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Men’s basketball SEC Power Rankings for Jan. 29: Vols near the top

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 06: Tennessee Volunteers fans try to distract a free throw attempt by PJ Washington
KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 06: Tennessee Volunteers fans try to distract a free throw attempt by PJ Washington /
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Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images /

Last week: Lost to Ole Miss Rebels; Defeated Oklahoma Sooners

Last rank: 2nd

The Alabama Crimson Tide are a fluke loss last week away from being No. 1 in our SEC Power Rankings. After a questionable and inconsistent start to the season and conference play, they have been rolling outside of that one hiccup.

And yes, it was a hiccup. Avery Johnson’s team had no business losing to the Ole Miss Rebels. But they followed it up with a huge win over the Oklahoma Sooners. And that was enough for us to still keep these guys in the Top 5 of our SEC Power Rankings.

This team now has huge wins over Oklahoma, the Auburn Tigers and the Rhode Island Rams. They also have solid wins over the Texas A&M Aggies and South Carolina Gamecocks. All of that leading to a 14-7 record and 5-3 SEC record puts them firmly this high on our list.

It also has them firmly in the NCAA Tournament as of right now. The Tide are No. 29 in the RPI  with the No. 8 ranked strength of schedule. So they are looking really good right now, and Johnson has clearly built up this team.

Up next, though, is a home game against the Missouri Tigers before they take a road trip to the Florida Gators. Both games are going to be tough, and they need to be able to split just to stay in their position. After all, this SEC schedule doesn’t get any easier.

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