George Bagwell gives his SEC basketball power rankings heading into week 13 of the 2025-26 season.
Week 12 team of the week: Arkansas Razorbacks
Week 12 game of the week: Missouri vs. Oklahoma
Week 12 player of the week: Dailyn Swain, Texas
Week 13 matchup of the week: #20 Arkansas vs. Kentucky – Jan. 31 at 6:30 p.m.
Week 13 under-the-radar matchup of the week: Tennessee vs. Auburn – Jan. 31 at 8:30 p.m.
All games listed are EST.
1) Arkansas Razorbacks
Last week’s ranking: 5 (+4)
Record: 15-5 (5-2)
Last week: W vs. #15 Vanderbilt (93-68), W vs. LSU (85-81)
Next week: at Oklahoma (Jan. 27 – 7 p.m.), vs. Kentucky (Jan. 31 – 6:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: Texas Tech, Louisville, Vanderbilt, Tennessee
Bad losses:
Arkansas is the newest addition to the No. 1 Club in the SEC Basketball Power Rankings following two solid performances last week. The more impressive result was a 25-point thrashing of Vandy in which Malique Ewin scored 16 points off the bench, and Trevon Brazile recorded a double-double. Welcome to the top, Coach Cal. The Razorbacks have what should be a tune-up prior to a big-time matchup against Kentucky and Mark Pope. This marks the first time the Wildcats and Razorbacks have played in Fayetteville since the Wildcats got rid of Calipari a couple of years ago.
2) Texas A&M Aggies
Last week’s ranking: 7 (+5)
Record: 16-4 (6-1)
Last week: W vs. Mississippi State (88-68), W vs. South Carolina (92-69)
Next week: at #21 Georgia (Jan. 31 – 1 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Auburn, at Texas
Bad losses:
Welcome to the Top 3, Texas A&M. The Aggies are alone atop the SEC basketball standings, which is a statement that would have seemed unattainable prior to the season, or especially after the early-season losses to Oklahoma State and UCF. But Bucky Ball has won 10 of their last 11 games, and Rashaun Agee is averaging 15.3 PPG and 9.6 RPG against SEC competition. The Aggies have another chance to pick up a quality win with a road matchup against Georgia this weekend. One thing to watch out for: Texas A&M is the only SEC team with a winning conference record that has yet to record a win against a team in the AP Top 25.
3) Kentucky Wildcats
Last week’s ranking: 6 (+3)
Record: 14-6 (5-2)
Last week: W vs. Texas (85-80), W vs. Ole Miss (72-63)
Next week: at #15 Vanderbilt (Jan. 27 – 9 p.m.), at #20 Arkansas (Jan. 31 – 6:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: St. John’s, at Tennessee, Texas, Indiana
Bad losses:
Kentucky is moving back up the rankings in the midst of a five-game winning streak. It’s currently the longest streak in the conference, but four of those wins have come against teams with losing records against SEC basketball opponents. We’ll see if the Wildcats can back up their success against quality teams when they travel on the road to Vanderbilt and Arkansas, one of the most difficult weeks we’ve seen yet for an SEC team in-conference.
4) Florida Gators
Last week’s ranking: 1 (-3)
Record: 14-6 (5-2)
Last week: W vs. LSU (79-61), L vs. Auburn (76-67)
Next week: at South Carolina (Jan. 28 – 9 p.m.), vs. #17 Alabama (Feb. 1 – 1 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Georgia, Miami-Fla
Bad losses:
Florida would’ve likely kept their #1 spot in the SEC Basketball Power Rankings, but they lost to an Auburn team that simply isn’t all that great, at home. That’s enough to knock the Gators down four spots, but they’re still in the upper 25% of the rankings. The Gators face off against South Carolina on the road on Wednesday, where they’ve struggled in their past two trips to Columbia. Then, it’s back home to play Alabama. A 2-0 week could be enough to move the Gators back to the top spot.
5) Vanderbilt Commodores
Last week’s ranking: 2 (-3)
Record: 17-3 (4-3)
Last week: L at #20 Arkansas (93-68), W at Mississippi State (88-56)
Next week: vs. Kentucky (Jan. 27 – 9 p.m.), at Ole Miss (Jan. 31- 8:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: Alabama, Saint Mary’s, at UCF, SMU, VCU
Bad losses:
Vanderbilt has looked a lot more beatable as of late. After starting the season 16-0, they’re 1-3 in their past four games, with only a blowout over Mississippi State breaking their three-game losing streak. The ‘Dores have had a good amount of quality wins so far, but hold just one win over ranked opponents this year. That’s the same amount as Ole Miss and less than both Auburn and Texas. If Vandy can get two wins this week, it’ll get their seeding stabilized a bit.
6) Georgia Bulldogs
Last week’s ranking: 4 (-2)
Record: 16-4 (4-3)
Last week: W at Missouri (74-72), L at Texas (87-67)
Next week: vs. Tennessee (Jan. 28 – 7 p.m.), vs. Texas A&M (Jan. 31 – 1 p.m.)
Quality wins: Arkansas, Auburn, at Missouri
Bad losses:
Georgia falls once more in the rankings this week, mostly because of a total collapse against Texas. Despite leading by nine with less than a minute to go in the first half, the Dawgs ended up losing the game by 20 points and failing to score 70+ points for the first time all season.
But they do return home to the friendly confines of Athens this week, with games against Tennessee and Texas A&M. Both teams have been formidable during at least some points in the season, as Tennessee holds three ranked wins and Texas A&M leads the conference standings. Georgia seems like a tournament lock barring a total collapse, but a winning streak could lead to a much easier March draw during the tournament.
7) Tennessee Volunteers
Last week’s ranking: 10 (+3)
Record: 13-6 (3-3)
Last week: W at #17 Alabama (79-73)
Next week: at #21 Georgia (Jan. 28 – 7 p.m.), vs. Auburn (Jan. 31 – 8:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: Houston, at Alabama, Louisville, Texas A&M, Texas
Bad losses:
Tennessee is back? At the very least, their Twitter admin is. The Vols needed a win against Alabama, and a win they got. Nate Ament has seemingly broken out of his mid-season slump, and he led both teams with 29 points in Tennessee’s victory over Alabama. This week, the Vols play Georgia on the road and Auburn at home, which offers a chance to rise above .500 in SEC games for the first time all season. It feels weird to type that out.
8) Alabama Crimson Tide
Last week’s ranking: 3 (-5)
Record: 13-6 (3-3)
Last week: L vs. Tennessee (79-73)
Next week: vs. Missouri (Jan. 27 – 8 p.m.), at Florida (Feb. 1 – 1 p.m.)
Quality wins: at St. John’s, Illinois, Clemson, Kentucky
Bad losses:
Alabama drops, not just because of a winless week, but also because of the way they lost. During the span of the SEC Basketball Power Rankings, there have been two high-profile instances of the author thinking to himself, “How in the world is this player on the court for this SEC team right now?”, and they’ve both involved Nate Oats and Alabama. The first, of course, was allowing Brandon Miller to take the court following the shooting of Jamea Harris by teammate Darius Miles.
The second is signing Charles Bediako to the team’s roster two years after he last played college basketball. In that span, he’s played for three G-League teams and signed a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs, making him the first player to participate in a collegiate basketball game after signing an NBA contract. For what it’s worth, the add-drop deadline for classes at the University of Alabama was January 14. But who needs rules when there’s a basketball game to be won? Or, in this case, lost.
9) Auburn Tigers
Last week’s ranking: 13 (+4)
Record: 13-7 (4-3)
Last week: W at Ole Miss (78-66), W at #16 Florida (76-67)
Next week: vs. Texas (Jan. 28 – 7 p.m.), at Tennessee (Jan. 31 – 8:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Florida, St. John’s, Arkansas, NC State
Bad losses:
Maybe we gave Auburn a eulogy too soon. But who could have foreseen the Tigers going on the road to Gainesville and emerging with a victory? That’s impressive. With almost a handful of quality wins under their belt, Auburn can make their way back into the projected March field with a couple of wins this week, first against Texas and then against Tennessee. But an 0-2 record in those matchups will certainly spell trouble. It’s up to the Tigers to determine what team they want to be.
10) Missouri Tigers
Last week’s ranking: 8 (-2)
Record: 14-6 (4-3)
Last week: L vs. #21 Georgia (74-72), W vs. Oklahoma (88-87)
Next week: at #17 Alabama (Jan. 27 – 8 p.m.), vs. Mississippi State (Jan. 31 – 3:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Kentucky, Florida, Auburn
Bad losses:
Despite a close loss to a ranked opponent and an electric, buzzer-beating win over Oklahoma, Missouri drops two spots in the SEC Basketball Power Rankings. That’s because of the fact that the win came over Oklahoma, the last team in these rankings (sorry for the spoiler), and teams below Missouri going on the road to pick up two quality wins (Auburn and Tennessee). But this Mizzou squad is so fun to watch, and they have a lot of chemistry. Maybe they won’t end up hoisting a trophy at the end of March Madness, but if the casual viewer has to choose between watching a game between Florida and Texas A&M, or Missouri and Georgia, they should choose the latter.
11) Texas Longhorns
Last week’s ranking: 9 (-2)
Record: 12-8 (3-4)
Last week: L at Kentucky (85-80), W vs. #21 Georgia (87-67)
Next week: at Auburn (Jan. 28 – 7 p.m.), at Oklahoma (Jan. 31 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Alabama, Vanderbilt, Georgia, NC State
Bad losses: Mississippi State
Texas continues to not know what type of basketball team they are. Is the squad capable of beating Alabama, Vanderbilt, and Georgia? The type of team that’s tied with the SEC basketball lead with four ranked wins? Or the team that will lose to Mississippi State and Arizona State? That’s for the Longhorns to figure out, and they have two road games this week against some not-so-great teams in order to sort that distinction.
12) Ole Miss Rebels
Last week’s ranking: 11 (-1)
Record: 11-9 (3-4)
Last week: L vs. Auburn (78-66), L at Kentucky (72-63)
Next week: vs. #15 Vanderbilt (Jan. 31 – 8:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Georgia
Bad losses: Utah
And it’s back to the cellar (or at least close to it) for Ole Miss. The win streak was nice, but two more losses this past week mean the Rebels are almost at double-digit losses on the season, and it’s not even February yet. Despite hitting 97 points against Georgia, Ole Miss has now failed to crack 70 points in three straight games. They have the second-worst offensive efficiency in the conference, behind only their rivals, according to KenPom. And unless this team can find a way to beat Vanderbilt, they’ll be 11-10 by next week’s rankings.
13) South Carolina Gamecocks
Last week’s ranking: 16 (+3)
Record: 11-9 (2-5)
Last week: W vs. Oklahoma (85-76), L at Texas A&M (92-69)
Next week: vs. #16 Florida (Jan. 28 – 9 p.m.), vs. LSU (Jan. 31 – 6 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
South Carolina moves out of the bottom three? That’s what happens when two SEC programs have yet to hit two conference wins, and the only other team with two wins in the conference lost twice last week by an average margin of 26 points. Is that bad? It ain’t good. The Gamecocks are now 2-5, which is an improvement over last year. That’s depressing to type, but they have a chance to hit the three-win mark against SEC opponents with a game against LSU at home this week, who they’ve already beaten in Baton Rouge.
14) Mississippi State Bulldogs
Last week’s ranking: 12 (-2)
Record: 10-10 (2-5)
Last week: L at Texas A&M (88-68), L vs. #15 Vanderbilt (88-56)
Next week: at LSU (Jan. 28 – 7 p.m.), at Missouri (Jan. 31 – 3:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Texas, Oklahoma
Bad losses: San Francisco, Kansas State
The wheels on the bus are falling off. The Bulldogs, after a 2-0 start to conference games, have now lost five in a row. That is not good, simply. Can Mississippi State get back on track? They don’t have too difficult of a slate this week, with games against LSU and Missouri, but both are on the road. For all intents and purposes, this team isn’t making the tournament unless they win 9 of their last 11 games. That starts this week.
15) LSU Tigers
Last week’s ranking: 14 (-1)
Record: 13-7 (1-6)
Last week: L at #16 Florida (79-61), L at #20 Arkansas (85-81)
Next week: vs. Mississippi State (Jan. 28 – 7 p.m.), at South Carolina (Jan. 31 – 6 p.m.)
Quality wins: SMU, Missouri
Bad losses: South Carolina
LSU didn’t look bad against Arkansas. But the reality is that they’re one of just two schools in the conference with fewer than two SEC wins, relegating them to #15. A lack of quality wins is really hurting this team, but they do have a chance to right the ship with games against Mississippi State and South Carolina this week.
16) Oklahoma Sooners
Last week’s ranking: 15 (-1)
Record: 11-9 (1-6)
Last week: L at South Carolina (85-76), L at Missouri (88-87)
Next week: vs. #20 Arkansas (Jan. 27 – 7 p.m.), vs. Texas (Jan. 31 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses: Arizona State, at South Carolina
What can be said that hasn’t already been said? The buzzer-beater loss to Missouri feels like the end of the Porter Moser era in Norman.