a big reason for the team’s success, and, just like last year, he’s shown that the SEC wasn’t all that difficult for him to conquer coming from Morehead State. Broome is a special talent.
5) Texas A&M Aggies
Last week’s ranking: 5 (-)
Record: 8-4
Last week: W vs. Houston Christian (79-52)
Next week: vs. Prairie View A&M (Dec. 30 – 7 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Ohio State, Iowa State, at SMU
Bad losses: N/A
The Aggies didn’t sweat too hard against Houston Christian, winning by 27. It was a nice reprieve after losing a close game to Houston in the previous week, but the status of Tyrece Radford will need to be monitored. The team’s second-leading scorer has missed the past two games with some type of ailment, and it’s not clear when he’ll return. For a team that’s already without Julius Marble, (official status unclear but hasn’t played this season) the Aggies can’t really afford to be losing starters at this point in the year. Without Radford, the Aggie offense has a significantly lower ceiling.
This week, Texas A&M plays Prairie View A&M, and they shouldn’t have much trouble there. A 9-4 non-con record isn’t exactly where this team was projected to be entering January, but with Marble missing the entirety of the season so far and Radford playing sparingly over the past month, they’ve done well for what they’ve been able to control. That’s due to team MVP and maybe SEC Basketball Player of the Year Wade Taylor IV. The junior guard is 4th in the conference with 17.9 PPG, and he scored 35 against FAU and 34 against Houston. That’s elite, y’all.
6) South Carolina Gamecocks
Last week’s ranking: 6 (-)
Record: 11-1
Last week: W vs. Winthrop (72-62), W vs. Elon (70-43)
Next week: vs. Florida A&M (Dec. 30 – 2 p.m.)
Best wins: Virginia Tech, Grand Canyon
Worst losses: N/A
South Carolina hadn’t looked all too impressive from the second half of the Clemson matchup to the end of the Charleston Southern game, but they picked the pace back up against Winthrop and Elon, winning by an average margin of 71-52.5. In 9 of their 12 games and all of their last 5, they’ve scored between 65-75 points. That’s consistency, y’all. The Gamecocks are experiencing massive growth in the 2nd year of the Lamont Paris era. The vibes are immaculate. Meechie Johnson (more on him later) is fantastic, and the team is simply a veteran-led force that can shoot from anywhere on the hardwood. That’s what the ‘Cocks do this year. They’ll likely win this week, with a home matchup against Florida A&M. That would mean the Gamecocks would beat last season’s win total before conference games even start. Lamont Paris, SEC Basketball Coach of the Year? Sure. And yes, Meechie Johnson is the team MVP. He’s averaging 18.3 PPG (2nd in the SEC) and is 29-of-30 from the line in his last thirty attempts. Need I say more?
7) Mississippi State Bulldogs
Last week’s ranking: 7 (-)
Record: 10-2
Last week: W vs. Rutgers (70-60)
Next week: vs. Bethune-Cookman (Dec. 31 – 3 p.m.)
Quality wins: Northwestern, Washington State, Tulane, Rutgers
Bad losses: Southern
Mississippi State picked up an impressive Power 6 victory over Rutgers last week. It wasn’t enough to move up in the rankings because no team above them lost a game, but it’ll help out once March rolls around. The loss to Southern feels like ages ago, and Tolu Smith returns soon. That’s fantastic news for Bulldog fans. While the offense isn’t exactly elite, save for the Tulane win of course, the defense looks exceptional almost every game. Last year, the Bulldogs started out with an even better record than this year, but there’s clear evidence that this year’s team is better than last season’s. Chris Jans has his team on a roll, and that roll will likely be lasting this week when they take on Bethune-Cookman. Just don’t forget that they’ve already lost to a SWAC opponent this year. Josh Hubbard is the team’s clear MVP. The short king is averaging 14.8 PPG *off the bench*. That’s crazy, y’all. If y’all don’t know the name, start knowing it. Josh Hubbard will drop 20 on your favorite team.
8) Georgia Bulldogs
Last week’s ranking: 8 (-)
Record: 9-3
Last week: W vs. Mt. Saint Mary’s (94-82), W vs. North Florida (78-60)
Next week: vs. Alabama A&M (Dec. 30 – 2:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: Georgia Tech, Wake Forest
Bad losses: N/A
Georgia just continues to win. The two double-digit wins over Mount Saint Mary’s and North Florida moved the Bulldogs’ win streak to seven games, the second-longest streak in the conference after, of course, the Ole Miss Rebels. With a win over Alabama A&M this week, (assumedly) Georgia will have double-digit wins before the SEC slate. That’s great for Mike White’s group, who have a chance to make some noise in the at-large discussion with a fast start in the SEC portion of the schedule. Jabri Abdur-Rahim has scored 41 points combined in his last two games. There isn’t much more to report about the Bulldogs. They’re beating the teams they’ve needed to beat, and that’s been enough. We’ll see what SEC games bring, but as of right now, Georgia’s looking pretty good. The team’s MVP has been Abdur-Rahim, who has been absolutely electric at times on offense.
9) Florida Gators
Last week’s ranking: 10 (+1)
Record: 9-3
Last week: W vs. Michigan (106-101), W vs. Grambling (96-57)
Next week: vs. Quinnipiac (Dec. 30 – 1 p.m.)
Quality wins: Pitt, Michigan
Bad losses: N/A
Florida is this week’s biggest mover, moving up one spot after two wins against Michigan and Grambling. The Michigan win in Charlotte was an exceptional game, really one of the best SEC basketball games of the year so far. The Gators trailed, then had it in the bag, let it out the bag, hit a clutch three, then ran away with it in double OT. It was great, if you’re a Gator fan, or if you’re a fan of good basketball. A loss would’ve been tough, because Michigan hasn’t been all that great this year, but a win keeps the wheels of momentum going. The Gators have now won 5 games in a row, and they’ve got 5 players averaging 10+ PPG. That’s the balanced offensive attack they hired Todd Golden for.
This week, granted they can get past Paul Otieno-led Quinnipiac, the Gators can get to the 10-win mark before SEC games start, like Georgia. That’s not all too bad, and it’s about in line with where most publications had the Gators. Losses to Virginia and Baylor look like missed opportunities, but Florida will have plenty of more chances when the SEC skate begins. The team MVP? It’s Tyrese Samuel, the Seton Hall transfer who’s averaging 14.6 PPG and 8.8 RPG. Samuel has been great offensively in the interior, and he deserves his flowers.
10) Alabama Crimson Tide
Last week’s ranking: 9 (-1)
Record: 7-5
Last week: L vs. #4 Arizona (87-74), W vs. Eastern Kentucky (111-67)
Next week: at Liberty (Dec. 30 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: Oregon, Indiana State
Bad losses: N/A
I would buy all the Alabama stock I could right now, and then sell most of it before the Tennessee road matchup in mid-January. Right now, they’re 7-5 and have (still) yet to hold a Power 6 team under 85 points, with a 1-5 record against Power 6 opponents. They don’t have a horrible loss on the resume, but 5 losses in non-con is concerning no matter the perspective. The offense has been (mostly) good and the defense has been (mostly) bad. Mark Sears has been elite, but last week wasn’t a step forward for the team. Yes, putting up 111 points is cool and fun, but the Eastern Kentucky win won’t move the meter. A “neutral-site” loss to Arizona won’t be all too concerning, but the way it was lost could be something to monitor.
Grant Nelson shot 5-for-19 from the field and 3-for-15 from deep. Considering Sam Walters, a freshman power forward, shot 3-of-5 from deep, and has been much more efficient shooting this season (54.5 FG% vs. Nelson’s 43.8 FG%), it could be time to start giving more chances to Walters in the rotation. Nelson is currently averaging almost double the amount of minutes that Walters is. Nelson is slightly ahead in some defensive analytics, which is admittedly more important for the team right now, but it’s worth giving the freshman more looks than what he’s getting.
Alabama can bring momentum into the SEC basketball slate with a win over Liberty this week. They’ll have to do it in Lynchburg, VA, and ESPN’s “analytics” currently gives the Flames a higher chance of winning, believe it or not. The Crimson Tide’s non-con, though, believe it or not, may not matter. They don’t have any horrible losses, and the defense might just be fixable. Maybe not, sure, but let’s pretend it’s possible. The team’s MVP is Mark Sears, who is an early front-runner for SEC Basketball Player of the Year.
11) Arkansas Razorbacks
Last week’s ranking: 11 (-)
Record: 8-4
Last week: W vs. Abilene Christian (83-73)
Next week: vs. UNC Wilmington (Dec. 30 – 5 p.m.)
Quality wins: Duke
Bad losses: N/A
Besides the win against Duke, it’s actually shocking to see how the non-con portion of the schedule went for Arkansas. Even this past week with the win over Abilene Christian, the Razorbacks trailed by as many as 9 against the Wildcats, who had already lost to UT-Arlington and Northern Arizona on the season. Sure, they ended up winning the game, but it’s fair to wonder what’s going on in Fayetteville. I could give a detailed explanation, but that’s probably fit for a separate article. Arkansas has a bevy of talent in the backcourt, but not everyone is performing as hoped. Tramon Mark and Khalif Battle have been fantastic, averaging a combined 32.2 PPG. The rest of the group? Not so much. All other guards (5 excluding Keyon Menifield who just got cleared) are averaging a combined 24.2 PPG. Not the best formula for a team that wants to go to March. In fact, besides Mark and Battle, not a single player is averaging +10 PPG. Davonte Davis and El Ellis have been particularly disappointing, but it’s’ only December and the team has time to turn it around.
They’ve got a chance this week to do something Kentucky hasn’t, which is beating UNCW. It’ll be a tough game for Arkansas, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see these Hogs end up 8-5 by January. Mark and Battle split the team’s MVP title so far, as they’ve been playing at an all-SEC level. The rest of the team? Well, they’ve got time.
12) Missouri Tigers
Last week’s ranking: 12 (-)
Record: 7-5
Last week: L vs. Illinois (97-73)
Next week: vs. Central Arkansas (Dec. 30 – 3 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Pitt
Bad losses: Jackson State
Never doubt Dennis Gates. That’s the mantra here at SEC Basketball Power Rankings, but Missouri has taken a bit of a dip in the coach’s second year with the program, at least on the court. (Missouri’s ranked 4th in the latest national recruiting rankings.) They’re 1 of 4 teams with a 7-5 record or lower, and they’ve lost to Jackson State, Seton Hall, and Memphis in friendly environments. Kaleb Brown and Caleb Grill are currently lost with injuries, and for all the talk about a very good transfer class, only two (Grill and Tamar Bates) are averaging 5+ PPG. Sean East II continues to be an All-SEC talent, but he needs help from his surrounding cast. Crazy fact of the day, Sean East II’s 3PT% (55.9%) is higher than all but one Tiger’s FG%. Every other player on the team besides Aidan Shaw is shooting lower from the field than East II is from behind the arc. Sean East II, Nick Honor, and Noah Carter are the only players averaging 20+ MPG that are currently healthy.
Much like other teams, however, conference games offer a new hope and a fresh start. Missouri can make needed adjustments and work together to bounce back, and it’s not inconceivable that they go 2-0 in their next two games with home games against Central Arkansas and Georgia. The team MVP, undoubtedly, is Sean East II, who’s averaging 17.2 PPG, 3.8 APG, and 1.2 SPG. Freshman Anthony Robinson II has also been a very pleasant surprise on both ends of the court.
13) LSU Tigers
Last week’s ranking: 13 (-)
Record: 7-5
Last week: W vs. Lamar (87-66)
Next week: vs. Northwestern State (Dec. 29 – 8 p.m)
Quality wins: Wake Forest
Bad losses: Nicholls State
LSU actually has a case to rise up to #12 in these rankings, following Mizzou’s 3-game slide and the Tigers’ (Baton Rouge variety) equal win-loss record. They don’t get the benefit of doubt, however, with that loss to Nicholls State (262nd in KenPom) still fresh in the mind of the author. Sure, Missouri lost to Jackson St. (255th in KenPom), but the Tigers (Columbia variety) have a better win over an ACC opponent (road over Pitt) than the Tigers (Baton Rouge variety) do (neutral site win over Wake). This team is certainly better than last year’s, even with a worse non-con showing than last year, but it would have been nice to see the same sort of progress that second-year coaches Lamont Paris and Chris Jans have seen. The team MVP is, undoubtedly, Jordan Wright, the Vandy transfer who’s leading the Tigers in points, assists, and is 3rd on the team in rebounds. The mid-year addition of Jalen Cook should help the team as it moves forward.
14) Vanderbilt Commodores
Last week’s ranking: 14 (-)
Record: 4-8
Last week: L vs. Western Carolina (63-62), L at Memphis (77-75)
Next week: vs. Dartmouth (Dec. 30 – 5 p.m.)
Quality wins: UNC Greensboro
Bad losses: Presbyterian, Western Carolina
Leave it to me to write a detailed de facto obituary for Vanderbilt basketball, just for them to wind up inches short of a road win over Memphis. Of course, there was the home loss to Western Carolina that preceded that performance, but Vanderbilt deserves their props for keeping it a one-possession game against a ranked opponent on the road. Is it too cynical to call that their best performance of the year? Actually, I’ll keep it positive. The Vanderbilt victory over UNCG was their best performance of the year. It’s a very good win, and it’s holding up nicely. When everything is said and done with this year, the ‘Dores will likely have multiple wins over tournament teams by the end of the year. Additionally, Ezra Manjon deserves his flowers, and he’s Vandy’s MVP so far, leading the team in assists and points. Perhaps there’s hope for this team after all.