We’ve officially hit the halfway mark of SEC basketball season, and the picture is starting to come into focus. With a full slate of conference games behind them, teams are beginning to show who’s for real-and who’s still trying to find their footing. The latest SEC power rankings reflect that growing divide, with Florida holding strong at No. 1 and a handful of programs making subtle, but telling, moves up and down the list.
Here’s how the rankings shake out this week:
- Florida (10 first-place votes)
- Vanderbilt
- Texas A&M (1)
- Arkansas
- Tennessee
- Kentucky
- Alabama
- Auburn
- Georgia
- Texas
- Missouri
- Ole Miss
- LSU
- Mississippi State
- South Carolina
- Oklahoma
Let’s start at the top, where Florida continues to look like a team on a mission. The Gators didn’t just win this week-they dominated.
A 95-48 dismantling of South Carolina on Wednesday was followed by a statement 100-77 win over Alabama on Sunday. That kind of two-way performance-blistering offense paired with lockdown defense-has solidified Florida as the team to beat right now.
They earned 10 of the 11 first-place votes in this week’s poll, with the lone outlier going to Texas A&M.
Speaking of the Aggies, they climbed one spot to No. 3 after a solid week and continue to hang around the top tier. They’ve got the kind of physicality and defensive grit that can wear teams down, and voters are clearly taking notice.
Vanderbilt, now sitting at No. 2, is quietly putting together a strong campaign. They didn’t make a huge splash this week, but consistency is key, and they’ve been steady. Tennessee, Kentucky, Auburn, and Mississippi State all moved up one spot as well, inching forward in a tightly packed middle tier that’s still very much up for grabs.
On the flip side, Arkansas and Alabama took the biggest tumbles this week, each dropping two spots. For Arkansas, it was a mixed bag: they edged out Oklahoma 83-79 on Tuesday but couldn’t keep the momentum going in a tough 85-77 loss to Kentucky on Saturday. Alabama followed a similar script-crushing Missouri 90-64 midweek before running into the Florida buzzsaw on Sunday.
Georgia, South Carolina, and Oklahoma each slid down a spot, continuing a downward trend that’s becoming hard to ignore. For Oklahoma, now sitting at the bottom of the rankings, the transition into SEC play has been rough. They’ll need to find answers fast if they want to climb out of the cellar.
Looking ahead, the SEC schedule isn’t easing up. Tuesday brings a pair of intriguing matchups: Ole Miss heads to Tennessee, while South Carolina visits Texas. Wednesday’s games include a pivotal showdown between Texas A&M and Alabama, and a blue-blood battle as Oklahoma travels to face Kentucky.
Saturday’s slate is stacked: Arkansas visits Mississippi State in a game both teams need, Missouri heads to South Carolina, Ole Miss travels to Texas, Oklahoma faces a surging Vanderbilt squad, and Alabama looks to bounce back against in-state rival Auburn. Meanwhile, Georgia takes on LSU, Tennessee and Kentucky square off in a marquee matchup, and Florida faces a big road test at Texas A&M.
There’s still a lot of basketball left to be played, but we’re starting to see which teams are separating from the pack-and which ones are still searching for answers. The next few weeks will be critical, especially for those teams hovering in the middle of the standings.
Every win matters now. Every loss stings a little more.
Welcome to the grind of SEC basketball.