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SEC Basketball Power Rankings for Week 17

The race for the SEC is winding down with just four regular-season games remaining.

NCAA Basketball: SEC Conference Tournament-Tennessee vs Auburn Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

It was an interesting week in the SEC, as Kentucky now has a two-game cushion in their hopes to win the SEC.

#1 Kentucky Wildcats (22-5,12-2)

Last week: #1

Record last week: 2-0

It was a tough week for the Cats as they had to make a trip to LSU and then return home for a matchup with surging Florida.

On Tuesday, the Cats used a huge second half to get the 79-76 win in a hostile environment. They followed that up with a 65-59 win over Florida where Immanuel Quickley went for a career-high 26.

Kentucky now holds a two-game lead in the race for the SEC.

This week: @ Texas A&M, vs Auburn

#2 Auburn Tigers (23-4,10-4)

Last week: #2

Record last week: 1-1

The Tigers went 1-1 but they were dangerously close to dropping both of their matchups this week to weaker opponents.

The week started with a road trip to Georgia in a game that the Bulldogs controlled throughout and came away with the 65-55 win.

On Saturday, Auburn found themselves down by 17 with 14 minutes to play but used an 18-0 run to take the lead and went on to win it 73-66 over Tennessee.

The Tigers are going to be tested once again this week and it could be their last chance to stay in the hunt for the SEC.

This week: vs Ole Miss, @ Kentucky

#3 LSU Tigers (19-8,10-4)

Last week: #3

Record last week: 1-1

LSU had a home opportunity to make a move towards winning the SEC but couldn’t get the job done.

The week started with a 79-76 home loss to Kentucky where the Tigers let the Cats do a lot of damage from deep. They bounced back on Saturday with a grind it out 86-80 road win over South Carolina.

LSU is still in the hunt, but they will have yet another tough road trip this week.

This week: @ Florida, vs Texas A&M

#4 Florida Gators (17-10,9-5)

Last week: #5

Record this week: 1-1

The Gators entered Saturday on a 5-game winning streak but couldn’t get the job done on the road.

Their week started with a win. however. when they defeated Arkansas 73-59. On Saturday, they had to go to Kentucky and was in the game the whole time but ended up losing it 65-59.

Florida is in the hunt for one of the top 4 spots in the SEC and get that much needed double BYE in the SEC Tournament.

This week: vs LSU, @ Tennessee

#5 South Carolina Gamecocks (16-11,8-6)

Last week: #4

Record last week: 0-2

The Gamecocks had a week of very close losses and had a golden opportunity to make a huge statement in the SEC.

The week started on the road where they fell short losing 79-76 to Mississippi State. They couldn’t bounce back at home against LSU but were in it the whole way in an 86-80 loss to the Tigers.

South Carolina will have two very winnable games this week to try and get back on track.

This week: vs Georgia, @ Alabama

#6 Mississippi State Bulldogs (17-10,8-6)

Last week: #6

Record last week: 1-1

The Bulldogs have been struggling despite having the pieces to be a dangerous team in the SEC.

They were able to get the week started with a win over South Carolina when they squeaked it out 79-76 down the stretch. However, they went on the road to Texas A&M and lost that one 87-75.

If they can get two big wins this week, they will be right in the middle of the race for a top 4 seed in the SEC.

This week: vs Alabama, @ Missouri

#7 Texas A&M Aggies (14-12,8-6)

Last week: #9

Record last week: 2-0

The Aggies continue to be the most shocking team in the SEC this season and it is credit to the coaching of Buzz Williams.

Their week started on the road against Alabama and they were able to get the 74-68 victory. They backed that up when they controlled the game against Mississippi State in an 87-75 win.

They will be tested this week when the #1 team in these rankings make the trip to A&M and then the Aggies must make a tough road trip.

This week: vs Kentucky, @ LSU

#8 Alabama Crimson Tide (15-12,7-7)

Last week: #7

Record last week: 1-1

Alabama had a great opportunity this week but couldn’t defend their home court to start the week.

In that game, they faced Texas A&M but came up short in a 74-68 loss. They did bounce back however on the road against Ole Miss when they were able to beat the Rebels 103-78.

Alabama remains dangerous with the way they shoot threes but if they are missing, it can come back to bite them.

This week: @ Mississippi State, vs South Carolina

#9 Tennessee Volunteers (15-12,7-7)

Last week: #8

Record last week: 1-1

Tennessee had Auburn on the ropes this week but couldn’t finish the game.

They did start the week with a win though when they defeated Vanderbilt 65-61. On Saturday, they had Auburn down 17 with 14 minutes remaining but gave up an 18-0 run and then went on to lose it 73-66.

Tennessee won’t have an easy week with two tough opponents.

This week: @ Arkansas, vs Florida

#10 Arkansas Razorbacks (17-10,5-9)

Last week: #12

Record last week: 1-1

Arkansas has been bitten by the injury bug and that has been the reason for their recent struggles in the conference.

Their week started on the road against Florida where they were dominated in a 73-59 loss. They were able to bounce back later in the week when they defeated Missouri 78-68.

Arkansas is still a dangerous team if they can get healthy soon and get back to what they were at the start of the season.

This week: vs Tennessee, @ Georgia

#11 Missouri Tigers (13-14,5-9)

Last week: #11

Record last week: 1-1

The Tigers are competitive in nearly every game in the SEC, but they just don’t have enough offense to get the wins which is why they are 5-9 and sitting near the bottom.

Their week did start with a win over Ole Miss when they beat the Rebels 71-68. However, they couldn’t follow that up with a win over Arkansas as they lost it 78-68.

The struggles continued for the Tigers even though they remain competitive.

This week: @ Vanderbilt, vs Mississippi State

#12 Ole Miss Rebels (13-14,4-10)

Last week: #10

Record last week: 0-2

The Rebels were recently one of the hottest teams in the SEC when they were blowing teams out. But things have changed since their loss to Kentucky.

They lost their 2nd and 3rd game in a row this week when they lost to Missouri 71-68 and then lost at home to Alabama 103-78.

The hot streak is over for the Rebels and they are starting to slip back down the rankings.

This week: @ Auburn, vs Vanderbilt

#13 Georgia Bulldogs (14-13,4-10)

Last week: #13

Record last week: 2-0

The Bulldogs finally made some noise in the SEC as they were able to get two wins in the same week.

Their week started at home against Auburn and they controlled the game throughout winning it 65-55. They then found themselves down with just seconds left against Vanderbilt, but a 30-foot buzzer beater gave them the 80-78 win.

Can the Bulldogs keep winning into another week?

This week: @ South Carolina, vs Arkansas

#14 Vanderbilt Commodores (9-18,1-1)

Last week: #14

Record last week: 0-2

Another week another two losses in the SEC.

The week started on the road against Tennessee, but they fell short in a 65-61 loss. They followed that up by losing 80-78 to Georgia on a 30-foot buzzer beater.

The tough season for Vandy continues.

This week: vs Missouri, @ Ole Miss