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

Talk about a disappointment so far! The Texas A&M Aggies entered conference play 11-1 and ranked as high as No. 5 in the country. They came across as unbeatable and unstoppable under head coach Billy Kennedy.

Now, just a week and a half later, this is the worst team in our SEC Power Rankings. Texas A&M has suffered three losses to the Florida Gators, Alabama Crimson Tide and LSU Tigers. And while they still have the No. 28 ranked RPI, they have to be at the bottom of our list right now.

After all, this is the only winless team in the conference! There’s no way we can let the move up from here.

Despite all of this, though, there is a reasonable explanation. The Aggies have been missing two of its top guards, Admon Gilder and Duane Wilson, due to injury. Meanwhile, DJ Hogg has been in the midst of serving a three-game suspension.

That’s three of their top four scorers. So the losing streak makes sense. And as these guys get back onto the court, we’re pretty sure that this team will be in good shape. After all, they already have the No. 17 ranked strength of schedule.

These guys will get things going again and are still squarely in the NCAA Tournament. But remember, our SEC Power Rankings are based on how you’re playing at the moment. And at the moment, whether or not the Aggies’ struggles are due to injury is irrelevant. Fact is, they aren’t playing good. So they belong here.