George Bagwell gives his SEC basketball power rankings heading into week 9 of the 2023 season.
Matchup of the week: Tennessee vs. Ole Miss
Sneaky good matchup of the week: South Carolina vs. Mississippi State
All games listed are EST.
I lied last week. I said that Alabama was going to be playing Liberty in Virginia. I don’t really remember where I got that information from, but it was wrong. The game was in Tuscaloosa, and Alabama absolutely extinguished the Flames, leaving no trace. Other than the fact that the Alabama game was played at a different venue than where this author had suggested, basically no surprises this week as we turn to the new year. Not a single SEC team lost, which really said more about the strength (or lack thereof) of this week’s schedule rather than the strength of the conference. We’re keeping it short and sweet this week, but next week will be filled with anecdotes about conference matchups, tales of fraudulent and unbeatable teams, and a deeper look into the weeks ahead. Rest up, SEC Power Rankings family. We’ve got a long road ahead.
1) Ole Miss Rebels
Last week’s ranking: 1 (-)
Record: 13-0
Last week: W vs. Bryant (95-78)
Next week: at Tennessee (Jan. 6 – 6 p.m.)
Quality wins: NC State, Memphis, at UCF
Bad losses: N/A
Ole Miss keeps the #1 spot by virtue of beating Bryant while the conference as a whole decided to play not a single opponent in the top 75 of the KenPom rankings for an entire week. Allen Flanigan, Jaemyn Brakefield, and Matthew Murrell combined for 54, and after an early 26-11 lead, the game was never really in doubt, despite 12 made threes from Bryant. This week, we will learn a lot about Ole Miss. That’s because, after a non-conference strength of schedule that ranked 281st nationally, (per KenPom, don’t @ me) we don’t know yet if they can hang with the big dogs. The eye test says yes, most of the time. The metrics say no. What will the Tennessee Vols say? That’s the real question, and we’ll get an answer Saturday. My guess is a 6-8 point victory from Tennessee that leaves both teams moderately satisfied but no one truly happy.
2) Kentucky Wildcats
Last week’s ranking: 2 (-)
Record: 10-2
Last week: W vs. Illinois State (96-70)
Next week: at Florida (Jan. 6 – 12:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: Miami (FL), North Carolina
Bad losses: UNCW
Kentucky stays in the two-spot after an as-expected runaway victory over Illinois State, with former Redbird Antonio Reeves leading the way with 27. One would think that facing a former school would ignite an added gear for a college athlete. It did. Off the bench, Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard combined for 12 assists to just 3 turnovers, and as a team, Kentucky shot 44.0% from deep, had a 27-6 advantage in terms of transition points, and, overall, shot 57.6% from the field compared to Illinois State’s mark of 32.9%. This week, the Wildcats travel to Gainesville to take on Florida, which, despite the road environment, should be a game that Coach Cal’s group wins. Florida has not fared well in a few of their games against Power 6 opponents (Wake Forest, Virginia), and Kentucky has the clear talent advantage. Anything, however, can happen. It’s SEC basketball.
3) Tennessee Volunteers
Last week’s ranking: 3 (-)
Record: 9-3
Last week: OFF
Next week: vs. Norfolk State (Jan. 2 – 7 p.m.), vs. Ole Miss (Jan. 6 – 6 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Wisconsin, Illinois, NC State
Bad losses: N/A
Tennessee hopefully took advantage of a long break in their schedule with some rest and recovery, and they’ve got two games this week, a feisty Norfolk State squad that’s already beaten VCU, FGCU, and SDSU (South Dakota variant), and a home game against one of the three remaining unbeatens in the country in Ole Miss. The expectation is 2-0, but it would be the truth to suggest that some media members are thinking the Rebels could stay with the Vols. But with the way the Vols have looked with a healthy Zakai Zeigler, I’m expecting this team to win both games this week by multiple possessions, nothing rocky, and earn the top spot in the SEC Power Rankings.
4) Auburn Tigers
Last week’s ranking: 4 (-)
Record: 10-2
Last week: W vs. Chattanooga (101-66)
Next week: vs. Penn (Jan. 2 – 9 p.m.), at Arkansas (Jan. 6 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: St. Bonaventure, Virginia Tech, Indiana, Southern Cal
Bad losses: N/A
Auburn had one of their best offensive showing of the year against Chattanooga, but we must stress that it was against Chattanooga. Jaylin Williams led the Tigers with 21 points on a perfect (9-9) night from the field, and the team, much like Kentucky, was just automatic shooting the ball against a mid-major opponent, finishing with a 56.1 FG%. Auburn faces off against Penn in their last non-con game of the year before traveling to Fayetteville this weekend. The game against the Razorbacks is huge for setting up a successful season. Sure, an 11-win non-con schedule is nice, but the tournament is made inside the conference season. Winning early means momentum, which not only is about as important as anything else in the SEC, but also means moving up the SEC Power Rankings, which should be the most important goal for all 14 teams, truly.
5) Texas A&M Aggies
Last week’s ranking: 5 (-)
Record: 9-4
Last week: W vs. Prairie View A&M (79-54)
Next week: vs. LSU (Jan. 6 – 8:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Ohio State, at SMU, Iowa State
Bad losses: N/A
The Aggies handled business against Prairie View, holding their opponent to 54 points in their second consecutive game. Tyrece Radford is still unavailable, but for now, the Aggies have been steady, with Wade Taylor IV and Henry Coleman III averaging double-figures. Since the loss to Memphis, the Aggies have looked quite impressive, keeping it close against Houston and taking care of their two subsequent mid-major opponents. Now, with a home game against LSU this week, they’ve got a golden opportunity to start the SEC slate with positive momentum. Honestly, it’s the easiest game of the week for an SEC team, or should be, at least. Look out for the Aggies once Radford returns, but really you might as well keep looking out for them right now, too.
6) South Carolina Gamecocks
Last week’s ranking: 6 (-)
Record: 12-1
Last week: W vs. Florida A&M (94-62)
Next week: vs. Mississippi State (Jan. 6 – Noon)
Best wins: Virginia Tech, Grand Canyon
Worst losses: N/A
South Carolina is taking care of business. After beating Elon by 27, they beat Florida A&M by 32. Yeah, I get it, that’s not exactly beating Purdue or Kansas, but it’s also not losing non-con games, which is almost as important as winning in non-conference games. Freshman Collin Murray-Boyles, who missed a chunk of the season with mono, had the best game of his career so far, scoring 17 points on 5-6 shooting from the field and a 7-8 mark from the line. For a team that needs a consistent frontcourt option opposite B.J. Mack, he could be the answer. How does this team stay in the top half of the SEC Power Rankings? Beating Mississippi State at home this weekend would be a nice start, and it could vault them into the AP Poll. (No promises, though.)
7) Mississippi State Bulldogs
Last week’s ranking: 7 (-)
Record: 11-2
Last week: W vs. Bethune-Cookman (85-62)
Next week: at South Carolina (Jan. 6 – Noon)
Quality wins: Northwestern, Washington State, Tulane, Rutgers
Bad losses: Southern
Don’t look now, but Tolu Smith is back, the Bulldogs are healthy, and they very well might be the biggest sleeper in the conference. Beating Bethune-Cookman by 23 at home isn’t going to move the needle too much, but we’re talking long-term here. Tolu Smith plus Jimmy Bell? Buy stock now. (I sound like Jon Rothstein and I hate that.) But that loss to Southern still is fresh in my mind, which means the Bulldogs are still 7th in my rankings. They can move up with a road win over 12-1 South Carolina this weekend. Look out for this team in March.
8) Georgia Bulldogs
Last week’s ranking: 8 (-)
Record: 10-3
Last week: W vs. Alabama A&M (93-73)
Next week: at Missouri (Jan. 6 – 1 p.m.)
Quality wins: Wake Forest, at Florida State, Georgia Tech
Bad losses: N/A
Trivia question: which SEC team has the second-longest active winning streak? It’s Mike White and the Dawgs, who’ve won eight games in a row. That includes their most recent win over Alabama A&M in which freshman Blue Cain tied a career-high with 18 points (also did so against Miami) and 13 different Bulldogs recorded points. Similar to last year, the Bulldogs have compiled an impressive non-conference resume, but unlike last year, they’re going to want to keep that momentum going once SEC games roll around. They play Mizzou in Columbia, and given the struggles the Tigers have had, it’s not inconceivable to suggest the Dawgs’ winning streak will extend to 9 games after this weekend. Dawgs on top? It’s certainly possible with Silas Demary Jr. and Noah Thomasson in the backcourt.
9) Florida Gators
Last week’s ranking: 10 (+1)
Record: 10-3
Last week: W vs. Quinnipiac (97-72)
Next week: vs. Kentucky (Jan. 6 – 12:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: Pitt, Michigan
Bad losses: N/A
Florida has a huge chance to move up these rankings with a home game against Kentucky this week. They’ve just defeated Quinnipiac, but with all due respect to the Bobcats, that’s not moving the needle. While the Gators haven’t had any bad losses this year, besides maybe that Virginia game, they also haven’t had a signature win. That could change with a win this weekend over the Wildcats, who, with their high percentage of underclassmen, are susceptible to an upset or two. With Clayton, Samuel, Kugel, Pullin, and Richard all averaging 11+ PPG, it’s really a possibility. That’s not to say that Todd Golden’s group isn’t in for a very difficult test, it’s just that they have a chance of pulling that upset off, especially at home. We’ll see, readers. We will see.
10) Alabama Crimson Tide
Last week’s ranking: 10 (-)
Record: 8-5
Last week: W vs. Liberty (101-56)
Next week: at Vanderbilt (Jan. 6 – 3:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: Oregon, Indiana State
Bad losses: N/A
I am speechless. Liberty isn’t a bad program (strictly sports-speaking) but they ran out of the gym against Alabama. This follows the trend of Alabama beating the teams they should (by a lot) but face planting against Q1 opponents (0-5, if I’m reading my notes correctly). Until Alabama can beat a Q1 opponent (Vandy this weekend doesn’t count), they’re relegated to the bottom half of the SEC Power Rankings. At the same time, we’ll gladly admit that the shellacking of Liberty was particularly impressive. If Alabama had just beaten one of Creighton, Arizona, Clemson, or Purdue, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation. But we are, because they didn’t. But the SEC season is now, so let’s not panic, keep our cool, and just see if the Tide can hold a Power 6 team to less than 85 points. It hasn’t happened yet.
11) Arkansas Razorbacks
Last week’s ranking: 11 (-)
Record: 9-4
Last week: W vs. UNCW (106-90)
Next week: vs. Auburn (Jan. 6 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: Duke
Bad losses: UNCG
Has Arkansas turned a corner? I say that with a whole package of Morton salt, since they trailed at half to Abilene Christian just two games ago, but this team has potential, especially with Keyon Menifield Jr. rolling. Don’t doubt Muss, and please remember this team (Georgia Tech did too, but that doesn’t fit my current narrative) made Duke look foolish. Arkansas has the talent, they just need to put it all together. Who’s to say it doesn’t start right now, with a ranked home win over Auburn this weekend? Don’t count out the Hogs. Or do, I don’t care. Just don’t complain to me when this team makes the Sweet Sixteen again. With Tramon Mark, Khalif Battle, and Keyon Menifield, anything is possible, y’all.
12) Missouri Tigers
Last week’s ranking: 12 (-)
Record: 8-5
Last week: W vs. Central Arkansas (92-59)
Next week: vs. Georgia (Jan. 6 – 1 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Pitt
Bad losses: Jackson State
Mizzou snapped their little mini-slide with a get-right win over Central Arkansas. We need to talk about the emergence of Tamar Bates, who has now averaged 19 PPG over his last three games on a 65.5% shooting clip. Having him as a reliable backcourt option next to Sean East II and Nick Honor while Caleb Grill is gone (and once Grill returns) is crucial for this team. They have a winnable game to kick off the SEC season, with a home matchup against Mike White’s Dawgs. Dennis Gates vs. Mike White. I love that coaching matchup. They’ve played just once before (last year’s 85-63 Mizzou win in Athens) but I do really love this coaching matchup and hope it remains a mainstay in the SEC for years to come. Just two great guys. Mizzou has a chance to reset their batteries and begin anew with the conference slate and a new year. Don’t doubt Dennis Gates.
13) LSU Tigers
Last week’s ranking: 13 (-)
Record: 8-5
Last week: W vs. Northwestern State (96-55)
Next week: at Texas A&M (Jan. 6 – 8:30 p.m)
Quality wins: Wake Forest
Bad losses: Nicholls State
LSU continues to beat the teams they need to, while just not getting it done against the better teams on their schedule. The good news is that they’ll have a chance to change that narrative with a road win over a solid Texas A&M team. Of course, they’ll need big games from Jordan Wright, Will Baker, and maybe a 3rd mystery man. Last week, that mystery man was freshman Mike Williams III, who scored 20 on 6-9 shooting from deep. Oh, and not to mention, Jalen Cook is back. Did we (I) bury the Tigers too quickly? It’s entirely possible.
14) Vanderbilt Commodores
Last week’s ranking: 14 (-)
Record: 5-8
Last week: W vs. Dartmouth (69-53)
Next week: vs. Alabama (Jan. 6 – 3:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: None
Bad losses: Presbyterian
Congrats Vanderbilt, as they’ve snapped their four-game losing streak with a win over Dartmouth. Ezra Manjon is quietly one of the best point guards in the SEC, and he led the ‘Dores with 23 in the win over the Big Green. Manjon and Tyrin Lawrence combined for 45 of the team’s 69 points, with no other players recording more than six points. That duo will be instrumental if this team wants to be relevant in the SEC this year and maybe, just maybe, turn their season around. Vanderbilt has yet to win a game away from home, and hopefully that changes soon. They face the Crimson Tide at home this week. Best of luck, Vandy, let’s do better than last game.