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With conference play set to begin for most SEC teams this Saturday, HawgBeat thought it’d be good to check in with all 14 teams and assess their resumes as they head into the new year.
The teams are listed below by their NET rating and followed by a snapshot of how their season has gone - including their record, KenPom ranking, best wins, worst losses and where they were projected in the preseason media poll.
8. Auburn
Record: 12-0
KenPom: No. 15
Best win(s): vs. N.C. State (NET No. 29), vs.* St. Louis (NET No. 56), vs.* Richmond (NET No. 75), vs.* New Mexico (NET No. 86)
Worst loss(es): N/A
Preseason: 4th
One of only two undefeated teams left in Division I, the Tigers have picked up where they left off last season, when they came within a whisker of reaching the national championship game. They’re still a high-scoring team, averaging 82.2 points - led by Samir Doughty’s 16.4. Despite not having any losses, Auburn had close calls against South Alabama (one-point win on a buzzer beater) and Furman (rallied from 14-point deficit, won in overtime). A win over North Carolina State is the Tigers’ only Quadrant 1 win, but they also have solid Q2 wins over St. Louis, Richmond and New Mexico on neutral courts.
24. Arkansas
Record: 11-1
KenPom: No. 31
Best win(s): at Indiana (NET No. 51), at Georgia Tech (NET No. 112)
Worst loss(es): at Western Kentucky (NET No. 119)
Preseason: 11th
An overtime loss at Western Kentucky in which it led by five with 36 seconds left in regulation is the only blemish on the Razorbacks’ resume. It’s been a surprising start to the Eric Musselman era, as Arkansas has relied on excellent defense to get to this point. Opponents are making only 21.9 percent of their three-point attempts and averaging just 59.8 points. The Razorbacks also have two go-to scorers in Mason Jones (19.7 ppg) and Isaiah Joe (17.4 ppg). They’ve won their lone Q1 game so far (at Indiana), but split their two Q2 games - at Georgia Tech (win) and at Western Kentucky (loss).
36. LSU
Record: 8-4
KenPom: No. 38
Best win(s): vs. Liberty (NET No. 38), vs.* Rhode Island (NET No. 65)
Worst loss(es): vs. ETSU (NET No. 61), vs.* Utah State (NET No. 73)
Preseason: 3rd
Three of the Tigers’ four losses have been by exactly two points - at VCU, vs. Utah State in Jamaica and at USC - but the fourth was a head-scratcher: 74-63 vs. East Tennessee State in Baton Rouge. That seems like a bad loss, but it’s currently just a Q2 loss. Aside from that, LSU has looked good. All five starters are averaging double-figures in scoring, as LSU is putting up 81.1 points per game as a team.
40. Kentucky
Record: 9-3
KenPom: No. 14
Best win(s): vs. Louisville (NET No. 13), vs.* Michigan State (NET No. 19)
Worst loss(es): vs. Evansville (NET No. 214), vs.* Utah (NET No. 58)
Preseason: 1st
With a team comprised mostly of freshman phenoms, the Wildcats traditionally struggle at the beginning of the season. However, a three-point home loss to Evansville was out of character for even them, especially since it came a week after they knocked off preseason No. 1 Michigan State. It looks particularly bad because it is firmly in Quadrant 4 right now. Kentucky also lost back-to-back games to Utah (Q2) and Ohio State (Q1) before Christmas, but bounced back strong with an eight-point win over No. 3 Louisville.
50. Ole Miss
Record: 9-3
KenPom: No. 84
Best win(s): vs.* Penn State (NET No. 15)
Worst loss(es): vs.* Oklahoma State (NET No. 33)
Preseason: 8th
All three of the Rebels’ losses have been in Quadrant 1 games, including a one-point loss at Memphis in which they nearly erased a 16-point deficit in the second half. They followed that up with a solid win against Penn State in the NIT Tip-Off, but got more than doubled up two days later in a 78-37 blowout loss to Oklahoma State in the same event. Breein Tyree gave Arkansas fits last season, scoring 22 and 20 points in two games against the Razorbacks, and is off to a great start this year, averaging 17.1 points per game.
52. Missouri
Record: 8-4
KenPom: No. 49
Best win(s): at Temple (NET No. 35), vs.* Illinois (NET No. 46)
Worst loss(es): vs. Charleston Southern (NET No. 296)
Preseason: 13th
One of the worst losses for the SEC during non-conference play came when the Tigers lost to Charleston Southern by eight points at home. That was Missouri’s third straight loss at the time, but it bounced back to beat Temple on the road its next time out. Its other three losses have been in Q1 opportunities. The two Smiths - Mark and Dru - are the Tigers’ leading scorers, both averaging 11.8 points.
55. Florida
Record: 8-4
KenPom: No. 24
Best win(s): vs.* Xavier (NET No. 48), vs.* Miami (NET No. 82)
Worst loss(es): at UConn (NET No. 79), vs.* Utah State (NET No. 73)
Preseason: 2nd
The Gators had high expectations for this season after landing prized graduate transfer Kerry Blackshear Jr., but despite his production - 14.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game - they’ve struggled and dropped out of the top 25. Even though all four of its losses have been to decent teams, Florida’s overall NET rating is hindered by its 2-4 record against Q1 and Q2 teams.
60. Alabama
Record: 7-5
KenPom: No. 62
Best win(s): vs. Stephen F. Austin (NET No. 53), vs. Richmond (NET No. 75), vs.* Belmont (NET No. 83)
Worst loss(es): vs. Penn (NET No. 91), vs.* Iowa State (NET No. 87), vs.* North Carolina (NET No. 83)
Preseason: 6th
The season started horribly for first-year head coach Nate Oats, as the Crimson Tide dropped their season opener to Penn. They ended up losing four of their first six games, but have since won five of their last six. The only blemish during that stretch was a two-point loss at Penn State. Alabama has two players averaging 16 points in Kira Lewis Jr. and John Petty Jr., with Petty also being an elite shooter (51.2 percent from beyond the arc) and really good rebounder (team-high 7.4 per game).
66. Georgia
Record: 9-3
KenPom: No. 75
Best win(s): vs. SMU (NET No. 77)
Worst loss(es): at Arizona State (NET No. 57)
Preseason: 9th
Georgia’s schedule has been very top-heavy, with three Q1 games - all of which have been losses - and the rest being Q3 or Q4 - all of which have been wins. While they’ve taken care of business in games they should win, the Bulldogs weren’t particularly close in their losses. They lost to Michigan State by eight and Dayton by 19 in the Maui Invitational and dropped a road game at Arizona State by 20. Potential No. 1 overall draft pick Anthony Edwards will give Georgia a chance every night, though, as he’s averaging 18.8 points - the SEC’s third-leading scorer.
67. Tennessee
Record: 8-4
KenPom: No. 46
Best win(s): vs.* Washington (NET No. 41), vs.* VCU (NET No. 45)
Worst loss(es): at Cincinnati (NET No. 81)
Preseason: 5th
The Volunteers will limp into SEC play having lost two of their last three games, including a 20-point home blowout at the hands of Wisconsin in their last time out. They started the season 7-1 with wins over Washington and VCU, which were ranked at the time. Tennessee’s scoring is evenly distributed, with four of its starters averaging between 11.2 and 12.9 points.
80. Mississippi State
Record: 9-3
KenPom: No. 54
Best win(s): vs.* Kansas State (NET No. 96)
Worst loss(es): vs.* New Mexico State (NET No. 117), vs. Louisiana Tech (NET No. 71)
Preseason: 7th
Each of the Bulldogs’ three losses have been by single digits, but two of them were games they likely should have won - at home against Louisiana Tech and against New Mexico State in Jackson, Miss. Former Arkansas commit Reggie Perry has been dominant for Mississippi State, nearly averaging a double double with 15.4 points and 9.8 rebounds. He hasn’t been the Bulldogs’ only player, though, as Tyson Carter is also averaging 15.4 points and a team-high 4.2 assists.
124. Vanderbilt
Record: 8-4
KenPom: No. 131
Best win(s): vs. Davidson (NET No. 101)
Worst loss(es): vs. Tulsa (NET No. 121), vs.* Loyola-Chicago (NET No. 139)
Preseason: 14th
A home loss to Tulsa and neutral-site loss to Loyola-Chicago have marred Jerry Stackhouse’s first season at the helm for the Commodores. Vanderbilt has also lost its only two games against NET top-100 opponents. Aaron Nesmith is the SEC’s leading scorer at 22.9 points on 50 percent shooting from beyond the arc. Scotty Pippen Jr., the son of the former NBA star, has been solid as a freshman, contributing 11.0 points and 4.5 assists.
129. South Carolina
Record: 8-5
KenPom: No. 103
Best win(s): at Virginia (NET No. 69), at Clemson (NET No. 120), at UMass (NET No. 133)
Worst loss(es): vs. Stetson (NET No. 300), vs. Boston University (NET No. 203)
Preseason: 10th
One of the more unusual results in college basketball this season was the Gamecocks beating defending national champion Virginia by 11 on the road and then turning around and losing to Stetson at home. Stetson is No. 300 in the NET, making it the SEC’s worst loss in non-conference play. AJ Lawson is South Carolina’s only player in double figures, averaging 15.5 points per game.
191. Texas A&M
Record: 6-5
KenPom: No. 159
Best win(s): vs. Oregon State (NET No. 76)
Worst loss(es): vs.* Fairfield (NET No. 217), vs.* Harvard (NET No. 90)
Preseason: 12th
To say the Aggies have struggled in Buzz Williams’ first season as head coach would be an understatement. Almost as bad as their loss to Fairfield at a neutral site are a six-point win over ULM, four-point win over Troy and three-point wins over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Texas Southern - all in College Station. Texas A&M has only two players averaging double figures and is putting up just 57.7 points per game as a team while shooting 38.1 percent from the floor - both of which are among the bottom 10 figures in the 350-member Division I. The Aggies are also shooting just 23.5 percent from beyond the arc, which is nearly 2 percentage points worse than any other team in the country.
