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

Last week: Lost to Tennessee Volunteers; Defeated Arkansas Razorbacks

Last rank: 11th

Just when we pegged the LSU Tigers done, they scored a huge win over the weekend. Like Georgia, LSU is a 4-6 SEC team that actually got a win last week. That recency of success puts them ahead of the other teams with the same conference record.

And it puts them ahead of the Georgia Bulldogs in our SEC Power Rankings specifically because it was more recent. On top of that, they had a more impressive loss: on the road to the Tennessee Vols. Sure, that was a 23-point loss, but it was still more impressive than losing by 15 to the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

LSU has now completed a sweep against the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Texas A&M Aggies. Will Wade’s team is looking very good, right now, and like the rest of the conference, they have a chance to be special. But it’s going to take some work.

Right now, the Tigers have the No. 75 ranked RPI with the No. 44 ranked strength of schedule. That is on the bubble but out of the NCAA Tournament. If the season ended today, they would certainly not be in.

So while they have a record to celebrate in Wade’s first year, there is much more work for this team to do. They have a chance later this week with a home game against the Ole Miss Rebels. But before that, they have a huge test on the road against a reeling team that is next in our SEC Power Rankings.