College Basketball: SEC Power Rankings

College basketball is in full effect and teams are starting to figure out what they have as non-conference play starts to heat up and become more difficult.

The Kentucky Wildcats were the big winners this week with their win over the Duke Blue Devils. The LSU Tigers, the Florida Gators, the Vanderbilt Commodores, and the Texas A&M Aggies all keep chugging along as well.

1. Kentucky Wildcats- 4-0

The Wildcats were predicted to be the class of the SEC and that prediction certainly seems to be holding true. They have won every single game by double-digits and were never really in danger of losing to the defending national champions Duke in the Champions Classic. There was a bit of a let-down against Wright State but the 'Cats never trailed and ended up winning by 15. This Week: 11/24 vs. Boston; 11/27 vs. South Florida in Miami

2. LSU Tigers- 3-0

The Tigers have handled their business quite easily in the early going. Ben Simmons is the real deal and fellow freshman Antonio Blakeney is showing everyone that the hype is real with him too as he is averaging a team-high 19.3 points per game. The question with LSU in recent years hasn't been the talent, but the coaching. And they may have enough talent to nullify the coaching question. This Week: 11/23 vs. Marquette, 11/30

3. Texas A&M Aggies- 4-0

A&M is scoring 93.5 points per game, which is good enough for 13th in the country. They are also number one in the country in assists with 24.8. They are very talented, but their early schedule has left a lot to be desired. But that will change as they take on Shaka Smart's Texas Longhorns in Imperial Arena in Atlantis. While Texas is 1-1, they will be a big step up in competition compared to Southeaster Louisiana and UNC Asheville. This Week: 11/25 vs. Texas in the Battle for Atlantis

4. Vanderbilt Commodores- 3-0

The 'Dores got a bit of a scare against Stony Brook, but ended up winning 79-72 in overtime. But the Seawolves are not a bad team and I think Vandy will struggle playing defense all season. One thing they will not have trouble doing this season is scoring points with Riley LaChance and Wade Baldwin IV. They are considered sleepers in the SEC but they will have to do a little more to prove that. This Week: 11/23 vs. St. John's in the Maui Invitational

5. South Carolina Gamecocks- 4-0

The Gamecocks are looking to take that next step forward with coach Frank Martin and so far are heading in the right direction. They've handled every challenge with ease thus far. We won't see what they are truly made of for another couple of weeks, so expect them to hang around the middle of the pack or even go up a couple of spots. This Week: 11/23 vs Tulsa, 11/27 vs. Lipscomb

6. Florida Gators- 3-1

The Mike White Era in Gainesville is off to a decent start as the Gators have handled their business rather easily so far. Their most impressive win has been an 11 point win over St. Joe's. But the Gators received a wake-up call as they were beaten quite easily by the #21 Purdue Boilermakers 85-70. And things won't get easier as they have Miami (Fl), Michigan State, and Oklahoma to still contend with in the early going. This Week: 11/25 vs. UVM

7. Tennessee Volunteers- 3-1

Rick Barnes' first year as the head coach of the Vols should be an interesting one. There is talent on the team but it's young and it's very raw. Kevin Punter is averaging 20.8 points per game and fellow senior Armani Moore is averaging 16 points. That duo should be a good one in the SEC and will keep Tennessee in the mix. A two-point loss to Georgia Tech isn't a bad loss this early on. We will see how far along they are when they face giant killers George Washington later in the week. This Week: 11/24 vs. Army, 11/27 vs. George Washington

8. Ole Miss Rebels- 3-2

Their one loss was a close one against a very good George Mason team. As long as Stefan Moody continues to average 24.8 points a game, the Rebs will be able to play with just about anyone. He is a guy that can fill it up on any given night. But the Rebs were handed a 12 point loss to Seton Hall, which looks pretty decent so far at 4-1. This Week: 11/25 vs. Georgia State

9. Auburn Tigers- 2-1

Bruce Pearl's team still has a lot of growing to do in order to be considered in the thick of the SEC West race. Right now, a 2-1 record with a drumming by Colorado doesn't figure to look very intimidating to opponents. The Tigers have a very forgiving schedule until they get to a showdown with Xavier in December. This Week: 11/27 vs. Northwestern State

10. Missouri Tigers- 2-1

The Tigers' one loss was to a good Xavier team by 12 in their building. Other than that, they haven't played anyone of consequence as is the pattern with some of the lower-tier SEC teams. They do have some more challenges headed their way with games against Kansas State, #12 Arizona, NC State, and Illinois. We will know about these Tigers at the end of December. This Week: 11/23 vs. Kansas State in Kansas City, Missouri

11. Arkansas Razorbacks- 2-1

A year after reaching the SEC championship game and the NCAA tournament, Mike Anderson and the Razorbacks are in a bit of a rebuilding mode. An 88-80 home loss to the Akron Zips isn't the start the Hogs had in mind. Granted, Akron is undefeated and a decent team, but Arkansas rarely loses at home. Bobby Portis is sorely going to be missed. This Week: 11/26 vs. Georgia Tech in the Barclays Center

The Dawgs haven't played much thus far, so it's hard the gauge how good they are. Mark Fox's teams usually drop a clunker or two early, and they did just that by losing by two points against Chattanooga. They followed that up with at nine-point win at home against Murray State. Senior guard Kevin Gaines is doing the heavy lifting for his team, averaging 23.5 points per game. This Week: 11/25 vs. High Point, 11/28 at Seton Hall

13. Alabama Crimson Tide- 2-1

What stands out about this Tide team is the beatdown they took at Dayton. The Flyers have been a tournament team recently and aren't some slouch, but a power five conference losing 80-48 isn't a good look. This is going to be a long season for coach Avery Johnson. This Week: 11/26 vs. Xavier in Orlando, Florida

14. Mississippi State Bulldogs- 2-3

I'll give the Bulldogs this much credit, they are playing a lot of games early and their opponents aren't chumps. Miami (FL) is a good team, so being blown out by them isn't surprising. Texas Tech is decent and State had their chances in that one. But the loss Southern is the one that throws up red flags. So far stud freshman Malik Newman hasn't been a factor for Ben Howland, and one wonders how much Newman can do on a team this bad. This Week: 11/28 vs. Tennessee-Martin