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Women’s SEC Power Rankings Feb. 6: Lady Vols move back up

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 14: Tennessee Volunteers fans cheer during the game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 14, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Kentucky defeated Tennessee 65-62. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 14: Tennessee Volunteers fans cheer during the game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 14, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Kentucky defeated Tennessee 65-62. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images
Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images /

Last week: Defeated Missouri Tigers and South Carolina Gamecocks

Last rank: 1st

This remains no shock to anybody. The Mississippi State Bulldogs have been dominating the college basketball landscape at a level that even rivals the UConn Huskies this year. And remember that the Bulldogs beat the Huskies in last year’s NCAA Tournament before losing the national championship game.

As a result, it should come as no shock to anybody that they are No. 1 this year in our SEC Power Rankings. Mississippi State has been dominating everybody from start to finish. In fact, last week’s game at the Missouri Tigers was the first time anybody came within double-digits of the Bulldogs in SEC play.

It was only the second time all year that had happened. But the game was at Mizzou, a very good team, so it should not have been shocking. They followed that up with a thumping of the South Carolina Gamecocks. And as a result, they still remain far and away ahead of everybody else in our SEC Power Rankings.

Currently, they are No. 3 in the RPI with their undefeated record and No. 11 ranked strength of schedule. Vic Schaefer has slowly been building this team up since he took over in Starkville, and every year has been better than the last.

Well, this past week was his toughest test of the regular season, and he aced it. As a result, he really has to be thinking about an undefeated season and national championship now. That’s really all he has left to do. Mississippi State plays the easy part of its schedule the rest of the way.

Five of the Bulldogs’ final six games are against SEC teams outside of the Top 100 of the RPI. Their other one is at home against the Texas A&M Aggies. Simply put, they’ve all but locked up an undefeated regular season and regular season SEC title.

But can they keep it going into the SEC and NCAA Tournaments? Schaefer’s team looks good enough to do it. Now it’s time to prove it. Their standing in a silly little site’s SEC Power Rankings should be way beneath their focus at this point.