2022-23 SEC Men's Basketball Power Rankings: Week 4
Well, as we predicted last week, Feast Week provided a lot of clarity in terms of organizing the Who's Who of the Southeastern Conference at the midway point of non-conference play.
While it didn't win its tournament, Alabama basketball had arguably the biggest week of them all, downing both then-No. 12 Michigan State and then-No. 1 North Carolina at the Phil Knight Invitational. UConn proved to be a stumbling block sandwiched between the two wins, but make no mistake: the Crimson Tide looks to be for real this season.
For that reason, Alabama moves into first place this week. That all could change over the next couple of weeks, though, as the Crimson Tide has some brutal upcoming matchups, including at Houston, vs Memphis and against Gonzaga in a neutral-site game.
Arkansas slides one spat down into second place. The Razorbacks are currently tied with Alabama for No. 11 in the AP Top 25 — a fittingly narrow gap that can also be reflected in this week's power rankings. Arkansas suffered its first loss of the season against then-No. 8 Creighton in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational — hardly a bad mark on its record. However, it's hard to deny Alabama after beating North Carolina in four overtimes, so that places Arkansas ahead.
Tennessee storms up to three spots to No. 3 this week after collecting three wins over Butler, USC and then-No. 3 Kansas at the Battle 4 Atlantis. The Volunteers once again to be early contenders for the conference, and their record proves that they belong near the top.
Auburn might be 7-0, but the Tigers have yet to play a ranked opponent. According to KenPom, Auburn's schedule ranks 204th in difficulty. For that reason, it's hard to rank the Tigers any higher until they face some challenges. There's no need for Auburn fans to worry, though: a December slate that includes Memphis, USC and Washington will provide plenty of opportunities for the Tigers to leave an impression.
With that, here is the SEC Men's Basketball Power Rankings following four weeks of college basketball:
2022-23 SEC Men's Basketball Power Rankings: Week 4
1. Alabama (6-1)
2. Arkansas (6-1)
3. Tennessee (5-1)
4. Auburn (7-0)
5. LSU (6-1)
6. Kentucky (5-2)
7. Mississippi State (7-0)
8. Missouri (8-0)
9. Ole Miss (6-1)
10. Georgia (5-2)
11. Florida (4-3)
12. Texas A&M (4-2)
13. Vanderbilt (3-3)
14. South Carolina (3-3)
Keep returning to BamaCentral every week throughout the season for updated SEC Men's Basketball Power Rankings.
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