The SEC was dominant in the nonconference portion of the schedule amassing a 185-23 record against the rest of the country. Many national pundits pegged the Southeastern Conference as the peak of college basketball heading into conference play, and rightfully so. Unfortunately, these teams have to play each other, and somebody has to lose now. The first two windows of action were dominated by home teams before Saturday became a day of roadkill with five teams losing in their home arenas. The cream is rising to the top, so let’s see how our crew views the SEC after our first full week of games (and the changes from last week).
16. LSU Tigers (-1)
In the second week of the Bleed Blue Power Rankings, we have a second team finding themselves at the bottom of the list. The Tigers went 0-2 this week to stay winless in the conference, and the offense is a big reason why. Matt McMahon’s squad is averaging only 68 points per game. Cam Carter is doing everything he can with 16 points in contests at Missouri and at Ole Miss, but the rest of the squad shot south of 44% from the field over the week. Now at 0-3 in the conference and 11-5 overall, LSU needs a win at home against Arkansas Tuesday to keep any hopes of a postseason alive before they can try to pull off the upset in College Station Saturday night.
15. South Carolina Gamecocks (+1)
Quickly rising from the depths of these power rankings, the South Carolina Gamecocks find themselves at #15 in the conference. While South Carolina went 0-2 this week, they played two teams ranked in the top five of the AP Poll (Alabama and Auburn). After having one of his worst games against Alabama, Collin Murray-Boyles was fantastic with 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists in the upset bid against Auburn. His frontcourt partner Nick Pringle had 13 against his former team and another 12 against the Tigers before missing two free throws late that would have given the Gamecocks the lead over Auburn. The two post players are trying their best to drag the Gamecocks to relevancy, but a one spot jump is where they will stop this week.
14. Arkansas Razorbacks (-1)
The only thing keeping Arkansas from having a huge negative number next to their name is their nonconference resume. The Razorbacks fell in both contests this week, spoiling a prime opportunity to pick up big wins at home. Offensive struggles kept them under 67 points against Ole Miss and Florida at home. Adou Thiero scored 17 in both games, but Boogie Fland’s 14.5 points per game came on 9-33 shooting. Jonas Aidoo is becoming more of a force defensively, but this team has struggled to build continuity under John Calipari. Speaking of Cal, this is the first time he has started 0-3 in conference play since he coached at the University of Massachusetts. The Razorbacks get LSU and Missouri on the road this week, two games they have to win if they want to make the NCAA Tournament.
13. Texas Longhorns (+1)
The Texas Longhorns looked like a team primed for a real jump in these rankings soon. While they still haven’t found a win as a member of the SEC, the Longhorns took Auburn and Tennessee to the wire this week. Former Creighton and Kansas State transfer Arthur Kaluma finished the Auburn game with 34 points and 8 rebounds while also making all five of the Longhorn’s threes. Texas cut the Tigers lead from 21 to 3 in the second half and gave the #1 team in America an unexpected scare. Freshman Tre Johnson shined in their loss to Tennessee with 26 points on 11-17 shooting and 4-8 from three. Backcourt mate Jordan Pope added 17 points against the Volunteers, but it was not enough to get Texas the win once again. Texas travels to Norman and Gainesville this week, so things will not get much easier for the Burnt Orange.
12. Vanderbilt Commodores (-2)
The early season run for Vanderbilt hit a bit of a wall this week. After picking up a valuable win at LSU last weekend, Vandy dropped a home game against Mississippi State and an away game against Missouri to find themselves as the only 1-2 team in the conference to this point. The Commodores shot an abysmal 37.7% from the field this week and had 25 turnovers over their two games. Jason Edwards, the Commodores leading scorer, battled through injuries this week, and hit both ends of the spectrum with a 0-point game and a 20-point game. The Commodores showed promise in the nonconference, but the offense is going to have to become more consistent if they want to defend their home court against South Carolina and Tennessee this week.
11. Missouri Tigers (+1)
Missouri bounced back from the opening day loss to Auburn with a nice 2-0 week at home against LSU and Vanderbilt. The Missouri Tigers ran away from the LSU Tigers in the first half as they opened a 19-point lead in the first half. Tamar Bates continued his good scoring season with 16 points per game on 71.4% from the field and 83.3% from three. The Tigers defense held up well, allowing their opponents to shoot just 41.5% from the field and forcing 14 turnovers in each game. Free throws and forcing turnovers remain the name of the game for Missouri, and a road trip to Gainesville before hosting Arkansas will put this strategy to the test once again.
10. Oklahoma Sooners (-1)
After going unblemished through a nonconference schedule that included Arizona, Louisville, and Michigan, the Sooners have now started 0-3 in SEC play. While their losses came against the teams ranked #4, #11, and #23 in this week’s AP Poll, the Oklahoma fanbase expected a better start to their first season in the SEC. Freshman standout Jeremiah Fears only averaged 7.5 points per game this week and Jalon Moore was passive then inefficient as the star backcourt struggled to carry the rest of the team. The road loss in Athens is understandable, but the Sooners were up fifteen in the second half before an Aggies three with nineteen seconds left gave Oklahoma the loss at home. Texas and South Carolina visit Norman this week giving the Sooners a chance to get their first SEC win and end their three-game skid.
9. Ole Miss Rebels (-1)
Ole Miss took care of business against teams ranked lower than them this week with a road win over Arkansas and a home win over LSU. Malik Dia stood out for the Rebels with 20 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game as the former Vanderbilt and Belmont transfer has become a valuable scoring option. Ole Miss held their opponents to a miserable 38.9% from the field as the #19 ranked defensive efficiency team in the country continued to dominate on that side of the ball. If you thought the Rebels got it easy this week, road trips to Alabama and Mississippi State will certainly fix that. If Ole Miss wants to stay competitive in the conference, they will need to pull off an upset or two like the ones they have a chance for this week.
8. Mississippi State Bulldogs (-1)
Last week I claimed Mississippi State at #7 was the start of the top tier teams, but the Bulldogs threw away their opportunity to solidify this praise with a home loss to Kentucky. Chris Jans’ squad gave up 95 points, their highest allowed mark of the season, causing them to fall to #38 in KenPom defense. The biggest problem facing Mississippi State is a cold stretch from their superstar Josh Hubbard. Hubbard averaged 12 points per game this week on only 8-25 shooting from the field. Without Hubbard providing his usual output, RJ Melendez and Cameron Matthews stepped up with 16.5 and 17.5, respectively. The Bulldogs go to Auburn and host Ole Miss this week, so getting Hubbard back to being an efficient scorer will be necessary to avoid a losing streak as the schedule picks up.
7. Georgia Bulldogs (+4)
The Georgia Bulldogs made the highest jump in this week’s rankings as they flew from #11 to #7 in just two games. How do you jump so far in one week? Beat #6 Kentucky and #17 Oklahoma at your place in the same week. The Bulldogs dominated the Wildcats after holding them to 24-64 shooting and just 6-25 from deep. The physicality and defensive prowess of Mike White’s team led to 14 turnovers forced against the offense ranked second in the country in turnovers per possession. The trend continued as Oklahoma was slowly beaten down in Stegeman Coliseum to the tune of a 72-62 Georgia win. Asa Newell was named SEC Freshman of the Week after averaging 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in the two wins. The Bulldogs found themselves ranked in the AP Poll after a 14-2 start, but a road trip to Knoxville and a visit from #1 Auburn might make it a short stay.
6. Texas A&M Aggies (-1)
The Aggies were given a chance to climb as high as second in these rankings, but they couldn’t defend their home court against Alabama on Saturday night. Without Wade Taylor the Aggies shot just 38.89% from the field and 22.22% from three as the offense was too inefficient to recover from. A&M tried to come back behind Zhuric Phelps’ 24 and Pharell Payne’s 23, but the Alabama offense never gave them a chance to complete the comeback. Phelps had 34 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals in the comeback against Oklahoma earlier in the week as he takes over primary scoring opportunities without Wade Taylor. We’ll find out more about Taylor’s status on Tuesday when the Aggies top fifteen KenPom defense will go up against the #3 KenPom offense in Lexington.
5. Tennessee Volunteers (-3)
Tennessee entered this week as the only undefeated team in America and the #1 AP Poll ranking. After one week, the Volunteers slid all the way down to fifth in our rankings as the list’s biggest faller. It’s an overreaction, but overreactions are what you do three games into the SEC portion of the season. Tennessee had a chance to prove they deserved to be #1 but instead lost by thirty at Florida. They did not look impressive in their four-point win in Austin, and the offensive problems for have returned for Rick Barnes. Throughout the week, Chaz Lanier and Zakai Zeigler averaged 10 and 13 points each while combining for just 28% from the field and 22.22% from three. Tennessee hosts Georgia and travels to Vanderbilt this week, but priority number one needs to be getting their two guards back on the right track offensively.
4. Kentucky Wildcats (-1)
What do you do with Kentucky? In one week, the Cats lost for the third time to a team outside the top 25 in KenPom but picked up their fourth win against teams in the top 20, including three in the top 10. Big Blue Nation began to doubt first-year head coach Mark Pope and his team’s ability to win ugly, physical games after the 13-point loss at Georgia. Instead of continuing to play that way, Kentucky imposed their tempo and style on Mississippi State to run the score into the nineties and pick up a huge win in The Hump. Jaxson Robinson may have finally broken out after last season’s Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year had 27 points, the most he has scored since arriving in Lexington. We will find out how sustainable the adjustments are for Kentucky with Texas A&M visiting Tuesday before Alabama comes to town with the only SEC offense scoring more than the Cats.
3. Florida Gators (+3)
After spending the first rankings outside the top five, Florida’s impressive week brought them their first spot in the Bleed Blue top three (a very valuable achievement). Florida entered last weekend’s matchup with Kentucky as the #18 defense, fell to the late thirties after Lexington, and jumped straight back to #18 after dismantling the Tennessee Volunteers. To further explain how good Florida’s defense was against Tennessee, the Gators won a game against the #1 team in America by thirty shooting 39.7% from the field and 30% from three. The Gators had five players score either 12 or 14 points to avoid a trap game at Arkansas, and the defense excelled again to give them another win. Florida continued their excellent rebounding season with an average margin of 14.5 rebounds per game, including 11 per game from Alex Condon, the co-SEC Player of the Week. Missouri and Texas visit the Swamp this week, neither of which being games Florida can afford to lose if they want to contend for the top spot in the conference.
2. Alabama Crimson Tide (+2)
Another team entering the top three for the first time, the Alabama Crimson Tide had an impressive week of their own. After going to South Carolina and winning by 20, the Tide faced a huge challenge inside Reed Arena. Mark Sears’ 27, Aden Holloway’s 15, and Chris Youngblood’s 14 led the way as the Crimson Tide’s offense overwhelmed the defense-first Aggies. Bama shot less than 40% from the field but 13 threes kept the Aggies searching for answers all night. KenPom’s #2 offense is met with the #39 defense, giving Alabama a more balanced look than in previous years under Nate Oats. Mark Sears is now averaging 19.1 points, 4.5 assists, and 3.1 rebounds on the season to lead the Tide as he picked up co-SEC Player of the Week with Florida’s Alex Condon. The Tide get Ole Miss at home before traveling to Kentucky in one of the more anticipated offensive matchups of the season.
1. Auburn Tigers
Is Auburn… human? The Tigers led Texas by 21 before fighting off a comeback bid and winning by 5, then won a dogfight at South Carolina by 3 in a game they were losing with two minutes remaining. While they remained the unanimous #1 team in our power rankings, Auburn didn’t look like the best team in the country for maybe the first time all season. National Player of the Year frontrunner Johni Broome went down with a gross ankle injury in Columbia, but Dylan Cardwell and freshman Tahaad Pettiford took over and got the Tigers a tough road win. Broome has shown an unbelievable ability to recover from injuries already this season, but it appears the newest setback will cost him at least a couple of weeks. Bruce Pearl’s team hosts Mississippi State before heading to the deathtrap that is 2025 Stegeman Coliseum in Athens.
