2024-25 SEC Basketball Power Rankings: Week 11

George Bagwell provides his SEC basketball power rankings heading into week 11 of the 2024 season.

We’re entering the heart of basketball season. And thanks to SEC football, or lack thereof, this conference is entirely focused on basketball since Texas fell in the Cotton Bowl. The good news is that the SEC is actually really good at basketball. Without further ado, we’ve got the SEC Basketball Power Rankings: Volume 3, Episode 11.

Note: This article was written prior to games played on Jan. 15.

Matchup of the week: Kentucky vs. Alabama (Jan. 18 – Noon)

Sneaky good matchup of the week: Tennessee vs. Georgia (Jan. 15 – 8 p.m.) 

All games listed are EST. 

1. Auburn Tigers

Last week’s ranking: 1 (-)

Record: 16-1 (4-0)

Last week: W at South Carolina (66-63), W vs. No. 15 Mississippi State (88-66) 

Next week: at No. 23 Georgia (Jan. 18 – 1 p.m.)

Quality wins: vs. Iowa State, vs. Houston, vs. UNC, vs. Memphis, vs. Purdue, vs. Ohio State, vs. Missouri, at Texas, vs. Mississippi State

Bad losses: N/A

Auburn is on a roll, besides an absolute aberration in Columbia in which the Tigers almost fell to the team in the cellar of these rankings. Even before Johni Broome’s ankle injury, the Wooden Award favorite was getting out-played by Collin Murray-Boyles. But with Broome out, Auburn still managed to leave South Carolina with a win, then take care of a good Mississippi State team at home, so they’ll get points for that.

Georgia awaits, in Athens. If Broome can’t suit up, do the Tigers have enough firepower in the frontcourt to handle star freshman Asa Newell?

2. Ole Miss Rebels 

Last week’s ranking: 9 (+7)

Record: 15-2 (4-0)

Last week: W at Arkansas (73-66), W vs. LSU (77-65), W at No. 4 Alabama (74-64)

Next week: at No. 15 Mississippi State (Jan. 18 – 6 p.m.)

Quality wins: vs. BYU, at Louisville, vs. Georgia, at Alabama

Bad losses: N/A

For the record, the jury is still out on this team. I’m not entirely convinced of their long-term potential for success and defensive efficiency. But because I cannot deny what they accomplished Tuesday night, this team will rise in the vaunted SEC basketball power rankings, all the way to the Top Three. Belmont transfer Malik Dia scored 23 points, collected more than half of the team’s total rebounds, and simply overpowered the Alabama frontcourt.

I don’t know how long this team will continue this streak of winning, and looking ahead, they’ve got Mississippi State, Texas A&M, and a road trip to a Missouri team that just took down Florida in Gainesville. That’s tough. But what isn’t tough is to admit that the Ole Miss Rebels are 15-2 and undefeated in SEC games. So for now, they’re right below Auburn, and they’ve earned that spot.

3. Kentucky Wildcats

Last week’s ranking: 5 (+2)

Record: 14-3 (3-1)

Last week: W at No. 15 Mississippi State (95-90), W vs. No. 11 Texas A&M (81-69)

Next week: vs. No. 4 Alabama (Jan. 18 – Noon)

Quality wins: vs. Duke, vs. Gonzaga, vs. Louisville, vs. Florida, at Mississippi State, vs. Texas A&M

Bad losses: N/A

Kentucky is this week’s big winner. The Wildcats’ offense showed up against Mississippi State, going off for 95 points on the road. Then, the offense and defense both stepped up with a great showing against a Texas A&M. Those two wins are enough to vault the Cats into the top three of the SEC basketball power rankings, but they need to defeat Alabama this week if they’re going to stay here.

4. Alabama Crimson Tide

Last week’s ranking: 3 (-1)

Record: 14-3 (3-1)

Last week: W at South Carolina (88-68), W at No. 10 Texas A&M (94-88), L vs. No. 21 Ole Miss (74-64)

Next week: at No. 8 Kentucky (Jan. 18 – Noon)

Quality wins: vs. Houston, vs. Illinois, at North Carolina, vs. Creighton, vs. Oklahoma, at Texas A&M

Bad losses: N/A

Didn’t see that coming. Not that the Crimson Tide would lose. I expected that. I just didn’t think that loss would come at home to the Rebels rather than on the road in College Station. On one hand, big shoutout to Ole Miss’s defense for holding this offense to 64 points. But since this is Alabama’s space, it’s needed to be said that Ole Miss’s defense really isn’t that special to begin with and they still made Alabama look like a very inefficient offense just days after a solid win over a top-10 opponent.

Ole Miss took 70 shots against Alabama. The Tide managed just 47 attempts. That’s not a typo. Nate Oats’s offense produced 21 turnovers and only managed four offensive rebounds. That’s tied for their lowest mark since 2021. Of the nine players to see action, seven ended up with multiple turnovers. Grant Nelson committed five, and Jarin Stevenson, Labaron Philon, and Mouhamed Dioubate all ended the game with three. Unacceptable performance, but this team has to get right before going to Lexington.

5. Tennessee Volunteers 

Last week’s ranking: 8 (+3)

Record: 15-1 (2-1)

Last week: W at Texas (74-70)

Next week: vs. No. 23 Georgia (Jan. 15 – 8 p.m.), at Vanderbilt (Jan. 18 – 3:30 p.m.)

Quality wins: at Louisville, vs. Baylor, at Illinois, at Texas

Bad losses: N/A

Perhaps I overreacted when I placed Tennessee halfway down the rankings last week. After all, they’re one of only two SEC teams with just one loss on the season. That’s reflected with a three-spot jump after beating an average Texas team on the road. I want to reiterate that they won’t be in the top five if they lose to Georgia, however. Mike White is building something in Athens, and that something has a solid chance to knock off the Vols if Rick Barnes’s squad plays similar to how they did in the loss to Florida. (Also, going to pat myself on the back for saying Chaz Lanier would be an All-SEC talent.)

6. Georgia Bulldogs 

Last week’s ranking: 7 (+1)

Record: 14-2 (2-1)

Last week: W vs. No. 17 Oklahoma (72-62)

Next week: at No. 6 Tennessee (Jan. 15 – 8 p.m.), vs. No. 1 Auburn (Jan. 18 – 1 p.m.)

Quality wins: vs. St. John’s, vs. Kentucky, vs. Oklahoma

Bad losses: N/A

Georgia moves up a spot in these rankings after a 10-point home win over a ranked Oklahoma team. These Dogs are also ranked. When was the last time they could say that in Athens? Exactly 14 years ago to this date, January 15, 2011. The top song on the airwaves was Firework by Katy Perry.

7. Missouri Tigers 

Last week’s ranking: 11 (+4)

Record: 14-3 (3-1)

Last week: W vs. Vanderbilt (75-66), W at No. 5 Florida (83-82)

Next week: vs. Arkansas (Jan. 18 – 6 p.m.)

Quality wins: Kansas, at Florida

Bad losses: N/A

Missouri, in addition to Kentucky, is also this week’s big winner. The Tigers jumped out to a big early lead against Florida, and despite reversed foul-outs, missed free-throws, and a Flagrant 2 elbow right to the (insert selected euphemism for groin), Missouri held on for a one-point victory on the road. That marked their second top-five victory this year. Who else can say that? Just Auburn. Actually, not only are the two Tigers teams (sorry, LSU) the only SEC squads with multiple top-five topples, they’re the only SEC teams with any top-five victories. No other teams in the conference can boast that they have any such victories. Of course, Missouri is 12-1 against teams not named “Tigers”, so that bodes well for their upcoming matchup against Arkansas.

8. Florida Gators 

Last week’s ranking: 2 (-6)

Record: 15-2 (2-2)

Last week: W at Arkansas (71-63), L vs. Missouri (83-82)

Next week: vs. Texas (Jan. 18 – 4 p.m.)

Quality wins: at Florida State, vs. Arizona State, vs. North Carolina, vs. Tennessee

Bad losses: N/A

This series, if you’ve been following along for a while, is big on recency bias. So losing at home as -10.5 point favorites means a team will tumble in the rankings, especially when the rest of the conference is generally playing well. Arkansas is not a great team, so an eight-point win over the Hogs isn’t going to balance the meter of losing to Mizzou in Gainesville. Is the magic wearing off? Let it be known that I told Florida not to rest on their laurels last week. Either they didn’t listen, or they didn’t read my article (the more likely scenario).

9. Texas A&M Aggies  

Last week’s ranking: 6 (-3)

Record: 13-4 (2-2)

Last week: W at No. 17 Oklahoma (80-78), L vs. No. 5 Alabama (94-88), L at No. 8 Kentucky (81-69)

Next week: vs. LSU (Jan. 18 – 8:30 p.m.)

Quality wins: vs. Creighton, vs. Ohio State, vs. Texas Tech, vs. Purdue, vs. Texas, at Oklahoma

Bad losses: at UCF

As mentioned in last week’s article, this team can’t shoot. That was evident against Alabama and Kentucky. Against the Crimson Tide, the Aggies missed *20* free throws in a game that they lost by six. That’s tough. And they shot 23.3% from deep against the ‘Cats. Even in the game that they won, a road victory over Oklahoma, the Aggies let Brycen Goodine connect on nine threes. The senior guard finished with 34 points and almost willed Oklahoma to victory. The game against LSU is a “get-right” game for this team. If they can’t get right, they’re doing something wrong.

10. Mississippi State Bulldogs 

Last week’s ranking: 4 (-6)

Record: 14-3 (2-2)

Last week: L vs. No. 8 Kentucky (95-90), L at No. 1 Auburn (88-66)

Next week: vs. No. 21 Ole Miss (Jan. 18 – 6 p.m.)

Quality wins: vs. Pitt, at SMU, at Memphis, at Vanderbilt

Bad losses: vs. Butler

Oops. For the record, I was convinced that Mississippi State would take care of Kentucky in Starkville and keep it competitive against Auburn. Neither happened, and my predictions fell flat once again. But in my defense, how was I supposed to know this defense was capable of giving up an average of over 90 points over the course of a week? All of a sudden, following an Ole Miss win over Alabama, it might be an uphill battle to usurp their rivals this week. I will say that I personally guarantee that if the Bulldogs can defeat Ole Miss, I will move Mississippi State ahead of Ole Miss in these rankings next week.

11. Oklahoma Sooners 

Last week’s ranking: 10 (-1)

Record: 13-3 (0-3)

Last week: L vs. No. 10 Texas A&M (80-78), L at Georgia (72-62)

Next week: vs. Texas (Jan. 15 – 10 p.m.), vs. South Carolina (Jan. 18 – 4 p.m.)

Quality wins: vs. Arizona, vs. Louisville, vs. Michigan

Bad losses: N/A

It’s a tale of two teams for Oklahoma this year. The first team was fun, winning 13 games in a row to start the season and going undefeated against teams that aren’t in the SEC. But since conference games started, the Sooners have seemingly met their match. The second team isn’t as fun. A three-game losing streak is upon us. First, Oklahoma fell victim to Alabama. Then Texas A&M. Then Georgia. Next? Maybe the state of Oklahoma loses their grip on the 49th-ranked education system and allows New Mexico to take their spot. Or Mississippi takes over their 49th-ranked health care system. There’s a chance. But on the basketball court, the Sooners do have a chance to improve, at least. They should be favorites at home against Texas and South Carolina. But one slip-up and all of a sudden the season looks bumpy.

12. LSU Tigers 

Last week’s ranking: 15 (+3)

Record: 12-5 (1-3)

Last week: L at No. 23 Ole Miss (77-65), W vs. Arkansas (78-74)

Next week: at No. 11 Texas A&M (Jan. 18 – 8:30 p.m.)

Quality wins: N/A

Bad losses: N/A

Big shoutout to LSU this week. The Tigers, who have dealt with injuries and absences, finally took down an SEC opponent to rise up in these rankings. That’s more than four teams can say at this point in the season. Cam Carter scored 27, Jordan Sears had 17 off the bench, and Daimion Collins had a game-sealing block with a few seconds left as the Bayou Bengals took down Coach Cal and the Hogs. Take a victory lap, LSU. You deserve it.

13. Texas Longhorns 

Last week’s ranking: 13 (-)

Record: 11-5 (0-3)

Last week: L vs. No. 1 Tennessee (74-70)

Next week: at Oklahoma (Jan. 15 – 10 p.m.), at No. 5 Florida (Jan. 18 – 4 p.m.)

Quality wins: N/A

Bad losses: N/A

Only three teams in the SEC have yet to collect a win against a ranked opponent this season. LSU, Vanderbilt, and Texas. The Tigers and Commodores simply haven’t had many chances, having one game each so far against teams in the Top 25. But Texas is 0-4 in such games. They’ve lost to UConn, Texas A&M, Auburn, and Tennessee. In their defense, they’ve played an impossibly hard SEC schedule so far. But this team is quite predictable. They win the games they should win and they lose the games they should lose.

The bad news for the Longhorns? (In addition to the previously stated bad news.) If that trend continues, they’ll lose the next two games on their schedule, road tilts against Oklahoma and Florida. This isn’t a bad team, and they’ve a great chance of winning the NIT this year.

14. Vanderbilt Commodores 

Last week’s ranking: 14 (-)

Record: 13-3 (1-2)

Last week: L at Missouri (75-66)

Next week: vs. South Carolina (Jan. 15 – 6 p.m.), vs. No. 6 Tennessee (Jan. 18 – 3:30 p.m.)

Quality wins: N/A

Bad losses: vs. Drake

Vanderbilt isn’t bad. They’re just not great. Credit to Mark Byington for the clearly visible improvement compared to last year’s team, but this just isn’t a team that is going to compete with the best teams in the conference. Luckily, they won’t have to deal with that until Saturday, when they play Tennessee. Beating South Carolina at home is manageable.

15. Arkansas Razorbacks 

Last week’s ranking: 12 (-3)

Record: 11-6 (0-4)

Last week: L vs. No. 23 Ole Miss (73-66), L vs. No. 8 Florida (71-63), L at LSU (78-74)

Next week: at Missouri (Jan. 18 – 6 p.m.)

Quality wins: Michigan

Bad losses: N/A

Raise your hand if you’ve heard this before: Arkansas is 0-4 in conference games. Unless this is your first year watching SEC basketball, your hand should be up. This is the third time in four years that the Razorbacks have started their SEC slate with four straight losses, this time coming after a tough loss to LSU in Baton Rouge. LSU is not working at full strength this year, down Tyrell Ward and Jalen Reed. Arkansas is healthy, they’re just not good.

This is a team that could easily be 16th after South Carolina almost took down Auburn. I thought about it. But I had already written South Carolina’s summary and didn’t feel like going back and changing it. This is the beginning (middle?) of a rocky season for Cal and the Hogs, and this team feels destined for its second straight losing season.

16. South Carolina Gamecocks 

Last week’s ranking: 16 (-)

Record: 10-6 (0-3)

Last week: L vs. No. 5 Alabama (88-68), L vs. No. 2 Auburn (66-63)

Next week: at Vanderbilt (Jan. 15 – 6 p.m.), at Oklahoma (Jan. 18 – 4 p.m.)

Quality wins: vs. Clemson

Bad losses: vs. North Florida

Big shoutout to South Carolina for fighting hard against Auburn while two of the Gamecocks’ starters were out. If moral victories counted as real victories, this team would be .500 in SEC games. But they don’t count, and unfortunately South Carolina is still in the cellar at the bottom of the SEC basketball power rankings.

There is, however, hope. After an encouraging performance against the Tigers, there’s a real chance that the Gamecocks could steal a road victory over Vanderbilt or Oklahoma this week. The bad news? After those two games, they’ve got seven straight ranked matchups in succession. That’s unfortunate. I’m serious. Following next week, they play Florida, Mississippi State, Georgia, Texas A&M, Kentucky, Ole Miss, and Florida again. Seven straight ranked opponents.