SEC Basketball Power Rankings: Mizzou dominates Braggin’ Rights, SEC teams suffer horrible losses
Last Tuesday night was a night several SEC teams would like to forget.
Ole Miss lost to North Alabama. Texas A&M lost to Wofford. Mississippi State fell to Drake. And Florida fell to Oklahoma.
That’s not a great look for the conference ahead of the start of SEC play on Wednesday night, when all but 4 SEC teams will begin league action.
So, with that said, let’s take a look at how last week’s up-and-down results have impacted our weekly SEC men’s hoops power rankings:
14. Vanderbilt (6-6 overall, Last week: 14)
Vanderbilt only beat Alabama A&M 70-62 in Nashville on Thursday night. That’s far from a convincing victory for Jerry Stackhouse and company. If the Commodores are going to have any level of success this upcoming SEC season, they’ll need to put together a much more convincing performance against SE Louisiana on Friday night.
13. South Carolina (6-6, LW: 13)
Meechie Johnson had his breakout game for the Gamecocks, scoring 25 points and grabbing 6 rebounds in South Carolina’s 65-58 win over Western Kentucky on Thursday. We’ll see if they can keep the positive momentum going. South Carolina is 1 of 4 SEC teams that won’t start league play this week. Instead, the Gamecocks host Eastern Michigan on Friday night.
12. Ole Miss (8-4, LW: 8)
When you lose to North Alabama at home, 66-65, you’re going to drop significantly in these rankings. Matthew Murrell has led the Rebels in points in 8 of 12 games so far this year. If Ole Miss can’t develop more consistent secondary options on offense, it’s going to be a long SEC season. The Rebels host No. 7 Tennessee to tip off SEC play on Wednesday night in a matchup that could get ugly if Murrell doesn’t have any help.
11. Florida (7-5, LW: 11)
Florida’s offense has been atrocious this year. On Tuesday, the Gators played at the Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte and only put up 53 points in a 62-53 loss to Oklahoma. Florida only made 2 of 22 3-point tries, good for an abysmal 9.1% success rate. Big man Colin Castleton had 22 points and 8 rebounds, but he can’t do it all on his own. A trip to face No. 20 Auburn on Wednesday night looks daunting.
10. Texas A&M (6-5, LW: 10)
The Aggies got outscored by Wofford 41-32 in the second half of last Tuesday’s loss in College Station. It was an embarrassing last game before the Christmas break. Fortunately for Buzz Williams and company, they have time to get back on track before SEC play begins. This week, the Aggies host Northwestern State on Tuesday night and Prairie View on Friday. We’ll see if they can look a little more competent offensively in those games.
9. Kentucky (8-3, LW: 12)
I’ve been saying for weeks now that Cason Wallace needs to have the ball in his hands more. The late-game offense needs to run through him, not Sahvir Wheeler. We saw some flashes of that last Tuesday in an 88-68 win over Florida A&M. No, it wasn’t the toughest opponent for the Wildcats, but Wallace was spectacular, scoring 27 points to go with 9 assists, 4 steals and 2 rebounds:
Kentucky Wildcats freshman Cason Wallace with a strong performance yesterday
?27 PTS | 2 REB | 9 AST | 4 STL
?10/15 FG | 5/6 3P14.0 PPG, 4.5 REB, 4.0 AST, 2.0 STL in Last 4 Games with splits of 47.5/60.0 #NBADraft pic.twitter.com/ZoozDD5TPd
— No Ceilings (@NoCeilingsNBA) December 22, 2022
He’s the key to any success this team will have moving forward. The Wildcats would be wise to feature him against a Mizzou team on Wednesday night that doesn’t play much defense. A great chance for Kentucky to rise even further in these rankings.
8. Georgia (9-3, LW: 9)
Georgia has a chance to enter league play with 10 wins this year, which would be a great sign for Mike White in his first season at the helm of the program. The Bulldogs will host Rider to close out nonconference action on Wednesday night as other SEC teams start league play. The Dawgs aren’t going to be an easy out this year like they have been in years past.
7. Mississippi State (11-1, LW: 4)
Mississippi State had its first hiccup of the season on Tuesday against Drake in Lincoln. All year, this has been a Bulldogs squad that has played great defense, but has had trouble scoring. That’s led to some less-than-impressive final score lines against inferior foes, but wins are wins. Will the 58-52 loss to Drake be something the Bulldogs bounce back from on Wednesday against Alabama? Or is it a sign of tough times to come?
6. Auburn (10-2, LW: 7)
Auburn needed a big win to close nonconference play, and it got one on Wednesday night at Washington. The Tigers won 84-61 and got a huge effort from Jaylin Williams, who had 18 points and 8 rebounds. Johni Broome also had 18 points and 8 boards. Florida comes to Auburn on Wednesday night, then the Tigers head to Georgia on Jan. 4. The Tigers’ frontcourt is playing well, but the guards need to get going if they’re going to be an SEC contender this year.
5. LSU (11-1, LW: 5)
LSU didn’t look particularly convincing in its final tuneup before SEC play, squeaking out a 72-68 win over ETSU. KJ Williams continued to shine for the Tigers, scoring 28 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. However, like many other teams in the SEC, LSU needs secondary options to start playing well more consistently. That’ll be especially important as the Tigers host No. 9 Arkansas on Wednesday and head to No. 19 Kentucky on Jan. 3.
4. Mizzou (11-1, LW: 6)
After a blowout loss against Kansas a couple of weeks ago, the Tigers at least needed to be competitive against their other non-SEC rival, Illinois. On Thursday night in St. Louis, the Tigers did more than just compete. They blew the Illini out of the water, winning 93-71. Kobe Brown was magnificent, scoring 31 points to go with 8 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals:
There is a useful player in @MizzouHoops 6’8 F Kobe Brown. Has a 10.5 C-RAM (per @CerebroSports)
– Smooth shooting mechanics out to spot-up 3 (44% 3P, 82% FT)
– Functional driving skill on closeouts (absorbed bump+maintains balance on drives)
– Interior strength+passing feel pic.twitter.com/Gex1QHLTej— Josh Christopher (@JoshScoutEm) December 26, 2022
He was hitting 3s, getting to the rim and doing everything to make the Tigers’ offense click. When he plays like that, Mizzou can take down some talented foes.
3. Tennessee (10-2, LW: 3)
It’s going to be tough for any team to find scoring opportunities against the Vols this year. Austin Peay found that out the hard way on Wednesday night in an 86-44 blowout loss in Knoxville. The Vols should continue to dominate defensively through their favorable start to SEC play. They’ll travel to Ole Miss on Wednesday night, then play Mississippi State, South Carolina and Vanderbilt to round out their first 4 SEC contests.
2. Alabama (10-2, LW: 2)
Alabama was somehow the only SEC team that won last Tuesday, beating Jackson State in convincing fashion, 84-64. As mentioned earlier, Florida, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Texas A&M all lost that day, giving the SEC an abysmal 1-4 record. But the Tide are not just one of the best teams in the SEC – they’re one of the top squads in the country. We’ll see if the offense can continue firing on all cylinders at Mississippi State on Wednesday night. The Bulldogs are one of the top defensive squads in the country.
1. Arkansas (11-1, LW: 1)
The Hogs had a solid performance in their last pre-SEC play tuneup, an 85-51 win over UNC Asheville. Jalen Graham had his best game of the year, scoring 16 points to lead the Arkansas offense. Now the Hogs have a tough road to hold onto the No. 1 spot in these rankings. They’ll start SEC play at LSU on Wednesday night. Then they host Mizzou, travel to No. 20 Auburn and host No. 8 Alabama. We’ll learn a lot about Eric Musselman’s team over the next 2 weeks!