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

Last week: Defeated Alabama Crimson Tide; Lost to Texas Longhorns

Last rank: 12th

Perhaps we overreacted in catapulting the Ole Miss Rebels four spots in our SEC Power Rankings. After all, they are only one game above .500 and just lost by 13 to the Texas Longhorns. Those are all valid criticisms.

However, that was a road loss to a team slowly finding its rhythm. Meanwhile, they are 4-4 in the SEC, better than anybody else we’ve mentioned so far. On top of that, they have major wins over the South Carolina Gamecocks, Florida Gators and the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Beating Alabama last week was a huge win for this team. Andy Kennedy has the Rebels finally getting on a roll, and everybody in the league needs to watch out for these guys. Despite their record, they’ve done enough for us to put them here.

Sure, they’re only 11-10. But they have the No. 20 ranked strength of schedule. That’s enough for them to be No. 83 in the RPI. So they actually aren’t out of the NCAA Tournament race yet when you consider where they stand.

However, these guys have to score some more big wins. And the schedule is about to get brutal. This week alone Ole Miss hosts the Auburn Tigers and visits the Tennessee Vols. Then they host the Missouri Tigers. Finding a way to get to 2-1 in this three-game stretch would be huge.

They also need to separate themselves from the middle and bottom of the pack in our SEC Power Rankings. That means somehow finding ways to beat the LSU Tigers and Mississippi State Bulldogs on the road later in the year.