Imagine telling somebody 10 years ago that Auburn and Alabama both have the potential to be No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Basketball tournament.
That's the reality in January of 2025, as Auburn (18-1, 7-0 SEC) and Alabama (18-3, 7-1 SEC) are currently the top two teams in the SEC. The Tigers remained undefeated in SEC play with victories over Tennessee and LSU, while Alabama held on for close wins against LSU and Mississippi State.
SEC Basketball power rankings
Power ranking | Team |
|---|---|
1 | Auburn |
2 | Alabama |
3 | Florida |
4 | Ole Miss |
5 | Missouri |
6 | Texas A&M |
7 | Vanderbilt |
8 | Kentucky |
9 | Miss St |
10 | Tennessee |
11 | Georgia |
12 | Texas |
13 | Oklahoma |
14 | LSU |
15 | Arkansas |
16 | South Carolina |
Elsewhere in the conference, Kentucky earned a major victory over Tennessee. The win lifts Mark Pope's Wildcats to 4-3 in SEC play ahead of their tussle with Arkansas and former Kentucky coach John Calipari on Saturday.
In the basement of the conference, South Carolina lives alone. The Gamecocks sank to 0-8 in SEC play following losses to Mississippi State and Georgia. South Carolina hosts Texas A&M on Saturday in search of its first SEC win.
Speaking of the Aggies, Buzz Williams' squad took on the SEC"s newest members over the past week. The Aggies lost a 70-69 heartbreaker to a bitter rival in Texas on Saturday, but bounced back with a 75-68 win over Oklahoma on Tuesday.
The biggest takeaway from the past week of SEC basketball is that the conference is still among the deepest in the country. While anybody can beat anybody on any given evening, the best teams in the conference earned that distinction for a reason. Beating the likes of Auburn, Alabama and Florida will be extremely difficult for any team who has the misfortune to face them in the postseason.