George Bagwell provides his SEC basketball power rankings heading into week 3 of the 2024 season.
Y’all. I’m back. Sorry, I took last week off, and for that, I apologize. I’ve had car troubles, and anyone who has had car troubles knows how troubling they can be. The SEC is again back in action, and I’m stuck in the predicament of being a student of the only school in the conference without a winning record.
It’s been a whirlwind of a week in the South. Also, it’s late evening and these power rankings won’t write themselves. So I’m doing every writer’s favorite activity and the readers love it. The “use one word to describe each team” strategy. I’ll throw in another sentence after just for good measure. Welcome to the SEC Power Rankings, Volume 3? I lose track of time.
Matchup of the week: Auburn vs. Iowa State (Nov. 25 – 9 p.m.)
Sneaky good matchup of the week: LSU vs. Pitt (Nov. 22 – 2:30 p.m.)
All games listed are EST.
1. Auburn Tigers
Last week’s ranking: 1
Record: 4-0
Last week: W vs. Kent State (79-56), W vs. North Alabama (102-69)
Next week: vs. No. 5 Iowa State (Nov. 25 – 9 p.m., Maui)
Quality wins: Houston
Bad losses: N/A
Auburn in one word: Plane.
Yeah, there’s a reason Auburn’s first in these rankings. Beating the Cougars in their own city is a feat no other team in the conference has accomplished since Alabama in 2022. Also, big congrats to the Tigers for blowing out two mid-majors that are contenders in their respective conferences. It’s just that we’re not going to forget the plane incident. Houston, we have a problem. Double-entendre, y’all.
2. Tennessee Volunteers
Last week’s ranking: 2
Record: 4-0
Last week: W vs. Montana (92-57), W vs. Austin Peay (103-68)
Next week: vs. Virginia (Nov. 21 – 9:30 p.m., Nassau) vs. Baylor/St. John’s (Nov. 22 – Nassau)
Quality wins: at Louisville
Bad losses: N/A
Tennessee in one word: Dominant.
The Vols aren’t just beating their opponents, they’re blowing them out. In four victories, they’ve won by an average margin of 27 points. That’s about all you can ask for if you’re Rick Barnes. (Chances are, if you’re reading this, you’re probably not.) A fully healthy Zakai Zeigler is a dangerous weapon on an elite team.
3. Kentucky Wildcats
Last week’s ranking: 4
Record: 3-0
Last week: W vs. No. 6 Duke (77-72)
Next week: vs. Lipscomb (Nov. 19 – 7 p.m.), vs. Jackson State (Nov. 22 – 7 p.m.)
Quality wins: Duke
Bad losses: N/A
Kentucky in one word: Surprising.
Congrats on beating Duke, Mark Pope. Did not see that coming in the slightest. Six different Wildcats recorded a block. Also Kerr Kriisa is wearing number 77. Of course Kerr Kriisa is wearing number 77. We’ll see if Kentucky is truly legitimate soon. All signs point to yes, but we won’t know until they play Clemson and Gonzaga back-to-back in December.
4. Mississippi State Bulldogs
Last week’s ranking: 7
Record: 4-0
Last week: W vs. Southeastern Louisiana (80-59), W vs. Utah (78-73)
Next week: at SMU (Nov. 22 – 8:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: Utah
Bad losses: N/A
Mississippi State in one word: Murphy’s Law.
Ok, so that’s two words. Go ahead and insert that clip of Charles Barkley. Here. Must-see-TV. But KeShawn Murphy came off the bench and did his thing against Utah. 18 points and 14 rebounds, tying or setting a career-high in both categories. And Josh Hubbard dropped 23. Y’all, this team is actually so fun to watch. Chris Jans has always had a good defense in Starkville. But now they’ve (probably) got an offense to match? Look out.
5. Alabama Crimson Tide
Last week’s ranking: 3
Record: 3-1
Last week: L at No. 13 Purdue (87-78)
Next week: vs. No. 25 Illinois (Nov. 20 – 9 p.m., Birmingham)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
Alabama in one word: Offense.
As in, no offense, but you can’t give up a 13-0 run to a ranked opponent and expect to win the game. Credit Nate Oats for having the guts to schedule a good team on the road in the non-con portion of the year. The Crimson Tide simply couldn’t get it done, Jarin Stevenson had a bad day shooting, Mark Sears had a bad day shooting. It happens. I don’t think anyone is going to think any different about this team after this game. The offense will be good, the defense will be average. We knew that.
6. Florida Gators
Last week’s ranking: 5
Record: 4-0
Last week: W at Florida State (87-74)
Next week: vs. Florida A&M (Nov. 19 – 7 p.m.), vs. Southern Illinois (Nov. 22 – 7 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Florida State
Bad losses: N/A
Florida in one word: Defense.
As in, what is Florida’s defense for allowing Todd Golden to continue coaching while he’s been accused of stalking and Title IX violations? What’s the thought process here? Yes, Golden is innocent until proven guilty. But there have been multiple reports, brought up by the University of Florida’s award-winning student journalism team at The Independent Florida Alligator. Golden should not be coaching during this time, and embattled athletic director Scott Stricklin should know that.
There is no downside to suspending Golden for the immediate future. If he is found to be innocent, then by all means he should be reinstated and given back pay in that event. If he is found to have committed the actions he’s accused of, then Florida’s decision to sideline him ultimately works out. Of course, this is the conference that is simultaneously employing Chris Beard, so it’s not like the SEC has had a stellar recent history of making the right decision.
7. Texas A&M Aggies
Last week’s ranking: 6
Record: 3-1
Last week: W vs. Ohio State (78-64)
Next week: vs. Southern (Nov. 20 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins: Ohio State
Bad losses: N/A
Texas A&M in one word: Resurgent.
The Aggies didn’t look the best in their season-opening loss to UCF, but ever since, they’ve played well. Two easy wins over Southland foes East Texas A&M (formerly Texas A&M-Commerce) and Lamar were good, but beating Ohio State, who took down Texas, is great for vibes. Buzz Williams put out a big starting lineup with Pharrel Payne, Solomon Washington, and Andersson Garcia all getting a starting nod. They only scored a combined nine points but did collect 16 rebounds. The Aggies had a +6 total rebounding margin against the Buckeyes.
8. LSU Tigers
Last week’s ranking: 11
Record: 3-0
Last week: W at Kansas State (76-65)
Next week: vs. Charleston Southern (Nov. 19 – 9 p.m.), vs. Pitt (Nov. 22 – 2:30 p.m., White Sulphur Springs, WV), vs. Wisconsin/UCF (Nov. 24 – White Sulphur Springs, WV)
Quality wins: at Kansas State
Bad losses: N/A
LSU in one word: Predictable.
I can say this because, as of right now, the Tigers are one of just three teams (I think) in the conference with a true road win over a Power Five team. And, also, because I might have been the only media member in the region to pick LSU in the top half of the conference in the SEC preseason poll. (Not the actual one, just the CBB Review SEC preview.) The potential is there, y’all. You’ve just got to look.
9. Texas Longhorns
Last week’s ranking: 8
Record: 3-1
Last week: W vs. Chicago State (105-58), W vs. Mississippi Valley State (89-43)
Next week: vs. Syracuse (Nov. 21 – 7 p.m., New York), vs. Texas Tech/St. Joe’s (Nov. 22 – New York)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
Texas in one word: Bakery.
Because after a season-opening loss to Ohio State, the Longhorns have been churning out cupcakes. Wins over Houston Christian, Chicago State, and MVSU aren’t going to move the needle much. Good for vibes and team-building, sure. But not for the polls, and not for the SEC Power Rankings, which are arguably a more important set of rankings. The good news is that we’ll have a good idea of where this team is headed after a couple days in the Big Apple. Texas is slated to play Syracuse and either Texas Tech or St. Joe’s.
10. Arkansas Razorbacks
Last week’s ranking: 9
Record: 3-1
Last week: W vs. Troy (65-49), W vs. Pacific (91-72)
Next week: vs. Little Rock (Nov. 22 – 9 p.m.), vs. UMES (Nov. 25 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
Arkansas in one word: Average.
Average is what we’ve seen from Arkansas. Beating the teams they should but not completely convincingly, and losing the game they should probably lose (to Baylor). The team’s defense looks good, I’ll say that. But the offense is, for the moment, average. We’ll learn more about Coach Cal’s team once they play Illinois and Miami.
11. Georgia Bulldogs
Last week’s ranking: 15
Record: 4-0
Last week: W vs. North Florida (90-77), W at Georgia Tech (77-69)
Next week: vs. Alabama A&M (Nov. 19 – 7 p.m.), vs. No. 15 Marquette (Nov. 23 – 11 a.m., Nassau), vs No. 22 St. John’s (Nov. 24 – 11 a.m., Nassau)
Quality wins: at Georgia Tech
Bad losses: N/A
Georgia in one word: Fun!
I like this Georgia team. Last week, they beat a pretty good North Florida team that had already defeated the Bulldogs’ next opponent, Georgia Tech. Of course, the Bulldogs beat the Yellow Jackets next. Mike White is 4-0 this season, and there are good vibes around Athens. Georgia’s stats aren’t the best, but there are three categories that they’re excelling in: getting to the line, getting offensive rebounds, and getting blocks. They’re top-three in the SEC in those categories.
12. Vanderbilt Commodores
Last week’s ranking: 16
Record: 4-0
Last week: W vs. Cal (85-69), W vs. Jackson State (94-81)
Next week: vs. Nevada (Nov. 21 – 7:30 p.m., Charleston) vs. Seton Hall/VCU (Nov. 22 – Charleston)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
Vanderbilt in one word: Constructing.
Mark Byington is constructing something special in Nashville. The football stadium is also under construction. I know Cal isn’t the greatest basketball program, but a win is a win. Giving up 81 to Jackson State is also a win, but still a loss in my books. The classic win-loss situation. Another possible win-loss, win-win, win-loss-loss, win-win-win, or win-loss-win is whatever happens to this team in Charleston. The guaranteed win is the fact that they get to be in the best city in the South for a few days. (I’m not biased in the slightest, y’all.) The other varying levels of wins and losses are tied to their performance. I wouldn’t be surprised if they pulled out a couple victories.
13. Mississippi Rebels
Last week’s ranking: 10
Record: 4-0
Last week: W vs. South Alabama (64-54), W vs. Colorado State (84-69)
Next week: vs. Oral Roberts (Nov. 21 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
Mississippi in one word: Unconvincing.
This is exactly what Mississippi did last season, by the way. Play some not-so-great teams and win by margins unbecoming to a ranked team. Thankfully, the pollsters woke up and removed this team from the Top 25, but that’s not enough. I’ve banished them to the cellar of the SEC Power Rankings. Play defense, please. The Rebels are ranked 9th in the SEC in KenPom offensive efficiency, and 13th in defensive efficiency. That is not a tournament team, y’all. I told y’all that before the season started. And beating Oral Roberts isn’t going to move them up one bit.
14. Oklahoma Sooners
Last week’s ranking: 12
Record: 3-0
Last week: W vs. Stetson (85-64)
Next week: vs. East Texas A&M (Nov. 21 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
Oklahoma in one word: Sooner.
As in, please schedule better teams sooner, Porter Moser. Oklahoma is the lowest-ranked undefeated team in the SEC Power Rankings. That’s because they’ve played Lindenwood, Northwestern State, and Stetson. They play the former Texas A&M-Commerce this week, and finally play a Power Five school, Providence, next Wednesday. Until then, there’s only so far they can rise in these rankings given where I put them in the preseason.
15. Missouri Tigers
Last week’s ranking: 14
Record: 3-1
Last week: W vs. Mississippi Valley State (111-39)
Next week: vs. Pacific (Nov. 22 – 7:30 p.m.), vs. UAPB (Nov. 24 – 5 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
Missouri in one word: Bounce-back.
Is that one word or two? I don’t think the Delta Devils are the best of the SWAC, but beating any team by 72 points has to do something for the soul. Missouri’s opening loss to Memphis stings, yes, and that’s why they’re 15th in these rankings, but they’ve got plenty more opportunities to win by 72 coming up. It won’t move them up in these rankings, but it’ll allow for the Tigers to get into a groove before they play Kansas on Dec. 8.
16. South Carolina Gamecocks
Last week’s ranking: 13
Record: 2-2
Last week: W vs. Towson (80-54), L at Indiana (87-71)
Next week: vs. Mercer (Nov. 18 – 7 p.m.), vs. Xavier (Nov. 25 – 8:30 p.m., Fort Myers)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: North Florida
South Carolina in one word: Concerning.
The Gamecocks haven’t just lost to North Florida and Indiana, they’ve looked uninspiring while doing so. Projected first-round pick Collin Murray-Boyles had a rough outing against the Hoosiers, fouling out while scoring just two points. There’s a lot of season to be played, but these are the kind of performances South Carolina tended to avoid last year. After all, they didn’t pick up their second loss until January 9 last season, and they probably will not be favored against Xavier on a neutral floor.