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

Will Wade has the LSU Tigers off to a good start his first year with the team. These guys gave the Kentucky Wildcats a major fight earlier in the week, and then they came out and beat the Texas A&M Aggies. Sure, A&M is injured right now and at the bottom of our SEC Power Rankings.

But the mark of a good rebuilding team under a first year head coach is taking advantage of games like that and finding ways to get the win. The LSU Tigers did just that.

Now, they remain near the bottom of these power rankings. That’s mainly because the conference is so loaded. But with a 10-4 record and a No. 82 ranking in the RPI, this team has the potential to make a run onto the NCAA Tournament bubble if it gets lucky and wins a few conference games.

Tremont Waters is becoming harder and harder to guard and making a case for being one of the top players in the conference. He does it all despite his small frame and seems like a guy who could will this team to more wins. With three other guys averaging double-figures and this team legitimately going nine-deep, they can certainly be a threat.

They begin this week with the Arkansas Razorbacks on the road, which will be another brutal test for them. But if they want to really prove they belong, the game following that is a very winnable one at home. And it’s against the next team in our SEC Power Rankings.