Each Monday we re-set the basketball table for you with a look at the current records and RPI rankings for all of the SEC’s 14 teams. Things haven’t changed much since last week, unfortunately. The league still has just three top 50 RPI teams. The conference is still ranked as just the eighth best conference overall.
Oh, and we still believe the SEC is in line for just three NCAA Tournament bids based on its own performances and the selection committee’s past actions.
If you’re an SEC fan hoping for more squads in the Big Dance, you need to see one or two league teams get on serious rolls. That or you need all the other bubble teams across the country to maintain their mediocrity. This doesn’t look like a particularly deep year for tourney teams and that could work in the SEC’s favor, but that #8 conference RPI number is pretty hard to ignore. And with six league members outside the RPI top 100, any team getting hot in league play still won’t see very much bounce in its RPI score. For that matter, playing the likes of Vanderbilt, Georgia, LSU, South Carolina, Auburn and Mississippi State will hurt most teams’ strength of schedule ranking win or lose.
As we said, things aren’t looking great for Mike Slive’s league right about now. This week’s numbers:
| School | RPI | SEC Record | Div. I Record | Last Game |
| Florida | 5 | 6-0 | 16-2 | 82-47 W @MSU |
| Missouri | 25 | 4-2 | 15-4 | 81-59 W VU |
| Ole Miss | 31 | 6-0 | 17-2 | 63-61 W @AUB |
| Kentucky | 62 | 4-2 | 13-6 | 75-70 W LSU |
| Alabama | 63 | 4-2 | 11-7 | 53-54 L @UT |
| Tennessee | 79 | 2-4 | 10-8 | 54-53 W ALA |
| Texas A&M | 83 | 2-4 | 12-7 | 52-59 L UGA |
| Arkansas | 94 | 3-3 | 12-7 | 54-75 L @USC |
| Vanderbilt | 115 | 2-4 | 8-10 | 59-81 L @MU |
| Georgia | 147 | 2-4 | 8-11 | 59-52 W @UGA |
| LSU | 150 | 1-5 | 10-7 | 70-75 L @UK |
| S. Carolina | 193 | 2-4 | 12-7 | 75-55 W ARK |
| Auburn | 210 | 2-4 | 8-11 | 61-63 L UM |
| Miss. State | 222 | 2-4 | 7-11 | 47-82 L UF |
Streaking
Ole Miss (9 wins in a row), Florida (8 wins in a row), Auburn (4 losses in a row), MSU (4 losses in a row), and Texas A&M (4 losses in a row)
MrSEC.com NCAA Tournament Projection as of 1/28/13
Florida, Missouri, and Ole Miss are in for now. Kentucky and Alabama are barely on the bubble. Tennessee, Texas A&M and Arkansas would require miraculous finishes just to reach the bubble as it will likely take more than 20 wins for an SEC team to earn an NCAA invite this season. Reminder: There are only 37 at-large bids available, making life pretty difficult for teams outside the RPI top 50.
Midweek Schedule
Tennessee at Vanderbilt (Tuesday, 7:00pm ET) — Tourney implications: Tennessee can’t afford a loss to a sub-100 team
Kentucky at Ole Miss (Tuesday, 9:00pm ET) — Tourney implications: Ole Miss can push Kentucky further off the bubble
Auburn at Georgia (Wednesday, 7:00pm ET) — Tourney implications: None
South Carolina at Florida (Wednesday, 8:00pm ET) — Tourney implications: Florida’s is playing for a #1 seed at this point
Missouri at LSU (Wednesday, 8:00pm ET) — Tourney implications: A loss at LSU could really damage Mizzou’s RPI
Texas A&M at Mississippi State (Wednesday, 9:00pm ET) — Tourney implications: If A&M dreams of turning things around, the Aggies can’t lose in Starkville
Arkansas at Alabama (Thursday, 9:00pm ET) — Tourney implications: Alabama could fall off the bubble with a loss… Arkansas’ bubble could burst entirely
