SEC Power Rankings: It’s Nate Oats’ World

2. Auburn (2-0)

No more Bruce Pearl, no problem thus far for the Tigers. A pair of victories has Auburn in a good spot heading into their matchup with No. 1 Houston on November 16th. Keyshawn Hall has been a nice addition thus far.

3. Kentucky (2-0)

A pair of one-sided wins has Mark Pope’s team ready for its clash with rival Louisville this week. The No. 9 Wildcats visit the No. 12 Cardinals on Tuesday night.

4. Arkansas (1-1)

The Razorbacks challenged themselves by visiting the Breslin Center to play Michigan State this past weekend. A three-point loss is no killer, as Arkansas is still a strong team. Trevon Brazile had a night to forget on Saturday night. They return home this week for some get-right games against Central Arkansas and Samford.

5. Florida (1-1)

The defending National Champs fell just short in their opener against Arizona. Despite the loss, the Gators rebounded nicely with a 104-64 thrashing of North Florida. A pair of rivalry games ahead for Florida, with the Seminoles and Hurricanes visiting Gainesville.

6. Tennessee (2-0)

Another game start for the Volunteers. They won both of their opening week games soundly. A pretty easy week ahead for Tennessee.

7. Georgia (3-0)

Jeremiah Wilkinson has had a good start for the Bulldogs this season. He’s the team’s leading scorer and pitched in 22 points in Georgia’s most recent win against Morehead State. Getting off to a 3-0 start is nice. Time for this group to put the focus on rival Georgia Tech this week.

8. Ole Miss (2-0)

Out goes Sean Pedulla, in comes AJ Storr. The transfer has been a good fit thus far. The well-traveled player is currently averaging 18.5 points per game, as the Rebels look to replicate a Sweet 16 berth from last season.

9. Missouri (3-0)

Mark Mitchell appears to finally be living up to his rating coming out of high school. He’s scored well over 20 points in the Tigers’ last two games. That included a 29-point performance against SE Missouri. The Tigers are off to a strong 3-0 start, and now they host the Minnesota Golden Gophers in their next game.

10. LSU (1-0)

A strong showing from the Tigers offensively as they shot 70 percent from the field as a team in their blowout win against Tarleton State. LSU hosts upset-minded New Orleans and FIU this week.

11. South Carolina (2-0)

Meechie Johnson is back for what feels like the third time in his long, winding career. Perhaps this time, Johnson will last for the Gamecocks. His career-high 33 points was exactly what South Carolina needed to beat Southern Miss in overtime. It’s good to be 2-0, but still not sold on this Gamecocks team right now.

12. Vanderbilt (2-0)

Not a bad start for the Commodores. Back-to-back 100-point performances should keep the confidence going. Can they keep it going against Eastern Kentucky and Arkansas-Pine Bluff?

13. Mississippi State (1-0)

The recruiting at Mississippi State has momentum, as does the current team. They are this low just because they only played one game during opening week: an 86-62 win against North Alabama. Keep your eyes on the Bulldogs this week, especially with No. 16 Iowa State coming into Starkville.

14. Oklahoma (1-1)

A win against Saint Francis didn’t do much for the Sooners, as they fell flat in an 83-68 loss in Spokane against Gonzaga. Not what the Sooners needed.

15. Texas A&M (2-1)

16. Texas (1-1)

It’s hard to be at the bottom of the barrel in the SEC, especially with how strong the league is. That’s the fate of the Longhorns right now, at least in the SEC power rankings. They gave Duke everything they had, but it wasn’t enough for Texas. Their rebound win against Lafayette was needed, but it’s tough to say if this team has it or not right now.