Men’s basketball SEC Power Rankings for Jan. 22: Vols lose ground

Last week: Lost to Georgia Bulldogs and Vanderbilt Commodores

Last rank: 8th

It looks like the LSU Tigers have been hit with a new dose of reality. A rebuilding program, they’ve been extremely inconsistent since the start of the year. And this past week, a pair of bad losses did some serious damage to them.

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Will Wade’s team is currently on a three-game losing streak. The first two losses weren’t bad for a rebuilding team, even if they both were at home. One was to the Georgia Bulldogs, the other to the Alabama Crimson Tide.

However, a loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores took it too far and now puts them at the bottom of our SEC Power Rankings. It was a significant drop for a team showing signs of life at different times the last couple of weeks.

However, the Tigers still have a few decent wins, and with their 11-7 record, they are only No. 99 in the RPI. That’s not in the NCAA Tournament, but a winning streak could put them on the bubble. They just need their No. 79 ranked strength of schedule to improve at the same time.

And this upcoming five-game stretch will do just that. The Tigers face the Texas A&M Aggies, Auburn Tigers, Tennessee Vols, Arkansas Razorbacks and Florida Gators over the next five games. Winning two of those games puts them in great position going forward.

But don’t be surprised if this team loses all five. In that case, any postseason they hope will be out the window.