SEC Men’s Basketball: Who’s at the Top This Week?

SEC LogoAP Top 25
1. Michigan State (6-0)
2. Kansas (4-0)
3. Kentucky (4-1)
4. Arizona (5-0)
5. Oklahoma State (4-0)

USA Today Coaches Poll
1. Michigan State (6-0)
2. Kansas (4-0)
3. Arizona (5-0)
4. Kentucky (4-1)
5. Duke (5-1)

Comparing the Polls
-Kentucky vs. Arizona: In the pre-season polls, both had Kentucky at no. 1, while AP had Arizona at no. 6 and USA Today had them at no. 5. It was not until last week that Kentucky moved down and Arizona moved up. Kentucky has an extremely young team this year. The Wildcats have nine true freshman and only one true senior. Arizona has six upper classmen on its roster. Of course, Kentucky’s one loss falls to no. 1 Michigan State. While Arizona goes 5-0, only time will tell if they can stay up in the polls. Arizona finished last season 27-8, falling to Ohio State in the Sweet Sixteen last year. Kentucky, on the other hand, finished out 21-12 overall with a loss to Vandy in the SEC tournament. It will be an interesting season to see which Wildcat can stay on top.

-Oklahoma State vs. Duke: Duke was at no.4 in the pre-season polls, and Oklahoma State didn’t even see the top 5, barely the top 10, within the pre-season. AP had Oklahoma State at no.9, while USA Today had the Cowboys all the way down at no. 12. Over the course of the weeks, Oklahoma State has made its way up slowly. USA Today has not placed them at the Top 5 just yet. The Coaches Poll has them listed at no. 8. No surprise to anyone, Duke has been ranked these past four weeks and for good reason. Its one loss falls off the shoulders of no.2 Kansas. If you are going to lose to a team, I would say they would be a good one to pick. The Cowboys remain undefeated, even after picking up a win from top-20 ranked Memphis last week. As the weeks unfold, we will see who stays on top.

Let’s take a look at the rest of your SEC line-up this week:
Wednesday, November 27th
-Arkansas vs. Gonzaga in Maui: 4 p.m. on ESPN2
-Mississippi State vs. Jackson State: 1 p.m.
-Kentucky vs. Eastern Michigan: 3 p.m. televised on FSNS
-Alabama vs. Duke in New York, NY: 8:30 p.m.
Thursday, November 28th
-LSU vs. St. Joseph’s in the Old Spice Classic: 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2
-Tennessee @ UTEP: 8:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Network
-Missouri vs. Northwestern in Las Vegas, Nev.: 9:30 p.m. on ESPNU
Friday, November 29th
-Alabama vs. Arizona or Drexel: TBD
-LSU vs. Memphis/Siena in the Old Spice Classic: TBA

-Ole Miss vs. Georgia Tech in the Barclay’s Classic: 3:30 p.m.
-Georgia vs. Appalachian State: 4:30 p.m. on CSS
-Florida vs. Florida State: 6:30 p.m. televised on ESPN2
-Missouri vs. Nevada in Las Vegas, Nev.: 7:30 p.m. on ESPN3
-Texas A&M vs. Missouri State: 9 p.m. on CBS Sports Net
Saturday, November 30th
-Ole Miss vs. Penn State/St. John’s in the Barclay’s Classic: TBA
Sunday, December 1st
-LSU vs. TBD in Old Spice Classic
-Mississippi State vs. Loyolla-Ill.: 1 p.m.
-Alabama vs. Cincinnati: 7:30 p.m. on Fox Sports 1
-Kentucky @ Providence: 7:30 on Fox Sports 1
Monday, December 2nd
-Auburn @ Iowa State: 6:00 p.m. on ESPNU
-Florida @ Connecticut: 6:00 p.m. televised on ESPN2
-Georgia vs. Chattanooga: 6:30 p.m. on CSS
-Vanderbilt @ Texas: 8:00 p.m. on ESPN2