Women’s basketball Jan. 23 SEC Power Rankings: Lady Vols take significant dive

KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 21: Tennessee Volunteers fans hold up a cardboard photo of women's basketball coach Pat Summitt during the game against the Connecticut Huskies at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 21, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee defeated Connecticut 60-57. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 21: Tennessee Volunteers fans hold up a cardboard photo of women's basketball coach Pat Summitt during the game against the Connecticut Huskies at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 21, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee defeated Connecticut 60-57. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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Last week: Defeated Auburn Tigers; Lost to Texas A&M Aggies

Last rank: 8th

The LSU Tigers keep hitting par, which is why they remain right in the middle of the pack of our SEC Power Rankings. However, we are clearly in the next tier of these rankings, going from the bottom tier to teams legitimately in the NCAA Tournament race.

Nikki Fargas’s team is 12-6 and 4-3 in the RPI. And last week, they did exactly what you would expect them to do by defeating the Auburn Tigers and then losing to the Texas A&M Aggies on the road. There’s no shame in that.

Right now, this team is on the bubble and trying to confirm its spot in the Big Dance. They are almost there. The 12-6 record and 4-3 conference record against the No. 41 ranked strength of schedule is enough to have them No. 42 in the RPI.

However, this team has a lot more work to do to make sure it has that insurance and breathing room. These guys have a chance to get in another tier if they go on a roll as well.

They now get almost a week off before two games that serve as a huge test for them. They host  the Tennessee Lady Vols and Georgia Bulldogs and have to win one of those games to get respect. Winning both would be huge for them. After that, they have an easy stretch with three of four games against teams outside of the Top 100 in the RPI. So this week is their chance.