All for Tennessee Women’s Basketball Jan. 25 SEC Power Rankings: Lady Vols Slip

Even after a loss, the Auburn Tigers may be one of the hottest teams in the conference. Still, we had to drop them in our SEC Power Rankings because they didn’t do enough to rise up, and one other teams surpassed them with impressive performances.

The Tigers are still one of the top teams in the conference, and dominating the Tennessee Lady Vols last week was huge for their resume.

At 14-6 and 4-2 in the SEC, their No. 17 ranked strength of schedule has them at No. 23 in the RPI.

And after blowing out the Vols, there was no shame in losing to the red hot Kentucky Wildcats. But that was why we had to drop them a spot. Kentucky shot up, which we’ll get to later.

Terri Williams Flourney is in perfect position to return her Tigers to their second straight NCAA Tournament in her fifth year as head coach of the program.

And they are doing it through tough defense.

Florida is the only SEC team to score more than 61 on Auburn in their wins, and they managed to score 82 that game. That’s because the defense is forcing nearly 24 turnovers a game, and Katie Frerking, Brandy Montgomery, and Janiah McKay are carrying the necessary load in scoring.

It’s the perfect combination, but the schedule doesn’t get any easier. Missouri and Alabama are up next on the road. Then they have Mississippi State at home and Texas A&M and South Carolina on the road.

So the Tigers could hit a five-game losing streak and fall in our SEC Power Rankings. But they could also move up significantly.