George Bagwell gives his SEC basketball power rankings heading into week 18 of the 2025-26 season.
Week 17 team of the week: Missouri Tigers
Week 17 game of the week: LSU defeated Ole Miss, 106-99
Week 17 player of the week: Nijel Pack, Oklahoma
Week 18 matchup of the week: Missouri vs. #20 Arkansas – Mar. 7 at 12 p.m.
Week 18 under-the-radar matchup of the week: Auburn vs. LSU – Mar. 3 at 10 p.m.
All games listed are EST.
1) Florida Gators
Last week’s ranking: 1 (-)
Record: 23-6 (14-2)
Last week: W at Texas (84-71), W vs. #20 Arkansas (111-77)
Next week: vs. Mississippi State (Mar. 3 – 8 p.m.), at Kentucky (Mar. 7 – 4 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Georgia (x2), Miami-Fla, Alabama, at Texas A&M, Kentucky, at Texas, Arkansas
Bad losses:
Florida takes the top spot in the final SEC Basketball Power Rankings of the season. The Gators dispatched Arkansas quite handily, putting up 111 points on the Hogs en route to extending their winning streak to nine games. Florida is likely to earn a 2 seed in the NCAA tournament, regardless of their results this week or in Nashville coming up.
2) Alabama Crimson Tide
Last week’s ranking: 2 (-)
Record: 22-7 (12-4)
Last week: W vs. Mississippi State (100-75), W at #22 Tennessee (71-69)
Next week: at Georgia (Mar. 3 – 6:30 p.m.), vs. Auburn (Mar. 7 – 8:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: at St. John’s, Illinois, Clemson, Kentucky, Missouri, Texas A&M, Arkansas, at Tennessee
Bad losses:
Alabama didn’t lead for much time against Tennessee, but they led when it mattered. Labaron Philon’s shot with under a minute to go gave the Crimson Tide a quality win over a quality team on the road, though the result may have been different were it not for Nate Ament’s leg injury. This week, they finish off the regular season with games against Georgia, which could be tough on the road, and Auburn at home, which probably won’t be too difficult.
3) Missouri Tigers
Last week’s ranking: 10 (+7)
Record: 20-9 (10-6)
Last week: W vs. #22 Tennessee (73-69), W at Mississippi State (88-64)
Next week: at Oklahoma (Mar. 3 – 7 p.m.), vs. #20 Arkansas (Mar. 7 – 12 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Kentucky, Florida, Auburn, at Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Tennessee
Bad losses: Notre Dame
Missouri made one of the biggest jumps this season, from double-digit placement to a top three ranking in the SEC Basketball Power Rankings. That’s for a variety of reasons, which will be explained here: Missouri beat Tennessee this week, who is tied with Missouri in the standings and is currently on a two-game losing streak.
Kentucky, who is also tied with Missouri in the SEC standings, lost at home to Missouri in the only meeting between the two teams. Arkansas is one game ahead of Missouri in the SEC standings, but there’s no reason at all to move a team up in the rankings after a 34-point loss. We’re not jumping through hoops to put Dennis Gates and the Tigers into the upper echelon of a meaningless online debate, as Missouri truly deserves the spot they are in.
4) Arkansas Razorbacks
Last week’s ranking: 4 (-)
Record: 21-8 (11-5)
Last week: W vs. Texas A&M (99-84), L at #7 Florida (111-77)
Next week: vs. Texas (Mar. 4 – 7 p.m.), at Missouri (Mar. 7 – 12 p.m.)
Quality wins: Texas Tech, Louisville, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Auburn, Missouri, Texas A&M
Bad losses:
Arkansas had a real chance to jump into second place in the final installment of SEC Power Rankings this season. Unfortunately for Razorbacks fans, after an impressive win over Texas A&M, Arkansas fell apart defensively against Florida, who is clearly the class of the SEC. Coach Cal’s group is likely staring at a five seed in the NCAA tournament at this point in time, but wins to close the season against Texas and Missouri followed by a solid showing in Nashville could move them up to the four line.
5) Kentucky Wildcats
Last week’s ranking: 9 (+4)
Record: 19-10 (10-6)
Last week: W at South Carolina (72-63), W vs. #25 Vanderbilt (91-77)
Next week: at Texas A&M (Mar. 3 – 7 p.m.), vs. #5 Florida (Mar. 7 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: St. John’s, Tennessee (x2), Texas, Indiana, at Arkansas, Vanderbilt
Bad losses:
Kentucky is one of those teams that could be great one moment and not-so-good the next. Against South Carolina, the Wildcats offense was at points pitiful. Without late garbage time points, the ‘Cats wouldn’t have hit 70 points. But against Vanderbilt, Kentucky managed to drop 91 on a really good defense. So the jury is still out on this team, even though it’s March already, and we’ll see what happens against the top of the league when they host Florida on Saturday.
6) Tennessee Volunteers
Last week’s ranking: 3 (-3)
Record: 20-9 (10-6)
Last week: L at Missouri (73-69), L vs. #17 Alabama (71-69)
Next week: at South Carolina (Mar. 3 – 6 p.m.), vs. #24 Vanderbilt (Mar. 7 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: Houston, at Alabama, Louisville, Texas A&M, Texas, at Georgia, Auburn, at Vanderbilt
Bad losses:
Tennessee was minutes away from being in the top three this week, arguably into the top two. But the Vols couldn’t handle business on their own court against Alabama, letting their lead slip away late. It hurts, and so does the injury to Nate Ament. Hopefully he can get back onto the court and back into action soon. The Volunteers are straddling the 5 seed line at the moment, and they’ll need to secure more wins to finish the year if they want to solidify their standing.
7) Texas Longhorns
Last week’s ranking: 7 (-)
Record: 18-11 (9-7)
Last week: L vs. #7 Florida (84-71), W at Texas A&M (76-70)
Next week: at #20 Arkansas (Mar. 4 – 7 p.m.), vs. Oklahoma (Mar. 7 – 8:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Alabama, Vanderbilt, Georgia, NC State, at Missouri, at Texas A&M
Bad losses: Mississippi State
Texas is secretly a very good basketball team. The final score against Florida might say otherwise, but the game was actually quite close for most of the contest, and the Longhorns managed to knock off their rivals Texas A&M on the road a few days after. Now solidly in the tournament unless they lose three games in a row, (we’re knocking on wood) the Longhorns have some breathing room. Beating Arkansas on the road would do wonders for this resume.
8) Vanderbilt Commodores
Last week’s ranking: 8 (-)
Record: 22-7 (9-7)
Last week: W vs. Georgia (88-80), L at Kentucky (91-77)
Next week: at Ole Miss (Mar. 3 – 9 p.m.), at #23 Tennessee (Mar. 7 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: Alabama, Saint Mary’s, at UCF, SMU, VCU, Kentucky, Texas A&M, at Auburn, Georgia
Bad losses:
Vanderbilt, who are you? We all knows the ‘Dores started the year 16-0 with a handful of quality wins. But since then, they’re 6-7 and are playing like a middle-of-the-pack SEC team. A home loss to Oklahoma looks particularly damaging, though the Sooners aren’t playing horrible as of late. Regardless, it’s back-to-back 20-win seasons for Mark Byington, and Vandy’s end of the season schedule could set them up for a jump in seeding in both the NCAA and SEC tournament.
9) Georgia Bulldogs
Last week’s ranking: 6 (-3)
Record: 20-9 (8-8)
Last week: L at #25 Vanderbilt (88-80), W vs. South Carolina (87-68)
Next week: vs. #16 Alabama (Mar. 3 – 6:30 p.m.), at Mississippi State (Mar. 7 – 3:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: Arkansas, Auburn, at Missouri, at Kentucky, Texas
Bad losses: Ole Miss
Georgia drops three spots, partially because of a loss to Vandy and partially because of a really good week from Missouri. The Bulldogs also don’t get brownie points for beating the worst team in the conference at home. But as far as tournament resumes go, Georgia is basically a lock. It would not be surprising to see them in the same standing as last year’s team, in the 8-9 game in the first round.
10) Texas A&M Aggies
Last week’s ranking: 5 (-5)
Record: 19-10 (9-7)
Last week: L at #20 Arkansas (99-84), L vs. Texas (76-70)
Next week: vs. Kentucky (Mar. 3 – 7 p.m.), at LSU (Mar. 7 – 6 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Auburn, at Texas, at Georgia
Bad losses:
What is happening with Texas A&M? The Aggies, once considered in very good standing for the NCAA tournament and sitting at a 17-4 overall record, are 2-6 in their last eight games and have just two wins against tournament teams on their resume. Where is that offense that was so good in the earlier parts of the season? It’s unlikely that the committee would keep this team out if they managed to hit the 20-win mark, but they haven’t quite gotten there yet.
11) Oklahoma Sooners
Last week’s ranking: 14 (+3)
Record: 15-14 (5-11)
Last week: W vs. Auburn (91-79), W at LSU (83-67)
Next week: vs. Missouri (Mar. 3 – 7 p.m.), at Texas (Mar. 7 – 8:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Vanderbilt, Georgia, Auburn
Bad losses: Arizona State, at South Carolina, at Mississippi State
There’s a very real chance that Oklahoma moves on from their coach after this season. But if Porter Moser wants to stay, last week was a step in the right direction. The Sooners bested Auburn and LSU in the Tigers Gauntlet, and are now 4-2 in their last six games. If it weren’t for a nine-game losing streak in the middle of the season, we could be talking about this program as a tournament team. But it did happen, so here we are.
12) Auburn Tigers
Last week’s ranking: 11 (-1)
Record: 15-14 (6-10)
Last week: L at Oklahoma (91-79), L vs. Ole Miss (85-79)
Next week: vs. LSU (Mar. 3 – 10 p.m.), at #16 Alabama (Mar. 7 – 8:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Florida, St. John’s, Arkansas, NC State, Texas, Kentucky
Bad losses: at Mississippi State, Ole Miss
Auburn had one of their most embarrassing weeks in recent memory this past seven days. First, the Tigers gave up 91 points to a team that is very much not making the NCAA tournament. Then, former coach Bruce Pearl went on TV to disparage an undefeated (29-0) Miami (OH) team and claim that they shouldn’t make the tournament if they don’t win the MAC tournament.
Of course, Twitter had a field day in pointing out that Bruce’s son, who was elevated to head coach of an SEC program (with no prior head coaching experience in any capacity) after Bruce quit on the team, was on the bubble with a 15-13 record as a mid Power Five team in need of a resume boost. And then Auburn got that resume boost with a win over a feared Ole Miss team on the road.
No, just kidding. Ole Miss came into Auburn’s home court with a ten-game losing streak and pulled out a win against a team that has no business even sniffing the NCAA tournament. Auburn has now lost seven of their last eight games. This is not a team that deserves to make the tournament, even if it was expanded. If Bruce Pearl’s media appearances are simply going to be stumping for his son with a .500 record, maybe he just shouldn’t be on TV.
13) Mississippi State Bulldogs
Last week’s ranking: 12 (-1)
Record: 13-16 (5-11)
Last week: L at #17 Alabama (100-75), L vs. Missouri (88-64)
Next week: at #5 Florida (Mar. 3 – 8 p.m.), vs. Georgia (Mar. 7 – 3:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Texas, Auburn
Bad losses: San Francisco, Kansas State, at South Carolina
Mississippi State didn’t have the best week. That’s a bit of an understatement, as they lost two games by an average of 24.5 points. Of course, they were games against tournament teams playing some of their best basketball right now, but 20-point losses are still 20-point losses. It’s impressive that this team has managed five conference wins, and they have a chance for number six against Georgia at home in the season finale.
14) LSU Tigers
Last week’s ranking: 16 (+2)
Record: 15-14 (3-13)
Last week: W at Ole Miss (106-99), L vs. Oklahoma (83-67)
Next week: at Auburn (Mar. 3 – 10 p.m.), vs. Texas A&M (Mar. 7 – 6 p.m.)
Quality wins: SMU, Missouri
Bad losses: South Carolina, Mississippi State
Don’t look now, but LSU is above .500 still. They split games against Ole Miss and Oklahoma, and if there was any hope for an at-large bid, it dissipated…two weeks ago. This program might make a coaching change this offseason, but if anything, the Tigers have been beset mostly by bad luck, not poor talent, in Matt McMahon’s tenure. Not that the author’s voice matters when it comes to this, but he deserves one more year.
15) Ole Miss Rebels
Last week’s ranking: 15 (-)
Record: 12-17 (4-12)
Last week: L vs. LSU (106-99), W at Auburn (85-79)
Next week: vs. #24 Vanderbilt (Mar. 3 – 9 p.m.), vs. South Carolina (Mar. 7 – 1 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Georgia, Missouri, at Auburn
Bad losses: Utah, Mississippi State, LSU
Ole Miss took a bad loss to LSU at home, losing in double overtime to a bad team. But Ole Miss is also a bad team, which is why it was surprising to see them bounce back with a road win over Auburn to end the Rebels losing streak. They deserve their congratulations either way, and the win keeps them out of the last spot in these rankings. Will this team make any type of postseason? Almost assuredly not, but not being in last place in the SEC Basketball Power Rankings is something to be proud of.
16) South Carolina Gamecocks
Last week’s ranking: 13 (-3)
Record: 12-17 (3-13)
Last week: L vs. Kentucky (72-63), L at Georgia (87-68)
Next week: vs. #23 Tennessee (Mar. 3- 6 p.m.), at Ole Miss (Mar. 7 – 1 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses: LSU
South Carolina returns to the bottom of the pack in this season’s last installment of the SEC Basketball Power Rankings. That has more to do with every team below them winning road games this week, and less to do with South Carolina’s individual performance. The Gamecocks fought Kentucky, and really were a couple of fast break failures away from their first quality win of the year. If they can’t beat Tennessee at home, however, there’s a real chance this team will end the season without a good win to their name.