Men’s basketball SEC Power Rankings Feb. 5: Vols remain among elites

Last week: Lost to Kentucky Wildcats and Auburn Tigers

Last rank: 12th

On a macro scale, the Vanderbilt Commodores have clearly been the worst team in the SEC. But power rankings are based on how you are playing at that particular time. And despite their 8-15 record and 2-8 conference record, Vanderbilt is not riding as long of a losing streak as the Ole Miss Rebels.

They actually beat their Big 12 opponent in the TCU Horned Frogs over a week ago while Ole Miss lost to the Texas Longhorns. TCU was a tougher opponent. On top of that, they looked way better in both losses this week.

Both games against the Auburn Tigers and Kentucky Wildcats were on the road. They only lost to Kentucky by two, and they only lost to Auburn by 12. Automatically, they have a better recent resume than Ole Miss in every way. As a result, we have them ahead of the Rebels in our SEC Power Rankings.

The Commodores also have the No. 1 ranked strength of schedule, one that is far and away tougher than Ole Miss’s despite Ole Miss’s being in the Top 10. If they hadn’t had such an ugly start to the season, their No. 120 ranked RPI could be much higher.

Consider the fact that Vanderbilt has not lost to a team outside of the Top 100 of the RPI. Bryce Drew’s team continues to play teams tough as well, and they are now playing them tougher.

Postseason play is out of the question for this year, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t a dangerous team. The Georgia Bulldogs, Arkansas Razorbacks, Florida Gators, Mississippi State Bulldogs and LSU Tigers are their next five games. All are beatable given how this team plays, as are the Texas A&M Aggies and Missouri Tigers at home.