SEC basketball teams are moving in opposite directions in February's crunch time. Alabama Basketball and seven other SEC teams are trending up. The league's other half is filled with also-rans and three teams that have slipped into the NCAA Tournament bubble zone.
The longest winning streak among SEC basketball teams belongs to the Florida Gators. Florida has won four straight and nine of its last 10 games. Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, and Texas have each won three straight games. The Wildcats have also won eight of their last nine games. Tennessee and Arkansas have each won five of six games, and Vanderbilt has won four of five games.
Five of the eight SEC basketball teams that are trending down are no surprise. Three teams also trending down have been considered NCAA Tournament teams. They may still make the Big Dance, but all three are currently just above bubble status.
Oklahoma leads the five no-surprise downward-trending teams with nine losses in its last 10 games. South Carolina and Mississippi State have each lost eight of nine games. LSU has lost nine of its last 11 games, and Ole Miss has lost six straight.
The three teams treading water are Georgia, the loser of four of five games, and Texas A&M and Auburn, each with three straight losses. Bracketologist Jerry Palm no longer sees the Auburn Tigers as an NCAA Tournament team. The Bulldogs have slipped to No. 40 in Bart Torvik's Wins Above the Bubble (WAB) ranking. The Aggies are lower in that stat, at No. 45.
Alabama Basketball Solid NCAA Tournament Resume
The NCAA Tournament Selection Committee considers the WAB. Alabama Basketball is ranked highly at No. 15. Only two SEC teams are slightly higher: Vanderbilt at No. 13 and Florida at No. 14.
Ken Pomeroy's ratings also have the Crimson Tide as the SEC's third-best team. In the KPom rankings, Florida is No. 5, Vanderbilt is No. 13, and Alabama is No. 16.
In Thursday's NCAA NET update, Alabama is ranked No. 21. Florida is No. 7, Vanderbilt is No. 15, and Arkansas is No. 20. Alabama will host the Razorbacks on Feb. 18.