SEC Basketball Power Rankings: Week 16
After a disappointing home loss to Texas A&M on Tuesday followed by a big 103-78 road victory over Ole Miss on Saturday, Alabama basketball sits firmly in eighth place in this week's SEC Basketball Power Rankings.
The games were polar opposites for the Crimson Tide.
With the loss to the Aggies, hopes for an NCAA tournament bid during coach Nate Oats' first year at Alabama were beginning to wane.
However, a road win against the Rebels in which the Crimson Tide scored a whopping 103 points put it right back into the bubble conversation.
Alabama heads to Starkville, Miss., on Tuesday to take on Mississippi State. If the Crimson Tide is able to pull off another big road win in the Magnolia State, Alabama will be right back in the discussion for whether or not it deserves a ticket to the Big Dance — maybe even on target to make the NCAA Tournament.
On the other side of the state, Auburn has experienced a slight slide. Since escaping Alabama with a 95-91 overtime victory on Feb. 12, the Tigers have gone 1-2 against dramatically inferior SEC teams, and even had to come from behind to defeat Tennessee in Auburn Arena on Saturday.
Auburn falls to fourth in this week's rankings.
Aside from a few outliers like Auburn, the rankings look eerily similar to their layout from last week.
Here's a look at the SEC power rankings heading into Week 17:
1. Kentucky (22-5 overall, 12-2 SEC)
2. LSU (19-8, 10-4)
3. Florida (17-10, 9-5)
4. Auburn (23-4, 10-4)
5. Mississippi State (17-10, 8-6)
6. South Carolina (16-11, 8-6)
7. Texas A&M (14-12, 8-6)
8. Alabama (15-12, 7-7)
9. Tennessee (15-12, 7-7)
10. Missouri (13-14, 5-9)
11. Arkansas (17-10, 5-9)
12. Ole Miss (13-14, 4-10)
13. Georgia (14-13, 4-10)
14. Vanderbilt (9-18, 1-13)
Check back in with BamaCentral every Monday throughout the season for updated SEC basketball power rankings.
