SEC Week in Review: UK, VU unbeaten

Each week, GatorCountry.com will provide you with a brief recap of all the Southeastern Conference action so you can keep up with the SEC race. Florida currently sits one game out of first place in the league behind Kentucky and Vanderbilt as the Gators try to defend last year’s SEC title.

No. 2 Kentucky (17-1, 3-0 SEC) – The Wildcats have only a one-point loss to Indiana on their record, but Kentucky got quite a test from Tennessee in its third game of the weekend. The Wildcats knocked off South Carolina 79-64 last weekend, before taking down Auburn 68-53 midweek and Tennessee 65-62 this weekend.

Vanderbilt (13-4, 3-0 SEC) – The Commodores dropped four games in their nonconference slate, including a pair of overtime losses against ranked teams in Xavier and Louisville. Vanderbilt breezed through the first week of SEC play, crushing Auburn 65-35, outlasting South Carolina 67-57 and topping Georgia 77-66.

Southeastern Conference Standings
Team SEC GB Overall
No. 2 Kentucky 3-0 17-1
Vanderbilt 3-0 13-4
No. 20 Mississippi State 2-1 1 15-3
No. 19 Florida 2-1 1 14-4
Arkansas 2-1 1 13-4
Alabama 2-1 1 13-4
Auburn 1-2 2 11-6
LSU 1-2 2 11-6
Ole Miss 1-2 2 11-6
Tennessee 1-2 2 8-9
Georgia 0-3 3 9-8
South Carolina 0-3 3 8-9

No. 20 Mississippi State (15-3, 2-1 SEC) – The Bulldogs lost just two games in the non-conference slate, including a two-point loss to No. 7 Baylor. However, Mississippi State opened SEC play with a 98-88 loss to Arkansas before picking up a 62-58 win over Tennessee and a 56-52 win over Alabama.

No. 19 Florida (14-4, 2-1 SEC) – After losing three games in the non-conference slate, with two of them against Top 5 teams, the Gators opened SEC play with a stunning 67-56 road loss at Tennessee. Florida rebounded by crushing Georgia 70-48 and knocking off South Carolina on the road 79-65.

Arkansas (13-4, 2-1 SEC) – The Razorbacks lost just three games in the non-conference slate, including one to No. 10 Connecticut. Arkansas began SEC play with a 98-88 win against Mississippi State before dropping a road game to Ole Miss 71-63. The Razorbacks finished up the week by knocking off LSU 69-60.

Alabama (13-4, 2-1 SEC) – The Crimson Tide dropped three fairly close games in the non-conference portion of the schedule before getting off to a hot start in SEC play. Alabama knocked off Georgia 74-59 before taking down LSU 69-53 in the middle of the week. The Crimson Tide suffered a close 56-52 loss to No. 20 Missisippi State over the weekend.

Auburn (11-6, 1-2 SEC) – The Tigers dropped four games in their non-conference schedule, including three of their last five heading into SEC play. Things haven’t gotten much better for Auburn, who opened SEC play with a 65-35 loss on the road at Vanderbilt before falling to Kentucky 68-53 at home. The Tigers were able to knock off Ole Miss 69-68 in double overtime over the weekend to secure their first SEC win.

LSU (11-6, 1-2 SEC) – The Tigers dropped four non-conference games, including one in overtime and a five-point loss to No. 23 Virginia. LSU rebounded from the Virginia loss by knocking off Ole Miss 81-55 to open SEC play. However, the Tigers have lost two straight on the road, falling at Alabama 69-53 and at Arkansas 69-60.

Ole Miss (11-6, 1-2 SEC) – The Rebels lost four non-conference games, including three of their final four heading into SEC play. Things got worse with an SEC-opening road loss to LSU 81-55. The Rebels rebounded to beat Arkansas 71-63 before falling to Auburn in double overtime 69-68 over the weekend.

Tennessee (8-9, 1-2 SEC) – Despite losing seven non-conference games, including three to teams ranked in the Top 25, Tennessee has rebounded well to begin SEC play. The Volunteers have played all three of the league’s ranked teams to start, picking up a key 67-56 win over No. 19 Florida in the SEC opener. Tennessee then dropped a close one on the road at No. 20 Mississippi State 62-58 before falling to No. 2 Kentucky 65-62.

Georgia (9-8, 0-3 SEC) – The Bulldogs lost five non-conference games, including four in a row between the end of November and beginning of December. Georgia has opened SEC play with three straight double-digit losses, falling to Alabama 74-59, on the road to No. 19 Florida 70-48 and on the road to Vanderbilt 77-66.

South Carolina (8-9, 0-3 SEC) – The Gamecocks lost six non-conference games, including five of their first seven. South Carolina began SEC play with a road loss to No. 2 Kentucky 79-64 before falling to Vanderbilt 67-57. The Gamecocks wrapped up the week with a home loss to No. 19 Florida 79-65.