SEC power poll: Gamecocks dip after rough week
1. Auburn (21-2, 9-1 SEC)
Previous ranking: 1
Last week: 2-0 (Won at Ole Miss, beat Vanderbilt at home) | This week: Texas A&M (home), Georgia (away)
Auburn en route to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament? It’s looking that way for Bruce Pearl’s bunch after five straight wins.
2. Tennessee (17-5, 7-3)
Previous ranking: 2
Last week: 2-0 (Beat LSU and Ole Miss at home) | This week: Kentucky (away), Alabama (away)
The SEC’s second-hottest team has an intriguing week ahead.
3. Kentucky (17-6, 6-4)
Previous ranking: 4
Last week: 1-1 (Beat Vanderbilt at home, lost at Missouri) | This week: Tennessee (home), Texas A&M (away)
The Wildcats remain borderline impossible to get a great feel for.
4. Alabama (15-8, 6-4)
Previous ranking: 5
Last week: 1-1 (Lost to Missouri at home, beat Florida on the road) | This week: Mississippi State (away), Tennessee (home)
Since Jan. 17, the Crimson Tide has scored wins over Auburn, Oklahoma and Florida.
5. Florida (15-8, 6-4)
Previous ranking: 3
Last week: 0-2 (Lost at Georgia, lost to Alabama at home) | This week: LSU (home), South Carolina (away)
The Gators were minus-18 on the glass, minus-20 in the paint and minus-28 in bench points in the home loss to Alabama.
6. Missouri (15-8, 5-5)
Previous ranking: 8
Last week: 2-0 (Won at Alabama, beat Kentucky at home) | This week: Ole Miss (away), Mississippi State (home)
Beating Alabama and Kentucky in a span of four days is an ideal way to snap a three-game losing streak.
7. Mississippi State (17-6, 5-5)
Previous ranking: 11
Last week: 2-0 (Won at South Carolina, beat Georgia at home) | This week: Alabama (home), Missouri (away)
Soft non-conference schedule aside, might be time to start taking the Bulldogs for real.
8. Texas A&M (15-8, 4-6)
Previous ranking: 13
Last week: 2-0 (Beat Arkansas and South Carolina at home) | This week: Auburn (away), Kentucky (home)
The Aggies that rolled the Gamecocks on Saturday are the Aggies that began SEC play ranked fifth in the country.
9. Arkansas (15-8, 4-6)
Previous ranking: 6
Last week: 0-2 (Lost to Texas A&M and LSU on the road) | This week: South Carolina (home), Vanderbilt (home)
The Razorbacks are 1-6 on the road this season.
10. South Carolina (13-10, 4-6)
Previous ranking: 7
Last week: 0-2 (Lost to Mississippi State at home, Texas A&M on the road) | This week: Arkansas (away), Florida (home)
USC allowed 80-plus points in consecutive losses. Next up: Arkansas, the SEC’s second-highest scoring team.
11. Georgia (13-9, 4-6)
Previous ranking: 9
Last week: 1-1 (Beat Florida at home, lost to Mississippi State on the road) | This week: Vanderbilt (away), Auburn (home)
The Bulldogs snapped a three-game losing streak with the Florida win, but then lost momentum in Starkville with 21 first half points.
12. LSU (13-9, 4-6)
Previous ranking: 12
Last week: 1-1 (Lost to Tennessee on the road, beat Arkansas at home) | This week: Florida (away), Ole Miss (home)
LSU had lost consecutive games by an average of 24 points before beating the Razorbacks on Saturday.
13. Ole Miss (11-12, 4-6)
Previous ranking: 10
Last week: 0-2 (Lost to Auburn at home, lost at Tennessee) | This week: Missouri (home), LSU (away)
The Rebels are still looking for their first road win of the season.
14. Vanderbilt (8-15, 2-8)
Previous ranking: 14
Last week: 0-2 (Lost at Kentucky and Auburn) | This week: Georgia (home), Arkansas (away)
The Commodores get two of the SEC’s best teams on the road in a span of five days – drop one game in overtime, drop the other despite scoring over 80 points. Been that kind of year.
This story was originally published February 4, 2018 at 5:26 PM.