Men’s basketball SEC Power Rankings for Jan. 8: Vols in top half

John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats are pretty much doing what they always do. However, the concern of their most recent loss is not the fact that they lost. That was understandable when it came against a focused Tennessee Vols team on the road.

The big concern was the fact that the team went ice-cold in the second half. A program that prides itself on defense gave up 47 points in a half. That’s not typical of a team that Calipari coaches, and it makes you question the effort of this program.

It’s one thing for a group of freshmen to make lapses in judgment. It’s another when they just don’t play hard on defense.

Calipari himself clearly thought the same thing, which is why he questioned the toughness of the players. But before we freak out too much, these guys still are 2-1 in the conference. They also have a sure solid win over the Georgia Bulldogs.

Add in their non-conference play and their Top 10 strength of schedule, this 12-3 record is actually something to be proud of. These guys just need a mental kick in the behind.

Still we had to put them at No. 4 in our SEC Power Rankings because of the fact that they lost pretty significantly on Saturday. If they had barely lost to the Vols on the road, we would have had no problem keeping them in the top two. The way they lost drops them to No. 4.

Speaking of that, though, it’s why we have the 1-2 Vols ahead of them. We go to that team next.