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All for Tennessee Official Men’s Basketball SEC Power Rankings for Jan. 30: Vols Shoot Up

By Caleb Calhoun

Jan 28, 2017; Knoxville, TN, USA; The Tennessee Volunteers bench reacts after a three pointer against the Kansas State Wildcats during the second half at Thompson-Boling Arena. Tennessee won 70 to 58. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 28, 2017; Knoxville, TN, USA; The Tennessee Volunteers bench reacts after a three pointer against the Kansas State Wildcats during the second half at Thompson-Boling Arena. Tennessee won 70 to 58. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /
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NCAA Basketball: Mississippi State at Alabama
NCAA Basketball: Mississippi State at Alabama /

Beating the Missouri Tigers does not do anything to move you up our SEC Power Rankings. Losing to the Alabama Crimson Tide can do such a thing depending on the rest of your resume.

And since the Missouri win is sandwiched between that loss and a blowout loss to the Tennessee Vols, the Mississippi State Bulldogs have fallen.

A team that started off 3-1 in conference play has woken up to reality.

The Bulldogs may be 4-4 overall in the SEC and tied with three other teams for sixth in the conference standings, but the way they are playing justifies knocking them down to No. 12.

Not only have they lost three of four, but they also have the No. 135 strength of schedule with their 13-7 record. That’s enough to keep Ben Howland’s team out of the Top 100 of the RPI for now, and we are going to give the Bulldogs the same respect the RPI gives them.

They simply haven’t done anything impressive, especially with two of their wins coming against Missouri and also the LSU Tigers. Only a road win over the Arkansas Razorbacks is an over-achieving win to talk about.

However, the next three weeks, they have a schedule that will firmly determine if they get to be on or off the bubble for the NCAA Tournament. It includes the Vols again at home, the Auburn Tigers on the road, the South Carolina Gamecocks at home, the Georgia Bulldogs on the road, and the South Carolina Gamecocks at home.

And sandwiching those five games is a home and home on either side against their arch-rival, the next team up in our power rankings.

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