SEC Men's Basketball Power Rankings: Week 8
Whether you like it or not, no team in the SEC has been able to slow down Alabama basketball so far in conference play.
That all could change on Tuesday night.
Alabama continued its tear across the SEC this past week, downing Kentucky by a 20-point margin in Rupp Arena on Tuesday night before dismantling Arkansas on Saturday afternoon in Coleman Coliseum 90-59. Jahvon Quinerly returned to the lineup after missing two weeks due to an unspecified medical condition, and Herb Jones played 22 minutes despite dislocating a finger at Kentucky.
However, the week wasn't all good news for the Crimson Tide. Grad-student forward Jordan Bruner is expected to missed 4-6 weeks due to a torn meniscus, which is a big loss for the team. LSU has several bigs that will look to exploit Alabama's lack of Bruner, which could shift the game in the Tigers' favor.
Speaking of LSU, the Tigers also had a successful week. The team beat both Arkansas and South Carolina in Baton Rouge. While South Carolina is hardly an SEC powerhouse this season, a narrow 85-80 win should motivate the Tigers to prepare for a much-better Alabama squad.
The biggest mover of the week was Auburn, who rises from 13th all the way up to eighth thanks to back-to-back wins against Georgia and Kentucky.
And with that, here's a look at the SEC Men's Basketball Power Rankings through eight weeks of college basketball:
SEC Men's Basketball Power Rankings: Week 8
1. Alabama (11-3 overall, 6-0 SEC)
2. LSU (10-2, 5-1)
3. Tennessee (10-1, 4-1)
4. Mississippi State (9-5, 4-2)
5. Florida (6-4, 3-3)
6. Missouri (8-2, 2-2)
7. Arkansas (10-4, 2-4)
8. Auburn (8-6, 2-4)
9. Texas A&M (7-5, 2-4)
10. Kentucky (4-8, 3-2)
11. Ole Miss (6-6, 1-4)
12. South Carolina (3-3, 1-1)
13. Georgia (8-4, 1-4)
14. Vanderbilt (4-6, 0-4)
Follow along at Bama Central every Sunday throughout the season for updated power rankings.
