2025-26 SEC Basketball Power Rankings: Week 15

George Bagwell gives his SEC basketball power rankings heading into week 15 of the 2025-26 season.

Week 14 team of the week: Oklahoma Sooners

Week 14 game of the week: Kentucky defeats #25 Tennessee, 74-71

Week 14 player of the week: Tyler Tanner, Vanderbilt

Week 15 matchup of the week: #14 Florida vs. #25 Kentucky – Feb. 14 at 3 p.m.

Week 15 under-the-radar matchup of the week: Missouri vs. Texas – Feb. 14 at 8:30 p.m.

All games listed are EST.

1) Florida Gators

Last week’s ranking: 1 (-)

Record: 17-6 (8-2)

Last week: W at Texas A&M (86-67)

Next week: at Georgia (Feb. 11 – 7 p.m.), vs. #25 Kentucky (Feb. 14 – 3 p.m.)

Quality wins: at Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Georgia, Miami-Fla, Alabama, at Texas A&M

Bad losses:

Florida solidified their hold on the top of the SEC with their win over the Aggies. It wasn’t just a win, either, it was a beatdown. 26 minutes of action into the game, Texas A&M had 24 points. Is that bad? It ain’t good. But we’re here to talk about Florida. And the Gators can’t get complacent with a road game against their former coach and a home game against a ranked opponent on the docket this week.

2) Kentucky Wildcats

Last week’s ranking: 4 (+2)

Record: 17-7 (8-3)

Last week: W vs. Oklahoma (94-78), W vs. #25 Tennessee (74-71)

Next week: at #14 Florida (Feb. 14 – 3 p.m.)

Quality wins: St. John’s, Tennessee (x2), Texas, Indiana, at Arkansas

Bad losses:

Kentucky’s comeback against Tennessee (for the second time this season) gives them the second spot in this edition of the SEC Basketball Power Rankings. Do they deserve it? Well, they beat the number three team in these rankings on the road a couple games ago, the number five team in their latest game, and the number four team just fell to arguably the worst team in the conference at home. So I would say Kentucky definitely deserves their position. And if they beat Florida this weekend on the road? The ‘Cats could rise to the top.

3) Arkansas Razorbacks

Last week’s ranking: 5 (+2)

Record: 17-6 (7-3)

Last week: W at Mississippi State (88-68)

Next week: at LSU (Feb. 10 – 9 p.m.), vs. Auburn (Feb. 14 – 8:30 p.m.)

Quality wins: Texas Tech, Louisville, Vanderbilt, Tennessee

Bad losses:

Arkansas righted the ship in the right way, with a blowout victory against a team that should have no trouble beating. The Razorbacks probably needed that extra few days of rest after the tough home loss to Kentucky, as well. It’s back to a two-game week this time, though, with contests against LSU and Auburn, the Tigers gauntlet. To be fair, at this point in time it’s less of a gauntlet and can be better classified as a scheduling quirk. Neither LSU or Auburn is playing particularly well right now.

4) Vanderbilt Commodores

Last week’s ranking: 3 (-1)

Record: 19-4 (6-4)

Last week: L vs. Oklahoma (92-91)

Next week: at Auburn (Feb. 10 – 7 p.m.), vs. Texas A&M (Feb. 14 – 1 p.m.)

Quality wins: Alabama, Saint Mary’s, at UCF, SMU, VCU, Kentucky

Bad losses: Oklahoma

SEC basketball is reaching the point where it simply doesn’t make sense. It’s inevitable in every season, of course, but it finally broke the surface in 2026 with the 11-12 Oklahoma Sooners beating a ranked Vanderbilt squad in Nashville. Vandy, what are we doing? I understand the loss was by a single point, but that loss is still a loss nonetheless. There is nothing to say besides the fact that we at SEC Basketball Power Rankings Headquarters have nothing but disappointment for the Commodores. Maybe they can get right this week, but that’s their job, not ours.

5) Tennessee Volunteers

Last week’s ranking: 6 (+1)

Record: 16-7 (6-4)

Last week: W vs. Ole Miss (84-66), L at Kentucky (74-71)

Next week: at Mississippi State (Feb. 11 – 9 p.m.), vs. LSU (Feb. 14 – 6 p.m.)

Quality wins: Houston, at Alabama, Louisville, Texas A&M, Texas, at Georgia, Auburn

Bad losses:

Tennessee was oh-so-close to being this week’s big winners. But for the second time this season, they could not hold enough tight enough to a lead against Kentucky. This time, it was a 14-point halftime lead the Vols squandered against the Wildcats.

Since it was on the road against a team that is now ranked, Tennessee took care of business against a bad Ole Miss team earlier in the week, and combined with the unrelated dissolution of Texas A&M’s offense and defense, this team still rises a spot in the SEC Basketball Power Rankings this week. The good news? They have Mississippi State, LSU, and Oklahoma as their next three opponents. If Tennessee doesn’t emerge from that stretch at 19-7 (9-4), there will be questions needed to be answered.

6) Texas A&M Aggies

Last week’s ranking: 2 (-4)

Record: 17-6 (7-3)

Last week: L at Alabama (100-97), L vs. #17 Florida (86-67)

Next week: vs. Missouri (Feb. 11 – 9 p.m.), at #19 Vanderbilt (Feb. 14 – 1 p.m.)

Quality wins: at Auburn, at Texas, at Georgia

Bad losses:

For what it’s worth, Texas A&M should not have had to compete against Charles Bediako, who is now, like he should have been in the first place, declared ineligible to compete at the NCAA level. The Aggies lost to Alabama on the road by three points and Bediako scored five. Somewhat inconsequential of a performance with all context removed, but five points from an ineligible in a three-point victory? I don’t know, something seems unfair about that.

But there was nothing unfair about the Aggies’ performance against Florida, except maybe to the fans who had to watch it. The team as a whole shot 6-35 from the field in the first 20 minutes and 1-14 from deep. That’s despicable. That’s horrific. That’s worthy of a four-spot drop in the SEC Basketball Power Rankings.

A ban from the top half of the rankings was considered by the SEC Basketball Power Rankings Selection Committee before a College Station judge granted a TRO for the team against spots 9-16 in the rankings.

7) Texas Longhorns

Last week’s ranking: 9 (+2)

Record: 15-9 (6-5)

Last week: W vs. South Carolina (84-75), W vs. Ole Miss (79-68)

Next week: at Missouri (Feb. 14 – 8:30 p.m.)

Quality wins: at Alabama, Vanderbilt, Georgia, NC State

Bad losses: Mississippi State

Don’t look now, but Texas basketball is on a roll. Sure, the Longhorns might have dispatched two pretty bad teams last week, but that’s still dispatching two teams. You can only play your schedule, and that’s what Texas is doing right now. They’ve won three in a row and can make it four in a row with a game against Missouri on the road this weekend.

8) Alabama Crimson Tide

Last week’s ranking: 7 (-1)

Record: 16-7 (6-4)

Last week: W vs. Texas A&M (100-97), W at Auburn (96-92)

Next week: at Ole Miss (Feb. 11 – 7 p.m.), vs. South Carolina (Feb. 14 – 8:30 p.m.)

Quality wins: at St. John’s, Illinois, Clemson, Kentucky, Missouri, Texas A&M

Bad losses:

“But author, Alabama won both games this week, they should move up!” No, they shouldn’t. They won two games by way of having a player with an NBA contract under his name show up half-way through the season. He scored five points in a three-point win against Texas A&M, then scored 12 in a four-point victory against Auburn, who isn’t even that good if we’re being totally honest right now. We’re counting both of those games as losses here at SEC Basketball Power Rankings.

Alabama had a below-average defense and realized they weren’t making it to the Final Four so they signed a professional player for five games with (so far) no consequences for doing so. And for what it’s worth, they weren’t still weren’t even good on defense with their G-League addition. They gave up 100 points to Florida, 97 to Texas A&M, then 92 to Auburn. Good luck the rest of the way, Alabama, you’re going to need so much of it just to make the second weekend.

9) Missouri Tigers

Last week’s ranking: 10 (+1)

Record: 16-7 (6-4)

Last week: W at South Carolina (78-59)

Next week: at Texas A&M (Feb. 11 – 9 p.m.), vs. Texas (Feb. 14 – 8:30 p.m.)

Quality wins: at Kentucky, Florida, Auburn

Bad losses: Notre Dame

Missouri took care of an undersized South Carolina team by knocking them around in the paint, outside the paint, and on the wings. They were a physical basketball team Saturday, winning the rebounding margin 44-28. Quietly, these Tigers are 6-4 in conference games with wins over Kentucky and Florida. How about that? Round of applause for Missouri.

10) Auburn Tigers

Last week’s ranking: 8 (-2)

Record: 14-9 (5-5)

Last week: L vs. Alabama (96-92)

Next week: vs. #19 Vanderbilt (Feb. 10 – 7 p.m.), at #21 Arkansas (Feb. 14 – 8:30 p.m.)

Quality wins: at Florida, St. John’s, Arkansas, NC State, Texas

Bad losses:

I understand that it’s not fair that Auburn was beaten real close by a team tossing onto the court a player that would be deemed ineligible mere days later. Especially when that team is Auburn’s main rival and it’s at home. But a team must win a game to rise up in the rankings, and Auburn didn’t do that last week. They’re one loss away from double-digit losses on the year, something they haven’t accomplished since 2023. And with games against Vanderbilt and Arkansas on the docket, that’s almost a certainty. Dare we say no tournament for Auburn? Maybe we save that conversation for next week when they’re 14-11.

11) Georgia Bulldogs

Last week’s ranking: 11 (-)

Record: 17-6 (5-5)

Last week: W at LSU (83-71)

Next week: vs. #14 Florida (Feb. 11 – 7 p.m.), at Oklahoma (Feb. 14 – 3:30 p.m.)

Quality wins: Arkansas, Auburn, at Missouri

Bad losses:

In retrospect, Georgia probably should be in the top 10 of these rankings, ahead of Auburn at least. But they can make up for it with a classic Mike White Revenge Game. Trivia question: who was the last coach to beat Florida prior to their championship run last season? Mike White. I didn’t give y’all much time to answer, I’m sorry. But a 2-0 week is very much in play for Georgia this week. Don’t sleep on the ‘Dawgs.

12) Ole Miss Rebels

Last week’s ranking: 12 (-)

Record: 11-12 (3-7)

Last week: L at #25 Tennessee (84-66), L at Texas (79-68)

Next week: vs. Alabama (Feb. 11 – 7 p.m.), vs. Mississippi State (Feb. 14 – 6:30 p.m.)

Quality wins: at Georgia, Missouri

Bad losses: Utah

We’re into the cellar of SEC Basketball. Usually, that term is saved for the bottom three teams in the SEC Basketball Power Rankings, but Ole Miss and Mississippi State are playing poorly enough to be included in this final grouping of teams. It’s now five straight losses for the Rebels…not that we’re keeping count. Will that elusive win come against Alabama this week? Maybe against in-state rival Mississippi State? I’m not joking, both of these opportunities are perfectly achievable.

13) Mississippi State Bulldogs

Last week’s ranking: 13 (-)

Record: 11-12 (3-7)

Last week: L vs. #21 Arkansas (88-68)

Next week: vs. Tennessee (Feb. 11 – 9 p.m.), at Ole Miss (Feb. 14 – 6:30 p.m.)

Quality wins: at Texas

Bad losses: San Francisco, Kansas State

Mississippi State may not have much more to play for this season, having already slipped past the grasp of a .500 record and now standing at a 3-7 record in conference games, but they can spoil their rival’s Valentine’s Day, which is just as good of a reason to win a game as any. The Bulldogs first will have to play Tennessee on National Make a Friend Day. I’m not joking, Wednesday is genuinely National Make a Friend Day. Go out there and make a friend, reader.

14) Oklahoma Sooners

Last week’s ranking: 16 (+2)

Record: 12-12 (2-9)

Last week: L at Kentucky (94-78), W at #15 Vanderbilt (92-91)

Next week: vs. Georgia (Feb. 14 – 3:30 p.m.)

Quality wins: at Vanderbilt

Bad losses: Arizona State, at South Carolina, at Mississippi State

In this space last week, we determined that until Oklahoma won a basketball game, we’d stop covering them in length. But in their very next week, in a road test against a ranked opponent, the Sooners brought their A-game out and beat Vanderbilt in Nashville. That’s cause for celebration, and the very first addition to the “quality wins” category of Oklahoma’s season resume. Congrats to every Sooner fan who had to wait over a month for a win, congrats to Porter Moser, and congrats to Xzayvier Brown, who scored 20 points to lead the team.

15) LSU Tigers

Last week’s ranking: 14 (-1)

Record: 14-9 (2-8)

Last week: L vs. Georgia (83-71)

Next week: vs. #21 Arkansas (Feb. 10 – 9 p.m.), at Tennessee (Feb. 14 – 6 p.m.)

Quality wins: SMU, Missouri

Bad losses: South Carolina, Mississippi State

LSU simply isn’t a very good basketball team, but they’ve had flashes of being decent. One such flash came against Georgia, during which the Tigers opened the game on a 31-16 run. The issue? Georgia and Mike White outscored the Tigers 67-40 the rest of the way. Is that bad? It ain’t good. LSU somehow still has chances for redemption and a not-so-bad 15-10 or 16-9 record going into next week if they can beat Arkansas or Tennessee, but it’s an uphill climb, isn’t it?

16) South Carolina Gamecocks

Last week’s ranking: 15 (-1)

Record: 11-13 (2-9)

Last week: L at Texas (84-75), L vs. Missouri (78-59)

Next week: at Alabama (Feb. 14 – 8:30 p.m.)

Quality wins:

Bad losses: LSU

I’m not saying South Carolina should be expected to beat Alabama this weekend. But the Crimson Tide will no longer have the assistance of their favorite mid-season addition, and are coming off two tough, nail-biting wins. South Carolina has a whole week to prepare. Maybe something big happens?