Gators retain control of the poll
1. Florida (No Change)The Gators played two tightly contested games last week, barely taking a 61-60 victory over Tennessee before defeating LSU 68-61. Florida (21-5, 10-2) will have to fight for its lead in the SEC East this week when its hosts Georgia and travels to Kentucky with a chance to widen its advantage over two of its closest competitors. — Paulina Berkovich
2. Vanderbilt (Up 4)The Commodores rallied from a 14-point deficit in the second half to defeat Georgia on the road last week before taking care of an easy matchup against Auburn. Riding a five-game winning streak and sitting in second place in the SEC East, Vanderbilt (20-6, 8-4) should fare well in this week’s contests against Tennessee and LSU. — PB
3. Alabama (Down 1)The Tide has bounced back nicely from a controversial loss at Vanderbilt, winning three straight. The next two games against Auburn and Ole Miss should be a breeze. However, Alabama (18-8, 10-2) should take advantage of the fact things will be easy — next week’s meeting with Florida will likely decide the SEC regular season championship. — James Kratch
4. Kentucky (Up 1)Ten days after losing to Vanderbilt, the Wildcats enter the week as winners of two straight. If Kentucky (19-7, 7-5) can gain some confidence against Arkansas before hosting Florida, they could be a force to be reckoned with heading into the postseason. — Isabelle Khurshudyan
5. Georgia (Down 1)After a devastating loss to Vandy, the Bulldogs rebounded with a road win at Tennessee, and are set to face a hot Florida team on the road. Should UGA (18-8, 7-5) pull out a victory,it’ll have some confidence and momentum going into the SEC Tournament. It also might push them over the edge of the NCAA Tournament bubble. — IK
6. Tennessee (Down 3)Tennessee (16-11, 6-6) desperately needs a win over rival Vanderbilt. A year after advancing to the Elite Eight, the Volunteers are in danger of missing out on the NCAA Tournament. A win over the Commodores can hopefully boost them over the remainder of their schedule, where the only test should be Kentucky. — IK
7. Mississippi State (No Change)After a pair of road losses to lowly Auburn and up-and-down Kentucky, Mississippi State (14-12, 6-6) managed to break the losing streak with a home shellacking of rival Ole Miss. Nearing the SEC Tournament, the Bulldogs will need a good week against LSU and Tennessee to snag a respective seed. — Ryan Velasquez
8. Ole Miss (Up 1)The Rebels got to know both ends of the scoring spectrum last week, going from a 90-59 win over Auburn to a 71-58 defeat at Mississippi State. The winner of five of its last eight, Ole Miss (17-10, 5-7) remains very much in the NIT race, but it will need a strong showing against South Carolina on the road and Alabama at home to stay in the running. — RV
9. Arkansas (Up 1)The Razorbacks have shown they can beat up on lower-level competition. The higher level is another story. Arkansas (16-10, 5-7) powered its way through LSU and Florida A&M, but with the winning streak on the line, crumbled at Alabama. The Hogs will likely struggle at Kentucky Wednesday night, but should be fine at Auburn on Saturday. – RV
10. South Carolina (Down 2)The Gamecocks continued their downward spiral last week with defeats at Tennessee and Kentucky, increasing their losing streak to five. South Carolina (13-12, 4-8) shot only 34.4 percent against the Wildcats en route to a 90-59 loss. This week, USC hosts Ole Miss in what may be its last shot for a win this season before traveling to Georgia. — PB
11. LSU (No Change)LSU (10-17, 2-10) hasn’t won since Jan. 12, and there is a good chance it won’t win again this year. Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Georgia are up next before a regular season finale with Auburn in the league’s battle of the basement. After that comes an almost-assured loss to the East No. 3 or 4 seed in the first round of the SEC Tournament. — JK
12. Auburn (No Change)Auburn has (in all likelihood) four regular season games plus one in the SEC Tournament to try to grab some momentum heading into the offseason. Luckily, three of the next four are winnable games against Arkansas, Ole Miss and LSU. AU (9-17, 2-10) could put a bow on Tony Barbee’s first season after all. — JK