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

Last week: Defeated Kentucky Wildcats; Lost to Tennessee Volunteers

Last rank: 9th

Frank Martin’s South Carolina Gamecocks are rebuilding right now, but they still are a dangerous team with a solid collection of talent. As a result, at 12-7 and 3-4 in the conference, this team is just barely outside of the top half of our SEC Power Rankings.

This team scored a huge win last week over the Kentucky Wildcats. They were hinting at shooting up the rankings after that. However, Saturday’s home loss to the Tennessee Vols dropped them back into the middle of the pack.

The Gamecocks can’t seem to get a consistent rhythm going at all this year. And that makes the a far cry from last year’s Final Four team. The good thing for them, though, is they are still a relevant team that can be very dangerous.

Right now, South Carolina is firmly on the bubble. With their record and No. 42 ranked strength of schedule, they are currently ranked No. 53 in the RPI. And if they can just keep playing inconsistent, they have a chance to jump even higher with their schedule strength set to improve dramatically.

Seven of South Carolina’s next eight games are against Top 40 RPI teams. All are in the Top 100, and five are in the Top 25. This is their chance to really beef up their resume. Or it could knock them flat on their face. Either way, we’re about to learn a lot more on this team.