2025-26 SEC Basketball Power Rankings: Week 17

George Bagwell gives his SEC basketball power rankings heading into week 17 of the 2025-26 season.

Week 16 team of the week: Alabama Crimson Tide

Week 16 game of the week: #25 Alabama defeated #20 Arkansas, 117-115

Week 16 player of the week: Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas

Week 17 matchup of the week: #7 Florida vs. #20 Arkansas – Feb. 28 at 8:30 p.m.

Week 17 under-the-radar matchup of the week: #25 Vanderbilt vs. Georgia – Feb. 25 at 7 p.m.

All games listed are EST.

1) Florida Gators

Last week’s ranking: 1 (-)

Record: 21-6 (12-2)

Last week: W vs. South Carolina (76-62), W at Ole Miss (94-75)

Next week: at Texas (Feb. 25 – 7 p.m.), vs. #20 Arkansas (Feb. 28 – 8:30 p.m.)

Quality wins: at Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Georgia (x2), Miami-Fla, Alabama, at Texas A&M, Kentucky

Bad losses:

Florida remains at first place in the midst of their seven-game winning streak. In those seven games, the Gators have six wins by double-digits, with the closest margin of victory being nine points over Kentucky. They’re clearly the class of the SEC, and are now ranked within the top 10 nationally. This weekend, the Gators have a test upcoming when Coach Cal’s Razorbacks come to Gainesville.

2) Alabama Crimson Tide

Last week’s ranking: 6 (+4)

Record: 20-7 (10-4)

Last week: W vs. #20 Arkansas (117-115), W at LSU (90-83)

Next week: vs. Mississippi State (Feb. 25 – 9 p.m.), at #22 Tennessee (Feb. 28 – 6 p.m.)

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

Bad losses:

Welcome back to the top two, Alabama. The Crimson Tide rose four spots this week on the backs of an insane, double-overtime victory over Arkansas and a current six-game winning streak. Does the defense still need work? Absolutely. Does this team have the power to make the Final Four? Probably not. But they’re currently playing pretty well, so they earn a top-two spot here. But look out for a road trip to Knoxville: that might not be too fun for Alabama.

3) Tennessee Volunteers

Last week’s ranking: 4 (+1)

Record: 20-7 (10-4)

Last week: W vs. Oklahoma (89-66), W at #19 Vanderbilt (69-65)

Next week: at Missouri (Feb. 24 – 9 p.m.), vs. #17 Alabama (Feb. 28 – 6 p.m.)

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

Bad losses:

Tennessee is playing their best basketball of the season, but don’t look now. The Vols have won eight of their past nine games following a 2-3 start to the conference slate. What’s been the catalyst to their turnaround? Over the past 10 games, Rick Barnes’s group is leading the SEC with an astounding 46.8% offensive rebounding rate. More chances on offense have led to more points, and, of course, more wins. This week could be tough, however, with a road trip to Missouri and a home test against a red-hot Alabama team.

4) Arkansas Razorbacks

Last week’s ranking: 2 (-2)

Record: 20-7 (10-4)

Last week: L at #25 Alabama (117-115), W vs. Missouri (94-86)

Next week: vs. Texas A&M (Feb. 25 – 9 p.m.), at #7 Florida (Feb. 28 – 8:30 p.m.)

Quality wins: Texas Tech, Louisville, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Auburn, Missouri

Bad losses:

Arkansas would be two spots higher in these rankings had the Razorbacks simply held on to multiple double-digits leads early in the second half against Alabama. Of course, that game turned into an instant classic stretching 50 minutes of gametime, but who could’ve predicted that? Now locks for the NCAA tournament, it’s worth congratulating Darius Acuff Jr. for his contributions to the cause. He scored 49 points in a losing effort, and currently leads the SEC with 22.2 PPG. Look out for this weekend’s game against Florida in Gainesville. The Gators are beatable.

5) Texas A&M Aggies

Last week’s ranking: 9 (+4)

Record: 19-8 (9-5)

Last week: W vs. Ole Miss (80-77), W at Oklahoma (75-71)

Next week: at #20 Arkansas (Feb. 25 – 9 p.m.), vs. Texas (Feb. 28 – 4 p.m.)

Quality wins: at Auburn, at Texas, at Georgia

Bad losses:

By way of taking care of business and having basically every other team next to them in the SEC Basketball Power Rankings lose, the Aggies rise four spots this week. Sure, beating Ole Miss and Oklahoma isn’t exactly the basketball equivalent of the Dodgers and Blue Jays, but a 2-0 week is a 2-0 week nonetheless. It might be more difficult to have a perfect week against Arkansas and Texas, however.

6) Georgia Bulldogs

Last week’s ranking: 10 (+4)

Record: 19-8 (7-7)

Last week: W at Kentucky (86-78), W vs. Texas (91-80)

Next week: at #25 Vanderbilt (Feb. 25 – 7 p.m.), vs. South Carolina (Feb. 28 – 3:30 p.m.)

Quality wins: Arkansas, Auburn, at Missouri, at Kentucky, Texas

Bad losses: Ole Miss, at Oklahoma

Time to give Mike White another extension. The Bulldogs are an entirely different team with a healthy Jeremiah Wilkinson, who paved the way to a 2-0 week. With their recent wins over Kentucky and Texas, Georgia is now on the right side of the bubble with a bit of wiggle room to their name, too. However, it would be very beneficial for the Bulldogs not to falter at home against a not-so-good South Carolina team this weekend.

7) Texas Longhorns

Last week’s ranking: 7 (-)

Record: 17-10 (8-6)

Last week: W vs. LSU (88-85), L at Georgia (91-80)

Next week: vs. #7 Florida (Feb. 25 – 7 p.m.), at Texas A&M (Feb. 28 – 4 p.m.)

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

Bad losses: Mississippi State

Texas stays in their #7 spot in the SEC Basketball Power Rankings following a 1-1 week. The Longhorns are on the bubble, yes, but they should be in above Auburn and Missouri, giving Texas some margin for error. However, a win against Florida at home? That would do wonders for this team’s resume. And you know the Longhorns want revenge for their previous loss to their rivals Texas A&M at home this season.

8) Vanderbilt Commodores

Last week’s ranking: 5 (-3)

Record: 21-6 (8-6)

Last week: L at Missouri (81-80), L vs. Tennessee (69-65)

Next week: vs. Georgia (Feb. 25 – 7 p.m.), at Kentucky (Feb. 28 – 2 p.m.)

Quality wins: Alabama, Saint Mary’s, at UCF, SMU, VCU, Kentucky, Texas A&M, at Auburn

Bad losses: Oklahoma

Vanderbilt takes a tumble this week by losing two games in which they had a chance to win in both. First, the Commodores nearly erased a 21-point hole with under nine minutes to go against Missouri, only to miss a game-tying three-pointer with under a minute left and a game-winning heave as time expired. Then, against Tennessee, the Commodores led by seven in the second half at home. But that lead didn’t last forever, and they lost to their in-state rivals. In order to get back on track, Vandy needs to beat either Georgia or Kentucky this week.

9) Kentucky Wildcats

Last week’s ranking: 3 (-6)

Record: 17-10 (8-6)

Last week: L vs. Georgia (86-78), L at Auburn (75-74)

Next week: at South Carolina (Feb. 24 – 7 p.m.), vs. #25 Vanderbilt (Feb. 28 – 2 p.m.)

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

Bad losses:

How does a team fall six spots in the SEC Basketball Power Rankings in the span of seven days? By losing to an out-matched Georgia team at home then allowing a Steven Pearl-coached team on a five-game losing streak to grab victory from the jaws of defeat in the final seconds. Now on a three-game losing streak, the Wildcats are no longer considered a lock for the NCAA tournament. That sounds crazy to say, but they should still secure a bid unless they go 1-3 or 0-4 in their last four games of the regular season.

10) Missouri Tigers

Last week’s ranking: 8 (-2)

Record: 18-9 (8-6)

Last week: W vs. #19 Vanderbilt (81-80), L at #20 Arkansas (94-86)

Next week: vs. #22 Tennessee (Feb. 24 – 9 p.m.), at Mississippi State (Feb. 28 – 1 p.m.)

Quality wins: at Kentucky, Florida, Auburn, at Texas A&M, Vanderbilt

Bad losses: Notre Dame

Missouri falters this week, but truly by no fault of their own. They dispatched Vanderbilt (barely) and played Arkansas close on the road. But Georgia and Texas A&M, previously behind the Tigers in the SEC Basketball Power Rankings, each went 2-0 on the week, moving them ahead of Missouri. The Tigers are currently on the cusp of an NCAA Tournament bid, but they need at least a 1-1 performance this week to keep up their momentum. Hit 20 wins, and the bid should be theirs.

11) Auburn Tigers

Last week’s ranking: 11 (-)

Record: 15-12 (6-8)

Last week: L at Mississippi State (91-85), W vs. Kentucky (75-74)

Next week: at Oklahoma (Feb. 24 – 9 p.m.), vs. Ole Miss (Feb. 28 – 8:30 p.m.)

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

Bad losses: at Mississippi State

Auburn stopped the bleeding with a win over Kentucky in the final seconds of their game against the Wildcats, but that doesn’t erase all the damage their five-game losing streak did to their resume, including a bad loss to Mississippi State. Sometimes, you’ve got a call a spade a spade: a 15-12 team with a 6-8 conference record shouldn’t be considered for the NCAA tournament. Every game is a must-win for Auburn going forward, including this week. Losing once against either Oklahoma or Ole Miss should exclude Auburn from future at-large bid contention.

12) Mississippi State Bulldogs

Last week’s ranking: 12 (-)

Record: 13-14 (5-9)

Last week: W vs. Auburn (91-85), L at South Carolina (97-89)

Next week: at #17 Alabama (Feb. 25 – 9 p.m.), vs. Missouri (Feb. 28 – 1 p.m.)

Quality wins: at Texas, Auburn

Bad losses: San Francisco, Kansas State, at South Carolina

Normally, scoring 46 points in a game, and 35 in a single half, would earn a player SEC Player of the Week honors from the SEC Basketball Power Rankings. Unfortunately for Josh Hubbard, Darius Acuff Jr. one-upped him with a 49-point performance, and Hubbard managed just 13 points on 4-20 shooting against South Carolina. But that shouldn’t take away from what was arguably the best performance of his career against Auburn, setting a career-high and scoring the most points in a half from a D-I player this season. It was his 10th-career 30-point game for the Mississippi native.

13) South Carolina Gamecocks

Last week’s ranking: 16 (+3)

Record: 12-15 (3-11)

Last week: L at #12 Florida (76-62), W vs. Mississippi State (97-89)

Next week: vs. Kentucky (Feb. 24- 7 p.m.), at Georgia (Feb. 28 – 3:30 p.m.)

Quality wins:

Bad losses: LSU

South Carolina moves up to the #13 spot in these rankings and above the cellar for what feels like the first time in forever. The Gamecocks hold the tiebreaker over Oklahoma and Ole Miss in the SEC standings, and have the most recent win out of the three teams, which is why they’ve moved up three spots and out of last. 97 points in a conference game is impressive, no matter who it’s against. The Gamecocks put together arguably their most complete game of the year against the Bulldogs, and they deserve credit for that. We’ll see if they can keep up their momentum with games against Kentucky and Georgia this week.

14) Oklahoma Sooners

Last week’s ranking: 13 (-1)

Record: 13-14 (3-11)

Last week: L at Tennessee (89-66), L vs. Texas A&M (75-71)

Next week: vs. Auburn (Feb. 24 – 9 p.m.), at LSU (Feb. 28 – 6 p.m.)

Quality wins: at Vanderbilt, Georgia

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

Oklahoma’s good vibes have officially dissipated. Once winners of two in a row, the Sooners lost two games this past week, though they’re forgivable: faltering to Tennessee and Texas A&M. Oklahoma has a chance to get back above .500 with wins against Auburn and LSU this week. There’s a chance that they end up being favored in both.

15) Ole Miss Rebels

Last week’s ranking: 14 (-1)

Record: 11-16 (3-11)

Last week: L at Texas A&M (80-77), L vs. #12 Florida (94-75)

Next week: vs. LSU (Feb. 25 – 9 p.m.), at Auburn (Feb. 28 – 8:30 p.m.)

Quality wins: at Georgia, Missouri

Bad losses: Utah, Mississippi State

The owner of the longest losing streak in Power Five basketball? Meet the Ole Miss Rebels, losers of their past nine contests. They haven’t recorded a win since January 17 over Mississippi State. Since then, they’ve lost to the Bulldogs and eight other teams. The Rebels aren’t making the NCAA tournament, and this is by all means a lost season in every way. They do, however, have two solid chances to end their losing streak when they face off against two teams with a losing conference record this week, LSU and Auburn, a.k.a. the Tigers Gauntlet.

16) LSU Tigers

Last week’s ranking: 15 (-1)

Record: 14-13 (2-12)

Last week: L at Texas (88-85), L vs. #25 Alabama (90-83)

Next week: at Ole Miss (Feb. 25 – 9 p.m.), vs. Oklahoma (Feb. 28 – 6 p.m.)

Quality wins: SMU, Missouri

Bad losses: South Carolina, Mississippi State

LSU probably isn’t the worst team in the SEC, but since they’re the only squad in the conference without a third SEC win, they, by default, are last in these rankings. LSU has now lost five games in a row and haven’t beaten a ranked opponent all season. Do the Tigers make a coaching change in the offseason? It’s possible.