Men’s basketball SEC Power Rankings for Jan. 15: Vols move up

Last week: Lost to the Alabama Crimson Tide; Defeated the Georgia Bulldogs

Last rank: 10th

They weren’t going to be the same team that went to the Final Four last year. As a result, we expected Frank Martin’s group to struggle significantly at times this year. And that’s exactly what they have done so far this year.

For that reason, they are down at No. 9 in our SEC Power Rankings with a losing record in the conference. A road loss to the Ole Miss Rebels is the worst of their three conference losses, and it didn’t help that they weren’t even able to give the Alabama Crimson Tide a game last week.

However, this team was able to make a jump because of what it did over the weekend. Just when they seemed down and out, the Gamecocks went into Athens and scored a huge road win against the Georgia Bulldogs.

That win gives them major leverage going forward and just enough breathing room to play their way back onto the NCAA Tournament bubble and even into the dance.

Currently, this team is No. 55 in the RPI with a No. 52 ranked strength of schedule and an 11-6 record. Coming up, they have a brutal stretch that will spike their RPI ranking, and winning a few games will get them clearly into the Top 40 and maybe the Top 30. This is where the test begins.

This week, they play host to the Kentucky Wildcats and Tennessee Vols. Then they visit the Florida Gators. And after that, they host a very good Texas Tech Red Raiders team. With three games at home, they have a great chance for multiple major quality victories over the next two weeks. So this is when we find out where this new team really stands.