George Bagwell gives his SEC basketball power rankings heading into week 4 of the 2025-26 season.
Week 3 team of the week: Alabama Crimson Tide
Week 3 game of the week: Georgia vs. Clemson
Week 3 player of the week: Labaron Philon Jr., Alabama
Week 4 matchup of the week: #20 Tennessee vs. #2 Houston – Nov. 25 at 6 p.m.
Week 4 under-the-radar matchup of the week: Texas A&M vs. Florida State – Nov. 28 at 5 p.m.
All games listed are EST.
1) Tennessee Volunteers
Last week’s ranking: 1 (-)
Record: 5-0
Last week: W vs. Rice (99-66), W vs. Tennessee State (89-60)
Next week: vs. Rutgers (Nov. 24 – 1 p.m.), vs. #2 Houston (Nov. 25 – 6 p.m.), vs. TBD (Nov. 26)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
For what it’s worth, SEC Basketball Power Rankings rules dictate that having zero losses is the most important factor in determining early-season standings. So while Tennessee hasn’t beaten St. John’s or Illinois, they also haven’t lost to Purdue. The good news for those debating the legitimacy of these rankings is that the top spot will likely be determined by the result of the Volunteers’ matchup with Houston this week in the Players Era Festival. If Tennessee wins, they’ll almost certainly keep the #1 ranking in the SEC Basketball Power Rankings. A loss (likely) brings the battle-tested Tide to #1.
Shoutout to freshman Nate Ament, who’s leading the team in points (18.8 per game) and rebounds (8.4 per game). His first real test of the season, against the vaunted Kelvin Sampson defense, will be must-see TV.
Knoxville Vibe Meter: Showtime/10.
2) Alabama Crimson Tide
Last week’s ranking: 2 (-)
Record: 3-1
Last week: W vs. #8 Illinois (90-86)
Next week: vs. #13 Gonzaga (Nov. 24 – 9:30 p.m.), vs. UNLV (Nov. 25 – 11:59 p.m.) vs. TBD (Nov. 26)
Quality wins: at St. John’s, vs. Illinois
Bad losses:
Alabama, in most sound minds, would be ranked first in these rankings following wins over St. John’s and Illinois. But this is the only version of SEC Basketball Power Rankings where insanity presides over the throne and rules are arbitrary. Loyal readers of the series know that any team could be anywhere at any point in the season. But for the Crimson Tide fans, I would like to say that Labaron Philon Jr. is the early favorite for SEC Player of the Year. He’s playing at an all-conference level against some of the best teams in the nation. If you’re not tuned in, please do so, for your sake, not mine.
This week, the Tide get to be Gonzaga’s litmus test. Can the Bulldogs keep up their momentum against an elite offense? Then, it’s a (likely) reprise against UNLV before one more game in the Players Era Festival. Next time y’all see this team, it might be at the top of these rankings.
Tuscaloosa Vibe Meter: Who Needs Defense?/10.
3) Vanderbilt Commodores
Last week’s ranking: 5 (+2)
Record: 5-0
Last week: W vs. Texas Southern (109-74)
Next week: vs. Western Kentucky (Nov. 26 – 12 p.m.), vs. South Florida OR VCU (Nov. 27 – TBD), vs. TBD (Nov. 28)
Quality wins: at UCF
Bad losses:
People need to be talking about Vanderbilt, and I’m tired of the Commodores not getting any respect. Who else is averaging over 100 PPG? Only three other teams, and the ‘Dores are the only ones doing it through five games. Partially that’s due to a clip from deep of 39.1%, second-best in the conference. Tyler (Nickel variety) is hitting 47.2% of his threes on 7.2 attempts per game. Tyler (Tanner variety) is even more efficient, hitting 52.2% of threes on an average of 4.6 attempts per game. And don’t forget about Duke Miles, who’s also above 40% from three. (40.7% on 5.4 attempts per game.)
While the rest of the SEC was worried about the arms race and spending millions on the portal, Mark Byington went with the battle-tested strategy of finding guys that put a ball in a basket. And what do you know, it’s working. For those who prefer analytics, Vanderbilt’s offense is ranked 5th nationally according to KenPom. Not only is that adjusted for opponent difficulty, but it’s the highest rating in the SEC, ahead of Alabama and a mystery third team that we will get to soon.
Nashville Vibe Meter: 103.0/10.
4) Florida Gators
Last week’s ranking: 4 (-)
Record: 4-1
Last week: W vs. Merrimack (80-45)
Next week: vs. TCU (Nov. 27 – 3 p.m.), vs. Providence OR Wisconsin (Nov. 28 – TBD)
Quality wins: vs. Miami-Fla
Bad losses:
A 35-point win over Merrimack is fun, but it won’t move the needle much in terms of the SEC Basketball Power Rankings. The Warriors are sandwiched between Nicholls (winless) and Little Rock (not even a regular-sized rock) in the latest KenPom ratings anyway. But shoutout Rueben Chinyelu regardless, who tallied 21 rebounds, just four less than the entire Merrimack team. This week, Florida faces a not-so-great TCU squad and either Providence or Wisconsin. That second game in the week could prove dangerous, but we shall see.
Gainesville Vibe Meter: Still a Basketball School/10.
5) Missouri Tigers
Last week’s ranking: 6 (+1)
Record: 6-0
Last week: W vs. Prairie View A&M (91-73), W vs. South Dakota (102-68)
Next week: vs. South Carolina State (Nov. 25 – 8 p.m.), vs. Cleveland State (Nov. 28 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
Missouri doesn’t have any eye-popping wins on their résumé, (here’s to hoping those accents are correct, I can’t speak French) but they’ve been oh-so-efficient while on their first 6-0 start since 2022-23, when they won 25 games. The Tigers might be the only team in the SEC with fewer than 20 attempts from deep per game this season, but at least they’re hitting 45.0% of those attempts. That’s over 5% better than any other team, and the second-best three-point shooting team in the conference (Vanderbilt at 39.1%) is closer to the 11th-best team (Mississippi State at 33.3%) than they are to Missouri.
That mystery team right behind Vanderbilt and Alabama in KenPom’s offensive rating? It’s Mizzou. Reader, did you know that Jacob Crews is 16-26 from deep this season? If you didn’t know, now you do. And he’s not even starting. That’s the type of depth this team has, and it truly is a team effort. Of the eight players who have played in all six games, all eight are averaging at least 13.7 MPG.
Sure, that’s partially because of the level of competition played so far. I’d be remiss not to point that out. But please just keep an eye on this team. Also, Dennis Gates currently has the sixth-highest-rated recruiting class in the Class of 2026. Also something to keep an eye on.
Columbia Vibe Meter: Crews Missile/10.
6) Kentucky Wildcats
Last week’s ranking: 3 (-3)
Record: 4-2
Last week: L vs. #17 Michigan State (83-66), W vs. Loyola (MD) (88-46)
Next week: vs. Tennessee Tech (Nov. 26 – 7 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
A team can survive one loss prior to Nov. 24 and feel ok about it in the SEC Basketball Power Rankings. But two is pushing your luck. Kentucky’s loss to Michigan State puts them in the two-loss camp following a loss to Louisville earlier this year. Give me 10 seconds in the Kentucky basketball Twitter replies and I’ll find someone calling for Mark Pope to be fired. (Update: it took me 20 seconds, but multiple users compared him to Mark Stoops, which almost feels worse.)
To be completely fair, Kentucky isn’t a bad basketball team. In fact, they’re pretty good. But they’ve been dealing with some bad injury luck and haven’t been clicking on all cylinders. While the road to redemption began with a victory over Loyola (MD) last week, and probably includes a win this week against Tennessee Tech, those wins aren’t the type to move the needle in the SEC Basketball Power Rankings.
Lexington Vibe Meter: Expectations/10.
7) LSU Tigers
Last week’s ranking: 12 (+5)
Record: 5-0
Last week: W vs. Alcorn State (107-81), W vs. Omaha (99-73)
Next week: vs. Drake (Nov. 28 – 9:30 p.m.), vs. Georgia Tech OR DePaul (Nov. 29 – TBD)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
Fun fact: LSU and Vanderbilt are the only two teams in the SEC that can boast of an offense with as much points as the average human body temperature. This is the kind of deep-cutting analysis you get in the SEC Basketball Power Rankings. And the numbers are backed up, by one source at least. KenPom attests that the Tigers have a top-30 offense nationally. When was the last time you could say that in Baton Rouge? The Will Wade era.
But that offense, led by Dedan Thomas Jr. (7.8 APG by the way) and Michael Nwoko, will get its first test this week against Drake and either Georgia Tech or DePaul. It should be known that both Georgia Tech and DePaul are near the bottom of the barrel for Power Five schools this year, but a Power Five win is still a Power Five win. Win both, and that’s two Power Five wins.
Baton Rouge Vibe Meter: 9/10
8) Ole Miss Rebels
Last week’s ranking: 9 (+1)
Record: 5-0
Last week: W vs. Austin Peay (72-65)
Next week: vs. Iowa (Nov. 25 – 8:30 p.m.), Utah OR Grand Canyon (Nov. 26 – TBD)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
It brings me a little bit of shame to move Ole Miss up in the SEC Basketball Power Rankings after a one-game week in which they played competitively with an Atlantic Sun opponent. But because Georgia is no longer in the Club of Unblemished, we’re forced by our own arbitrary rules to move the Rebels up. I don’t feel good about it, but we’ll see if there’s a method to the madness this week, when Ole Miss plays Iowa (a good offense for once) and either Utah (not great) or Grand Canyon (middle of the Mountain West pack). At least the first game will tell us something.
Oxford Vibe Meter: Lane Kiffin’s Last Dance/10.
9) Auburn Tigers
Last week’s ranking: 8 (-1)
Record: 4-1
Last week: W vs. Jackson State (112-66)
Next week: vs. Oregon (Nov. 24 – 8 p.m.), vs. #7 Michigan (Nov. 25 – 8:30 p.m.), TBD (Nov. 26-27)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
Auburn’s 46-point win over Jackson State would look a lot more impressive if Arkansas didn’t beat the same team by 54 just two days later. And yes, it feels bad to move Auburn down after a blowout win. But LSU and Ole Miss, both still unbeaten, have to be moved up due to prior rules and restraints of making these rankings. Talk to the rule book, Tigers fans.
If it’s any consolation, this team is miles ahead of preseason expectations. 4-1 with a one-point loss to Houston? That’s big. That’s genuinely something to be proud of. And if the Tigers can take down Michigan’s elite defense? (That’s a big ask.) Auburn could be cooking up something nice. But we’ll leave this segment with the inevitable cop-out of “we’ll see what happens.”
Auburn Vibe Meter: Still Cautiously Optimistic/10.
10) Georgia Bulldogs
Last week’s ranking: 7 (-3)
Record: 6-1
Last week: W vs. Florida A&M (87-57), W vs. Xavier (78-77), L vs. Clemson (97-94)
Next week: vs. Tennessee Tech (Nov. 29 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
Down goes Georgia. It was a heck of a game in the Charleston Classic. Going down, coming up, then overtime? That’s about all you can ask for in a game as a fan. But as a team, a win would’ve been nice. Georgia was up 10 on Clemson early, and despite Jeremiah Wilkinson’s 26, the Bulldogs couldn’t get it done. It’s not the end of the world by any means, as they’re still 6-1, but a win would’ve moved them into the top six. Now, they’re 10th. It’s a cruel world in the game of SEC Basketball Power Rankings.
Athens Vibe Meter: 6/10.
11) Arkansas Razorbacks
Last week’s ranking: 10 (-1)
Record: 5-1
Last week: W vs. Winthrop (84-83), W vs. Jackson State (115-61)
Next week: vs. #5 Duke (Nov. 27 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
Arkansas basketball is like a Rubik’s Cube, in the sense that I can’t solve it. In some type of inverted, round-robin-by-chance type of scheduling, Arkansas played Winthrop last week, who played Jackson State after. And after Arkansas played Winthrop, they also played Jackson State. Despite Arkansas beating Winthrop by a single point, and Winthrop being tied with Jackson State at half, Arkansas beat Jackson State by 54.
Did you catch all that? I didn’t either, so I’m moving on to this week. The Razorbacks play Duke in Chicago for some reason. For what it’s worth, Arkansas has zero business being ranked at the moment. Seriously, a one-point victory over Winthrop and four-point victory over Samford? We’ll see what happens at the polls, but if they beat Duke then I’ll reconsider that stance.
Fayetteville Vibe Meter: Not-All-That/10.
12) Texas Longhorns
Last week’s ranking: 13 (+1)
Record: 4-1
Last week: W vs. Rider (99-65)
Next week: vs. Arizona State (Nov. 24 – 11:30 p.m.), vs. Washington State OR Chaminade (Nov. 25 – TBD), TBD – (Nov. 26)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
Slowly but surely, Texas is moving on up. The Longhorns beat Rider in their only matchup of the week, and were rewarded with a spot up to #12 in the SEC Basketball Power Rankings, courtesy of Mississippi State. In that game, Dailyn Swain had another good performance, scoring 26 for his highest output of the season. As a reward for something, the Longhorns get to travel to Hawaii and play in the Maui Invitational. Must be nice. After a guaranteed game against Arizona State, the Longhorns get either Washington State or Chaminade next. Are the basketball winds smiling favorably upon Sean Miller? In avoidance of answering that question, we’ll move on to the #13 team in the rankings.
Austin Vibe Meter: 7/10.
13) Oklahoma Sooners
Last week’s ranking: 15 (+2)
Record: 4-2
Last week: W vs. Oral Roberts (95-71), W vs. Alcorn State (72-53)
Next week: vs. Marquette (Nov. 28 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
It must be nice moving up two spots after beating Oral Roberts and Alcorn State. But when teams #11 and #14 go a combined 1-4 in a week, there’s no choice but to reward consistency. Sure, the game against Alcorn State was a little close. But we’ll use this space to celebrate Mohamed Wague’s first 20-point game, against Oral Roberts. The forward has seen his minutes nearly double this season, and he’s been really improved. It’s fun to watch. The Sooners have a decent chance to beat Marquette this week, who really have been unimpressive through seven games.
Norman Vibe Meter: 5/10.
14) South Carolina Gamecocks
Last week’s ranking: 14 (-)
Record: 4-2
Last week: W vs. Radford (87-58), L vs. Butler (79-72), L vs. Northwestern (79-77)
Next week: vs. Charleston Southern (Nov. 28 – 4 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
It must be heartbreaking to be a South Carolina basketball fan. In the Greenbrier Tip-Off last week, the Gamecocks lost a close game to Butler then had to suit up against Northwestern. That one hurt just a little bit more. Facing a 12-point deficit with under five minutes to go, South Carolina stormed back to tie it up with under a minute. That’s when Arrinten Page hit a layup with less than a second to go, and South Carolina has to go back to Columbia 0-2 on the weekend. If it’s any consolation, they look a lot better than last year. Chances are, they’ll get back to their winning ways against Charleston Southern.
Columbia Vibe Meter: Country Roads, Take Me Home/10.
15) Texas A&M Aggies
Last week’s ranking: 16 (+1)
Record: 4-2
Last week: W vs. Montana (86-81), W vs. Manhattan (109-68)
Next week: vs. Mississippi Valley State (Nov. 25 – 8 p.m.), vs. Florida State (Nov. 28 – 5 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
The Aggies might not have looked the best while taking care of business this week, (two-point game against Montana with 15 seconds to go) but at least they took care of business, which moves them up a spot closer to the exit of the cellar. They’re still a Bottom Three team at this moment in the SEC Basketball Power Rankings, however. That can change with a win over Florida State this week. No promises, but a victory over the Seminoles would almost certainly but the Aggies at 6-2 with two losses to Power Five competition. That’s not horrible. But the key is actually getting that win. We’ll see what happens.
College Station Vibe Meter: 6/10.
16) Mississippi State Bulldogs
Last week’s ranking: 11 (-5)
Record: 2-3
Last week: L vs. Kansas State (98-77), L vs. New Mexico (80-78)
Next week: vs. New Orleans (Nov. 24 – 7:30 p.m.), vs. SMU (Nov. 28 – 7 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
Mississippi State might just not be a very good basketball team. Of course, there is all the time in the world to change that around. The Bulldogs have a chance to run the table with a 28-3 record prior to the SEC tournament. It’s just that the chance is very slim. And one of those reasons is that the defense has been atrocious so far. That feels weird to type about a Chris Jans team, especially given how the past few seasons have gone. But it’s true. This defense might be the worst in the conference. And with a matchup against SMU this week, the Bulldogs might not get to .500 until December.
Starkville Vibe Meter: We’re Worrying/10.