With the SEC basketball season about to hit the halfway point, the true contenders and pretenders of the conference are starting to emerge. Florida kept pace this week with two key wins but is still looking up at Auburn, who is undefeated in conference play.
The SEC has continued its presence at the top of the AP Top 25 and the NCAA Net rankings. In the AP Top 25, Auburn is on top, with Alabama ranked 4th and Florida ranked 5th. Tennessee is also in the top ten and is ranked 8th. As a whole the conference has ten teams ranked in the top 25.
Six SEC teams—Auburn (1st), Tennessee (4th), Florida (5th), Alabama (7th), Texas A&M (12th), and Kentucky (14th)—rank in the NCAA's NET Top 15, while nine reside in the Top 25.
The conference has 13 teams in the Top 50 NET teams.
On the offensive side, four SEC teams—Auburn, Florida, Alabama, and Kentucky—are in KenPom's top five for Adjusted Offensive Efficiency. The conference's +21.15 KenPom rating is its highest since 1997, with eight teams ranked in the Top 25.
The SEC also has 62 Quad 1 wins, the most nationally.
Auburn, ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll for only the second time ever, edged Tennessee 53-51 on Saturday, while Alabama (No. 4) and Florida (No. 5) continue to surge. Florida's 89-59 rout of Georgia and Alabama held serve earlier in the week with a 103-point outburst against Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt recovered to upset Kentucky on Saturday as they are making a strong bid for the NCAA Tournament. Missouri continued their suge by beating Ole Miss while Texas was able to upset Texas A&M on Saturday.
Upcoming marquee games include tonight's matchup of Kentucky at Tennessee. This Saturday will include Florida at Tennessee, Auburn at Ole Miss, and Missouri at Mississippi State.