2025-26 SEC Basketball Power Rankings: Week 5

George Bagwell gives his SEC basketball power rankings heading into week 5 of the 2025-26 season.

Week 4 team of the week: Vanderbilt Commodores

Week 4 game of the week: Tennessee vs. Houston

Week 4 player of the week: Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn

Week 5 matchup of the week: #10 Florida vs. #4 Duke – Dec. 2 at 7:30 p.m.

Week 5 under-the-radar matchup of the week: Texas vs. Virginia – Dec. 3 at 9:15 p.m.

All games listed are EST.

1) Vanderbilt Commodores

Last week’s ranking: 3 (+2)

Record: 8-0

Last week: W vs. Western Kentucky (83-78), W vs. VCU (89-74), W vs. Saint Mary’s (96-71)

Next week: vs. SMU (Dec. 3 – 9:15 p.m.)

Quality wins: at UCF, vs. VCU, vs. Saint Mary’s

Bad losses:

It’s the Commodores’ time to shine, and we’re not talking about Lionel Richie. (Though let it be known, the SEC Basketball Power Rankings are a safe space for fans of both Lionel and Nicole.) Vanderbilt, long in the cellar of SEC basketball, have finally ascended to the top. There’s no guarantee that they stay there, especially if Tennessee beats Syracuse on the road and then defeats Illinois. But for now, the Commodores are first in the power rankings, and it’s worth celebrating. Break out the champagne.

2) Tennessee Volunteers

Last week’s ranking: 1 (-1)

Record: 7-1

Last week: W vs. Rutgers (85-60), W vs. #3 Houston (76-73), L vs. Kansas (81-76)

Next week: at Syracuse (Dec. 2 – 7 p.m.), vs. #13 Illinois (Dec. 6 – 8 p.m.)

Quality wins: vs. Houston

Bad losses:

Tennessee beat Houston, and were so close to keeping their number one spot in the vaunted SEC Basketball Power Rankings. However, they lost to a good but not great Kansas team shortly after, banishing them to the two-spot. Not all is lost, though! The Vols are clearly a top-three team in the conference, and certainly have an argument for being the best. A challenging week lies ahead, but if last week is any evidence, Tennessee has a shot at going 2-0 against two other orange teams.

3) Alabama Crimson Tide

Last week’s ranking: 2 (-1)

Record: 5-2

Last week: L vs. #12 Gonzaga (95-85), W vs. UNLV (115-76), W vs. Maryland (105-72)

Next week: vs. Clemson (Dec. 3 – 7:15 p.m.), vs. UTSA (Dec. 7 – 2 p.m.)

Quality wins: at St. John’s, vs. Illinois

Bad losses:

Some may disagree with Alabama’s placement, citing the team’s previous wins and two wins over UNLV and Maryland last week. But for those who are wondering, the Tide gave up 95 points to Gonzaga, then beat two teams that won’t make the tournament. And Auburn beat St. John’s last week, too, so Alabama isn’t the only SEC school with that point of pride on its resume now. Why should Alabama be above a one-loss team that beat Houston? Or a no-loss team with three quality wins? The answer: they shouldn’t. It feels like the same old, same old: elite offense, not-so-elite defense.

4) Auburn Tigers

Last week’s ranking: 9 (+5)

Record: 6-2

Last week: W vs. Oregon (84-73), L vs. #7 Michigan (102-72), W vs. #14 St. John’s (85-74)

Next week: vs. #23 NC State (Dec. 3 – 9:15 p.m.), at #2 Arizona (Dec. 6 – 10 p.m.)

Quality wins: vs. St. John’s

Bad losses:

I feel the need to apologize to Auburn for last week’s placement. I won’t, but in return, they move up to #4 in the SEC Basketball Power Rankings. A loss to Michigan by 30 is certainly not the best look, but the Wolverines have an argument for being the best team in the country at the moment, and a win over St. John’s moves the Tigers up.

Oregon likely won’t make the NCAA Tournament, but Auburn took care of business, which is more than a lot of other SEC teams can say. This week, it’s a really tough slate, with games against NC State and Arizona on the docket. Credit Bruce Pearl for giving his son a gauntlet of a schedule.

5) Florida Gators

Last week’s ranking: 4 (-1)

Record: 5-2

Last week: L vs. TCU (84-80), W vs. Providence (90-78)

Next week: at #4 Duke (Dec. 2 – 7:30 p.m.)

Quality wins: vs. Miami-Fla

Bad losses:

One step forward, one step back. Florida, at least at the moment, is not nearly at the level of last year. Certain transfers aren’t adjusting all that well, but perhaps the Gators are dealing with a championship hangover. That could be an excuse for their recent loss to TCU, who hasn’t been all that impressive themselves. And while Florida took down Providence, the Friars have struggled this season, too. This week, it would almost be surprising if Florida beat Duke on the road.

6) LSU Tigers

Last week’s ranking: 7 (+1)

Record: 7-0

Last week: W vs. Drake (71-62), W vs. DePaul (96-63)

Next week: at Boston College (Dec. 3 – 7:15 p.m.), vs. #20 Texas Tech (Dec. 7 – 3 p.m.)

Quality wins:

Bad losses:

LSU is undefeated. While they don’t have a statement win yet on the season, the lack of a loss combined with the relatively large number of losses for SEC competition means the Tigers are floating into the Top Six. Their offense is actually really efficient, ranking in the top 30 on KenPom and in the top 40 on defense. This week, a game against Texas Tech will most likely be their first real test of the season.

7) Kentucky Wildcats

Last week’s ranking: 6 (-1)

Record: 5-2

Last week: W vs. Tennessee Tech (104-54)

Next week: vs. #16 North Carolina (Dec. 2 – 9:30 p.m.), vs. #12 Gonzaga (Dec. 5 – 7 p.m.)

Quality wins:

Bad losses:

It’s December, and Kentucky still doesn’t have a quality win. They’ve looked…not great against the two ranked teams they’ve played so far, and beating Tennessee Tech by 50 isn’t going to move the needle: it’s still Tennessee Tech. While teams above the Wildcats have defeated ranked opponents and won MTEs, the Wildcats simply have disappointed. The good news is that they’ll have a chance to right the ship with games against North Carolina and Gonzaga this week. But two losses? That would be cause for concern.

8) Missouri Tigers

Last week’s ranking: 5 (-3)

Record: 8-0

Last week: W vs. South Carolina State (98-66), W vs. Cleveland State (86-59)

Next week: at Notre Dame (Dec. 2 – 9 p.m.), vs. Kansas (Dec. 7 – 1 p.m.)

Quality wins:

Bad losses:

It’s come to the author’s attention that Missouri hasn’t really played a quality team yet this year. In fact, they’re 364th of 365 D-I schools in strength of schedule, per KenPom. However, they’ve won the games they’ve scheduled, and typically by large margins. The lack of opponent quality might be why the Tigers are only 1.5-point favorites against Notre Dame this week, and they might not be favored against Kansas in a neutral-site game in Kansas City. But history is on the side of the Tigers: last season, Mizzou took down #1 Kansas 76-67 in Columbia.

9) Arkansas Razorbacks

Last week’s ranking: 11 (+2)

Record: 5-2

Last week: L vs. #4 Duke (80-71)

Next week: vs. #6 Louisville (Dec. 3 – 7:15 p.m.), vs. Fresno State (Dec. 6 – 4 p.m.)

Quality wins:

Bad losses:

Arkansas looked competitive against Duke, even in the loss, leading by seven at one point in the second half. But there’s still no reason for the Razorbacks to be ranked following razor-thin victories over Samford and Winthrop. A matchup at home against Louisville provides a chance for Calipari’s group to make serious moves in the SEC Basketball Power Rankings this week.

10) Texas Longhorns

Last week’s ranking: 12 (+2)

Record: 6-2

Last week: L vs. Arizona State (87-86), W at Chaminade (119-78), W vs. #23 NC State (102-97)

Next week: vs. Virginia (Dec. 3 – 9:15 p.m.)

Quality wins: vs. NC State

Bad losses:

It was a weird week for Texas. The Longhorns began the Maui Invitational by giving up a double-digit lead with less than eight minutes to go against a team (Arizona State) that probably won’t sniff the tournament. After a glorified scrimmage (no offense to the Silverswords) against Chaminade, the Longhorns managed to put up 102 points on North Carolina State. I have no idea what to make of Texas, other than the fact that they could probably lose to anyone or beat anyone. It’s the Sean Miller era, and it continues with a home matchup against Virginia this week.

11) Georgia Bulldogs

Last week’s ranking: 10 (-1)

Record: 7-1

Last week: W vs. Tennessee Tech (123-81)

Next week: at Florida State (Dec. 2 – 9 p.m.)

Quality wins:

Bad losses:

Just like with Kentucky, Georgia is not going to move up in the rankings just because they beat Tennessee Tech by a large margin. (Even if they did score 120+ points for the second time this season.) So many SEC schools played high-major opponents last week that there’s really no reason for the Bulldogs to be rewarded for staying home and eating a cupcake. It was impressive, sure, but the salt needs to be taken. Florida State awaits, and even in Tallahassee, this is a game that Georgia should win.

12) Texas A&M Aggies

Last week’s ranking: 15 (+3)

Record: 6-2

Last week: W vs. Mississippi Valley State (120-84), W vs. Florida State (95-59)

Next week: at Pitt (Dec. 2 – 7 p.m.), vs. SMU (Dec. 7 – 5 p.m.)

Quality wins:

Bad losses:

Texas A&M was one of the surprises of the week, putting up 120 points in their first game (yes, against MVSU, but the point remains) and then absolutely picking apart Florida State. Shoutout Rubén Dominguez, who hit seven threes against the Seminoles and also had ten against Manhattan earlier this season. Keep an eye on the Spaniard this week against Pitt and SMU. It’s apparently the part of the season where Texas A&M plays only ACC schools.

13) Ole Miss Rebels

Last week’s ranking: 8 (-5)

Record: 5-2

Last week: L vs. Iowa (74-69), L vs. Utah (75-74)

Next week: vs. Miami-FL (Dec. 2 – 9 p.m.), at #14 St. John’s (Dec. 6 – 8 p.m.)

Quality wins:

Bad losses: vs. Utah

It was, in short, not a great week for the University of Mississippi. To put it chronologically, they lost on Monday to Iowa in the Acrisure (insurance company, by the way) Classic. Very late on Tuesday night, they lost to a very bad Utah team. And on Sunday, they lost to LSU, spiritually, when Lane Kiffin decided to use the college as a stepping stone for greener pastures. But at least they get to play at home against Miami this week. It’s the little things that count.

14) Oklahoma Sooners

Last week’s ranking: 13 (-1)

Record: 5-2

Last week: W vs. Marquette (75-74)

Next week: at Wake Forest (Dec. 2 – 7 p.m.), vs. Arizona State (Dec. 6 – 10 p.m.)

Quality wins:

Bad losses:

A win over Marquette in the 2025-26 season just doesn’t have the same effect as years prior. Prior to losing to Oklahoma, the Golden Eagles fell to Indiana, Maryland, and Dayton. Is that bad? It ain’t good. But what is good is that the Sooners didn’t lose. They took care of business. Unfortunately for Oklahoma, they did get leapfrogged by Texas A&M’s dismantling of Florida State, relegating them to the Bottom Three of the SEC Basketball Power Rankings. That ain’t good.

15) South Carolina Gamecocks

Last week’s ranking: 14 (-1)

Record: 5-2

Last week: W vs. Charleston Southern (74-62)

Next week: vs. Virginia Tech (Dec. 2 – 7 p.m.), vs. Stetson (Dec. 6 – 2 p.m.)

Quality wins:

Bad losses:

With all due respect to Charleston Southern (Brycen Blaine is third in D-I with a 23.3 PPG average), South Carolina’s triumph over the Bucs by 12 at home is not worthy of a move up the SEC Basketball Power Rankings. In fact, due to Texas A&M beating a Power Five opponent by 36 points, the Gamecocks moved down a spot.

But don’t fret: the two losses South Carolina meets the two criteria for a “good loss.” Both Butler and Northwestern were competitive losses, and the two teams are within the top 60 of the latest KenPom ratings. However, the Gamecocks need to go 2-0 this week to keep their losses at a minimum.

16) Mississippi State Bulldogs

Last week’s ranking: 16 (-)

Record: 3-4

Last week: W vs. New Orleans (81-78), L vs. SMU (87-81)

Next week: at Georgia Tech (Dec. 3 – 9:15 p.m.), vs. San Francisco (Dec. 7 – 4 p.m.)

Quality wins:

Bad losses: vs. New Mexico

The Bulldogs needed overtime to dispatch New Orleans before losing to SMU last week, and while it’s worth noting that the Privateers also have a win over TCU this season, an SEC team should not need overtime to beat the third-best team in the Southland.

Longtime readers know that is not in any way a shot at the Southland Conference, but rather an exclamation that if the SEC proclaims itself the best conference, it needs to be able to back it up. Mississippi State is currently not helping in that effort. There’s no guarantee that the Bulldogs get back to .500 this week with games against Georgia Tech (on the road) and San Francisco (in Tupelo, for some reason) on the horizon.