Auburn, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, maybe Kentucky if it gets healthy.
When discussing the SEC teams that could potentially make a Final Four run, those have been at the forefront of the conversation. But in a conversation earlier this week with an SEC coach — before Wednesday night’s games — he pointed out that people are forgetting about Missouri. His reasoning was simple: size, length and talent at all five spots, a group that will be really difficult to prepare for on a short turnaround.
And then Missouri went out and dropped 110 points on Alabama.
Dennis Gates has done a remarkable job this season in Columbia. Remember, this team didn’t win a single SEC game last season and finished 8-24 overall. And, Gates didn’t do a complete teardown; three of this season’s starters were on last year’s team. Missouri now has two wins that will carry plenty of weight on Selection Sunday: at Florida, and over Alabama. The Tigers have six Quadrant 1 wins, zero losses outside of Quad 1 — and, outside of a 16-point loss at Auburn on Jan. 4, they haven’t lost another game by more than eight points.
Their NET is in good shape, their résumé-based and efficiency-based metrics are both very solid, and they might be favored in each of their five remaining games in the regular season. Missouri is likely not done rising in these Power Rankings.
Previous ranking: 1
Auburn winning at Alabama over the weekend felt like it essentially secured the overall No. 1 seed for the Tigers, with Bruce Pearl’s team trending toward having maybe the best NCAA tournament résumé we’ve ever seen. They also avoided a loss in the ultimate letdown spot, hanging on to beat Arkansas on Wednesday in what was Auburn’s second-worst offensive performance of the season. One thing to watch moving forward is whether Chad Baker-Mazara continues to come off the bench once fully healthy.
Next seven days: vs. Georgia (Feb. 22), vs. Ole Miss (Feb. 26)
Previous ranking: 3
Alex Condon’s injury came at an inopportune time — he was poised to become one of the SEC’s most dominant frontcourt players down the stretch of the season — but has also allowed Florida’s other bigs to play a bigger role. And they’re all excelling. Thomas Haugh averaged 18.0 points and 7.5 rebounds in his first two games with an increased role, while Rueben Chinyelu has hit double figures in scoring in three straight games. And Micah Handlogten is already proving to be a defensive presence.
Next seven days: at LSU (Feb. 22), at Georgia (Feb. 25)
Previous ranking: 4
Maliq Brown’s shoulder injury will keep him out indefinitely, and while his scoring numbers could fool people into thinking it’s not a notable absence, the Blue Devils will miss him. He has been one of the best defensive players in the ACC, at both Syracuse and Duke, and his ability to slow down Johni Broome back in December was a primary reason Duke beat Auburn. This now puts more pressure on two freshman bigs: starter Khaman Maluach and reserve Patrick Ngongba, who has played double-digit minutes only seven times this season.
Next seven days: vs. Illinois in New York City (Feb. 22), at Miami (Feb. 25)
Previous ranking: 5
Houston’s 1-seed case could come down to its two upcoming games. The Cougars have now won 18 of their past 19 games, with the lone loss coming by one point in overtime against Texas Tech. One huge boost for Kelvin Sampson’s club would be Emanuel Sharp returning to form. After hitting double figures in 14 of 16 games, he suffered an ankle injury and missed three games, and averaged just 5.7 points in the six games he actually played while banged up. But against Arizona State on Tuesday, Sharp put up 17 points and made four 3s.
Next seven days: vs. Iowa State (Feb. 22), at Texas Tech (Feb. 24)
Previous ranking: 2
Alabama’s offense is as good as anyone’s in college basketball, capable of putting up 100 in any game. But it has also overshadowed a defense that has really started to struggle. The Crimson Tide allowed 204 points in back-to-back losses to Auburn and Missouri, and have given up at least 80 points in four straight games — and seven of their last nine. Their defensive efficiency numbers are down to No. 10 in the SEC.
Next seven days: vs. Kentucky (Feb. 22), vs. Mississippi State (Feb. 25)
Previous ranking: 6
After missing one game with a knee injury, Zakai Zeigler is playing maybe the best basketball of his career. The senior point guard is averaging 19.3 points and 7.8 assists over his past four games, shooting better than 71% from 3-point range — while also coming up big late. Against Vanderbilt, he had 22 points in the second half, shooting 3-for-4 from 3 and dishing out 4 assists.
Next seven days: at Texas A&M (Feb. 22), at LSU (Feb. 25)
Previous ranking: 9
Iowa State has regained its swagger on the offensive end in time for Saturday’s showdown at Houston — and it unsurprisingly has happened in the four games since Milan Momcilovic returned from injury. The Cyclones have scored at least one point per possession in all 19 of Momcilovic’s games, while they were held below that mark in four of the seven outings he missed. Since returning, he has hit double figures three times and is shooting 9-for-23 from 3-point range.
Next seven days: at Houston (Feb. 22), at Oklahoma State (Feb. 25)
Previous ranking: 15
John Tonje is surging into the All-America conversation and making a case to be considered the best transfer in the country this season. He’s now averaging 25.1 points over his previous eight games, going for 31 points in Tuesday’s blowout win over Illinois after finishing with 32 in the road win at Purdue. Tonje has at least 22 points in seven of his past eight games. It’s a remarkable jump after he played just eight games and averaged 2.6 points at Missouri last season.
Next seven days: vs. Oregon (Feb. 22), vs. Washington (No. 25)
Previous ranking: 11
Rick Pitino is just pushing all the right buttons this season. With All-American candidate RJ Luis Jr. out for Wednesday’s game against DePaul, the Red Storm replaced him in the starting lineup with Sadiku Ibine Ayo — who hasn’t started a game in the two seasons since Pitino took over the program and played double-digit minutes once since Thanksgiving. Of course, the junior responded with 15 points and 5 rebounds, making three 3-pointers and giving the offense some life early.
Next seven days: vs. UConn (Feb. 23), at Butler (Feb. 26)
Previous ranking: 21
Michigan State has bounced back since its two-game losing streak and home loss to Indiana, winning back-to-back games in convincing fashion over Illinois and Purdue. The Spartans might have reinvigorated their season by moving freshman Jase Richardson into the starting lineup, as the potential first-round NBA draft pick is averaging 16.3 points as a starter. Meanwhile, Jaxon Kohler is averaging 12.8 points and 8.3 boards over his past four games, including Saturday’s 23-point, 10-rebound effort against the Illini.
Next seven days: at Michigan (Feb. 21), at Maryland (Feb. 26)
Previous ranking: 7
Before Tuesday, A&M hadn’t had too many disastrous offensive performances this season. Scoring 54 points on 0.81 points per possession in a 16-point loss at Mississippi State starts to bring a few things to the forefront, though. The Aggies are now 11th in the SEC in offensive efficiency, 11th in 3-point percentage, 14th in 2-point percentage and 16th in free throw percentage. Their offensive rebounding and defense is good enough to win games, but that offense can look quite ugly at times.
Next seven days: vs. Tennessee (Feb. 22), vs. Vanderbilt (Feb. 26)
Previous ranking: 17
You won’t find many better offensive performances than what we saw from Missouri against Alabama on Wednesday night. The Tigers opened the game on a 12-0 run in the first two and a half minutes, put up 59 points in the first half and finished with 110 points — the most in program history against a top-five opponent. Mark Mitchell had a career game with 31 points, Caleb Grill continued his Sixth Man of the Year push with 25 off the bench, and the Tigers overall shot better than 60% from the field.
Next seven days: at Arkansas (Feb. 22), vs. South Carolina (Feb. 22)
Previous ranking: 14
The biggest game of the Big Ten season — until the second time these two teams play — takes place Friday night, with Michigan playing host to Michigan State at 8 p.m. ET. The biggest key for Michigan might be keeping its in-state rival off the offensive glass, as the Spartans are the best in the conference at generating second chances, and the Wolverines can struggle at times. Offensively, it will be interesting to see if Dusty May’s team can be its usual efficient self in the paint, given Michigan State’s stinginess at the rim.
Next seven days: vs. Michigan State (Feb. 21), at Nebraska (Feb. 24)
Previous ranking: 8
Purdue went from potential Big Ten regular-season champion to completely out of the title race in an eight-day span after losing to Michigan, Wisconsin and Michigan State in consecutive games. The Boilermakers’ defense got torched by the Badgers and Spartans, with the former putting forth an otherworldly second-half performance while also shooting 91% inside the arc. Michigan State meanwhile shot 69% on 2s and scored 1.25 points per possession.
Next seven days: at Indiana (Feb. 23)
Previous ranking: 10
Kentucky’s defense has been much-maligned all season, and for good reason. But the Wildcats have started to show signs of life over the past couple of weeks — which bodes well once they get fully healthy, particularly when it comes to point guard Lamont Butler. They held Vanderbilt to 21 second-half points on Wednesday in a 21-point win. It was the third time in four games Kentucky had limited a team to fewer than 65 points and also the third time in four games a Kentucky opponent has been held to one point per possession or lower.
Next seven days: at Alabama (Feb. 22), at Oklahoma (Feb. 26)
Previous ranking: 16
Tobe Awaka has given Arizona a different dimension on the interior in recent weeks, with three double-doubles in seven games after totaling four in his first 19 outings. He struggled against Houston and was scoreless in just 15 minutes. But over that seven-game span as a whole, Awaka is averaging 10.1 points and 8.1 rebounds, and shooting nearly 72% — capped by 14 points and 12 boards against Baylor on Monday.
Next seven days: vs. BYU (Feb. 22), vs. Utah (Feb. 26)
Previous ranking: 20
Marquette has had a couple of get-right games after its three-game losing streak in home tilts against DePaul and Seton Hall. The Golden Eagles have refocused on the defense, holding the Blue Demons and Pirates to 0.81 and 0.88 points per possession, respectively, after allowing five straight opponents to surpass the one point per possession mark. After three of those five opponents hit double-digit 3s, DePaul and Seton Hall combined to shoot just 8-for-40 from beyond the arc.
Next seven days: at Villanova (Feb. 21), vs. Providence (Feb. 25)
Previous ranking: 12
Texas Tech suffered a surprising loss at TCU on Tuesday, but JT Toppin finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds — and we didn’t get to highlight his ridiculous two-game stretch prior to that game, so we’re going to do it here. Toppin had 41 and 15 against Arizona State last Wednesday, and he followed it up with 32 and 12 against Oklahoma State over the weekend. According to ESPN Research, he was the first Division I player this season with 30 points and 10 rebounds in consecutive games, and the first Big 12 player to do so since Blake Griffin in 2009.
Next seven days: vs. West Virginia (Feb. 22), vs. Houston (Feb. 24)
Previous ranking: Unranked
We’ve harped multiple times in this space about Mississippi State’s defense not being as stingy as ones from previous Chris Jans teams. Could that be beginning to change? The Bulldogs picked up two awfully impressive wins in the past week, beating Ole Miss by 10 on the road and handling Texas A&M by 16 at home Tuesday. They held the Rebels to 0.93 points per possession and Aggies to 0.81, with the two teams combining to shoot 42.4% inside the arc and 29.8% from 3.
Next seven days: at Oklahoma (Feb. 22), at Alabama (Feb. 25)
Previous ranking: 23
After using the same starting lineup in 24 of 26 games, Brad Brownell made a change prior to the Feb. 8 game against Duke. He moved Chauncey Wiggins, who had just played 47 minutes against Georgia Tech, to the bench, and replaced him with Dillon Hunter, who had started one game all season. Hunter has given Clemson another distributor and 3-point shooter, while the 6-foot-10 Wiggins provides additional frontcourt depth. In Saturday’s win over Florida State, Hunter finished with 17 points and four assists and Wiggins had 10 points and eight boards off the bench.
Next seven days: at SMU (Feb. 22), vs. Notre Dame (Feb. 26)
Previous ranking: 24
While other teams are still chopping and changing their lineups and rotation down the stretch, it doesn’t get more consistent than Maryland. The Terrapins have started the same five in each of the past 22 games, and they’re using their bench less and less as the season progresses. In the past month, a reserve has played more than 12 minutes just five times. Kevin Willard’s starting five, however, is elite. Derik Queen and Julian Reese are a dominant inside pair, Ja’Kobi Gillespie is playing terrific basketball at the point guard spot, and Rodney Rice and Selton Miguel are operating at an incredibly high level. Miguel has scored exactly 17 points in three straight games, while Rice is averaging 18.0 points in the past six.
Next seven days: vs. USC (Feb. 20), vs. Michigan State (Feb. 26)
Previous ranking: 13
It’s easy to overreact to any AAC game Memphis loses, given the quality of competition. And while we’re not going to do that, the Tigers do need to tighten up on the defensive end. Even before Sunday’s loss to Wichita State, they had started to slip at that end of the floor. They’ve now allowed at least 1.08 points per possession in four of the past five games, with three teams shooting better than 40% from 3 and three teams shooting better than 50% from 2. They’ve also allowed four of those five opponents to rebound at least one-third of their misses.
Next seven days: vs. Florida Atlantic (Feb. 23), vs. Rice (Feb. 26)
Previous ranking: 19
Ole Miss suffered a surprising loss to Mississippi State last weekend, so the Rebels’ SEC bye comes at the right time. Their final five games are brutal. It starts this weekend with a road trip to Vanderbilt before they head to Auburn next week. They’re likely to face a desperate Oklahoma team March 1, before finishing with Tennessee and Florida ahead of the SEC tournament. Chris Beard’s team is comfortably in the NCAA tournament, of course, but the Rebels’ seed could shift significantly in the next two weeks.
Next seven days: at Vanderbilt (Feb. 22), at Auburn (Feb. 26)
Previous ranking: Unranked
Louisville is back in the rankings after a short absence resulting from the Cardinals’ loss at Georgia Tech on Feb. 1. Pat Kelsey’s team has now won 14 of 15 games, with that game against the Yellow Jackets the only negative on the ledger. They’re likely to be favored by at least three possessions in each of their five remaining regular-season games — four of which are at home. Which means going into the postseason with 19 wins in 20 games and an 18-2 ACC record is within reach for a program that went a combined 5-35 in league play the past two seasons.
Next seven days: vs. Florida State (Feb. 22), at Virginia Tech (Feb. 25)
Previous ranking: Unranked
Saint Mary’s is on the precipice of winning at least a share of its third straight WCC regular-season title — and its second consecutive outright league title. The Gaels have now won 14 of their past 15 games, with the lone slipup coming by one point at San Francisco on Feb. 6. Their four losses this season are by a combined 14 points. Now comes the toughest game they’ll play all season: at Gonzaga on Saturday night. Saint Mary’s won the first meeting by four, and the Gaels have actually won three of their past four games against the Zags.
Next seven days: at Gonzaga (Feb. 22)
Dropped out: Kansas Jayhawks (No. 18), UConn Huskies (No. 22), Illinois Fighting Illini (No. 25)
