Things may be calming down a bit for the Christmas holiday in the world of men’s college hoops, but we got a last hurrah for 2022 on Saturday.

We had several ranked-vs.-ranked matchups on Saturday and some surprising results in those games, particularly when it came to SEC teams. Arizona outlasted Tennessee in the desert, while Alabama fell to Gonzaga in Birmingham.

Mizzou won on a wild bank shot. Vanderbilt and South Carolina suffered horrible losses. It was a hectic week of hoops, and it had a major impact on the power rankings.

So, without further ado, let’s take a look at this week’s SEC men’s basketball power rankings:

14. Vanderbilt (5-6 overall, Last week: 14)

The Commodores lost to Grambling in Nashville and NC State in Chicago this past week. They only lost by a combined 6 points, but it still was far from a great showing for Jerry Stackhouse and company. This team doesn’t have a go-to guy in clutch situations like it has in years past with Scotty Pippen Jr. I want to believe Vanderbilt can beat Alabama A&M in Nashville on Thursday night, but I certainly wouldn’t feel comfortable betting on it.

13. South Carolina (5-6, LW: 13)

It was a rough week for the Gamecocks, who dropped games to both UAB (84-70) and East Carolina (64-56). That was not a great look for Lamont Paris and his program. The Gamecocks are now under .500 on the year and things could get even bleaker soon as 8-2 Western Kentucky comes to Columbia on Thursday, Dec. 22. The only reason the Gamecocks aren’t in last place on this list is because I think GG Jackson would be a difference maker against the Commodores and will his team to victory. For now, though, I don’t see either Vanderbilt or South Carolina escaping the bottom 2 spots on this list anytime soon.

12. Kentucky (7-3, LW: 5)

Kentucky is supposed to be a title contender. It is so far from that level of play, it’s almost comical at this point. In fact, it would be comical if it wasn’t so sad. The Wildcats have only beaten 1 team with a pulse this year. That was a narrow win in London against a Michigan team that isn’t even receiving votes in the AP Poll. This team is not living up to its potential, and that’s squarely on the shoulders of John Calipari. The talent is there. The coaching has been atrocious. The offense has no answers in late-game situations. Kentucky fans are being done a major disservice with Calipari’s “lifetime” contract at the moment.

11. Florida (7-4, LW: 12)

I can’t move the Gators any higher than this until we see the result of Tuesday night’s game against Oklahoma at the Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte. That’ll be Florida’s chance to pick up its best win of the year. If the Gators do pull off the win, then I’ll consider them a top-10 squad in the SEC. If not, No. 11 might even be too high for this team. There’s still a lot that first-year coach Todd Golden needs to figure out with these Gators.

10. Texas A&M (6-4, LW: 10)

The Aggies became the latest victim of Memphis this year. The Tigers went an impressive 4-1 against SEC competition this nonconference season, beating Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Auburn and Texas A&M. The only loss? A true road game at Alabama. And that loss was only by 3 points. My philosophy, at least at this moment, is to rank SEC teams that beat Memphis in the top half of these rankings. I’ll rank teams that lost to Memphis in the bottom half. Spoiler alert for Auburn.

9. Georgia (8-3, LW: 11)

Georgia picked up by far its best win of the year on Sunday, taking down Notre Dame 77-62 in the Holiday Hoopsgiving event in Atlanta. The Bulldogs have talent and are playing with confidence under first-year head coach Mike White. Braelen Bridges was named the SEC’s Player of the Week for his efforts. The Bulldogs host Chattanooga on Wednesday night and Rider on Dec. 28. They should head into 2023 with 10 wins.

8. Ole Miss (8-3, LW: 9)

Keep your eye on Matthew Murrell. The Ole Miss guard has led the team in scoring the past 4 games and leads the Rebels with a 15.5 points-per-game average. The Rebels need him to continue to develop as a star. Following a Tuesday night game against North Alabama, Ole Miss will start to prepare for its SEC opener on Wednesday, Dec. 28, in Oxford against Tennessee. That’ll be a big measuring stick for Kermit Davis and company.

7. Auburn (9-2, LW: 7)

Auburn isn’t going to win too many games when KD Johnson and Wendell Green Jr. combine for 8 points on 0-for-9 shooting from the floor (0-for-5 from 3-point range). Johni Broome continues to impress, but the Tigers’ offense hasn’t been getting the job done against tougher opponents this year. Losses to Memphis and USC overshadow 9 wins over lackluster foes. Wednesday night’s game at Washington would be huge for Bruce Pearl’s squad to win to get confidence moving into SEC play.

6. Mizzou (10-1, LW: 8)

DeAndre Gholston saved the day against UCF in a neutral-site game against a tough Knights squad. This was one of the wildest buzzer-beaters of the season thus far:

That was a quality win for the Tigers. Now they’ll have a chance for another quality win against rival Illinois in St. Louis on Thursday night. That should be a more manageable test for Dennis Gates’ crew than Kansas was.

5. LSU (10-1, LW: 6)

LSU’s nonconference schedule comes to an end (minus the SEC/Big 12 Challenge) on Wednesday when ETSU comes to town. There wasn’t a ton of meat on the LSU nonconference slate, but going potentially 11-1 entering SEC play is better than expected for the Tigers in Year 1 under Matt McMahon. KJ Williams has become a bonafide star and will be a handful for any opponent on LSU’s schedule. LSU faces a tough start to the SEC season, though, hosting Arkansas on Dec. 28 before traveling to Kentucky on Jan. 3.

4. Mississippi State (11-0, LW: 4)

The Bulldogs aren’t winning pretty, but they’re winning. That’s the most important thing. The defense is showing some worrying trends, having given up 59 points to Jackson State and 66 points to Nicholls in its last 2 games. Those are the 2 highest opposing point totals of the year. Mississippi State plays Drake in Lincoln on Tuesday night then faces a major test to start SEC play. Alabama visits Starkville on Dec. 28, followed by Mississippi State heading to Knoxville to play Tennessee on Jan. 3.

3. Tennessee (9-2, LW: 2)

The Vols still have the best defense in the nation, per the KenPom rankings. Holding Arizona to 75 points is no easy task, as that’s the second-fewest points the Wildcats have scored all year. However, it doesn’t matter how well your defense plays if your offense can’t get hot. Santiago Vescovi only had 9 points and was only 2-for-12 from the floor (1-of-7 from 3-point range). The Vols are still looking for a playmaker on offense. Zakai Zeigler showed flashes of that on Saturday night, scoring 21 points to go with 6 rebounds and an assist. If he can start improving his assist totals, it’ll be huge for Tennessee’s stagnant (at times) offense.

2. Alabama (9-2, LW: 1)

Alabama’s impressive run of wins against solid competition came to an end on Saturday afternoon against Gonzaga in Birmingham. Freshman Brandon Miller was insane, scoring 36 points and making 6 3-pointers in the 100-90 loss to the Bulldogs:

He’s looking like a potential top-5 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. The Tide as a whole did almost everything right against Gonzaga, but turning it over 21 times to Gonzaga’s 9 giveaways was the difference in the game. We’ll see if the Tide can clean things up moving forward.

1. Arkansas (10-1, LW: 3)

And here we have it – a new No. 1 team for Christmas! We’ve talked about Anthony Black, who became a star at the Maui Invitational. We’ve talked about Nick Smith Jr., who recently returned from injury and has shown an impressive shooting stroke. Well, against Bradley over the weekend, the third member of that elite freshman trio, Jordan Walsh, had perhaps his best game in an Arkansas uniform thus far.

Walsh finished with 18 points, going a perfect 7-for-7 from the floor (and making his only 3-pointer). He made 3 of his 4 free throws, too, before fouling out in 28 minutes of action:

Arkansas finishes up this portion of its nonconference schedule against UNC Asheville on Wednesday night. This is going to be a fun team to watch when SEC action begins!