There's other teams still alive in the SEC Basketball race, but everyone knows it's a two-horse race for the championship. The SEC runs through the state of Alabama. Heck, the national championship race might run through the state of Alabama as well.
Both the Crimson Tide and the Auburn Tigers continue to pace the NCAA this season. Both are projected No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, with ESPN's Joe Lunardi having them as the top two No. 1 seeds in his latest bracketology.
The idea has been presented that February 15th's meeting between Alabama and Auburn could be the first of four meetings between the two this season. This state might just implode upon itself if the two met in the Final Four or National Championship Game.
We know who is at the top, but let's take a look at where everyone else falls in this week's power rankings.
SEC Basketball Power Rankings
16. South Carolina Gamecocks: 10-12 (0-9)
The Gamecocks remain the only winless team in the SEC's standings. It was another 0-2 week for South Carolina. They lost by 11 on the road against Georgia before coming up just short at home against Texas A&M on Saturday.
Five of South Carolina's nine conference losses have come by five points or less. You have to think they will eventually break through, but time is a tickin'. South Carolina skips the midweek matchup this week but they head to Rupp next Saturday.
15. LSU Tigers: 12-9 (1-7)
LSU followed up a competitive loss on the road to Alabama by playing Auburn pretty well for most of the night at home on Wednesday. It looked like the Tigers might be turning a bit of a corner, but they took a gigantic step back in a 31 point loss at home to Texas.
LSU goes to Georgia on Wednesday and then hosts Ole Miss on Saturday. The NCAA Tournament hopes in Baton Rouge are dwindling.
14. Georgia Bulldogs: 15-7 (3-6)
Georgia entered the week as a projected 10-seed in Lunardi's bracket. Nothing is likely to have changed with their performance this week. The Bulldogs knocked off lowly South Carolina at home on Tuesday and then got blown out in Tuscaloosa by Alabama.
This week brings two home games, both of which the Bulldogs need to win as they are right on the bubble. LSU and Mississippi State come to Athens this week.
13. Arkansas Razorbacks: 13-8 (2-6)
There wasn't a more cathartic win in college basketball this season than John Calipari leading his team into Rupp and knocking off Kentucky. It was one of the more improbable wins this season for anyone, too. The Wildcats were double digit favorites and the Hogs entered just 1-6 in SEC play and just lost at home to Oklahoma last Saturday.
If any team needed a big win, it was Arkansas. This win puts them right back in the thick of the bubble, but the margin for error is long gone. The week ahead will be big with the Razorbacks traveling to Austin and then playing Alabama at home next weekend.
12. Oklahoma Sooners: 16-5 (3-5)
After an 0-4 start in SEC play, Porter Moser's team has now won three of their last four games. They entered the week as a projected 11-seed and one of the last four byes in Lunardi's bracketology. They should stick around the same spot after a road loss to Texas A&M and a 30-point home win over Vanderbilt on Saturday.
The week ahead is brutal: Oklahoma plays at Auburn on Tuesday before hosting Tennessee on Saturday.
11. Vanderbilt Commodores: 16-5 (4-4)
Keeping Vanderbilt ahead of Oklahoma after the Dores got blown out on Saturday might raise some eyebrows, but I try to not let one single result influence these rankings too much. Any team is capable of getting routed like Vanderbilt was. These things happen in basketball. The 'Dores still have four SEC wins, including knocking off both Tennessee and Kentucky.
Vanderbilt entered the week projected as a 9-seed. Losing to Oklahoma shouldn't hurt too much. They go to Florida in the midweek matchup before hosting Texas on Saturday.
10. Texas Longhorns: 15-7 (4-5)
Texas has won three of four after a 1-4 start in league play. Coming off back to back home wins over Missouri and Texas A&M, the Longhorns nearly earned a huge road win over Ole Miss in the middle of the week but came up just short. They went on the road and dominated LSU in Baton Rouge on Saturday.
Texas hosts Arkansas on Wednesday before going on the road to Nashville on Saturday.
9. Mississippi State Bulldogs: 16-6 (4-5)
This was not the week Chris Jans was hoping for with Mississippi State dropping a pair of home games. First, the Bulldogs came up short against Alabama in a hotly contested matchup on Wednesday. Everything went wrong on Saturday and they suffered a humiliating 27-point defeat in Starkville to Missouri.
Mississippi State entered the week with hopes of competing for the league title. Back-to-back home losses likely ends those hopes.
8. Ole Miss Rebels: 16-6 (5-4)
Ole Miss has been trending in the wrong direction since a road win over Alabama three weeks ago. Since then, the Rebels have lost four of their last five games. They did earn a nice win over Texas at home this week before falling short in an upset bid against No. 1 Auburn in Oxford.
Lunardi has Ole Miss projected as a 6-seed right now. This week brings Kentucky to Oxford in the midweek and then sees the Rebels travel to Baton Rouge to face LSU on Saturday.
7. Texas A&M Aggies: 17-5 (6-3)
Texas A&M took care of business this week, beating Oklahoma at home and earning a road win over South Carolina. Winning on the road, even against the lowly Gamecocks, is never easy. Not in this league.
The Aggies are holding steady as a projected 4-seed. They get a week off before a tough road trip to Missouri next Saturday.
6. Kentucky Wildcats: 15-6 (4-4)
The shine on Mark Pope's first season in Lexington is all gone after the Wildcats let John Calipari bring Arkansas into Rupp and leave with a win. Pope will now begin feeling the weight of the Kentucky job, perhaps for the first time.
Kentucky earned a big road win over Tennessee on Tuesday but gave away the goodwill they got from that with the home loss to the Razorbacks. The Wildcats will look to bounce back on the road against Ole Miss on Tuesday and they get a palate cleanser with South Carolina coming to Rupp next weekend.
5. Missouri Tigers: 17-4 (6-2)
The Dennis Gates Coach of the Year agenda is in full force. After going 0-18 in SEC play a year ago, Missouri is now in sole possession of third place in the SEC at 6-2. Missouri had only one game this week, but it was an incredibly impressive 88-61 road win over Mississippi State that signals the Tigers are a legitimate contender in the SEC.
This week will be tougher. Missouri goes on the road to face Tennessee on Wednesday and hosts Texas A&M on Saturday.
4. Florida Gators: 18-3 (5-3)
Florida has one of the best offenses in college basketball, but they were completely overwhelmed by a spirited Tennessee defense on Saturday and Todd Golden's Gators only managed 44 points in a 20-point loss on the road to the Vols.
Florida hosts Vanderbilt in the midweek before a big road matchup at Auburn next Saturday.
3. Tennessee Volunteers: 18-4 (5-4)
Without Zakai Ziegler and Igor Milicic and playing against a team that had already beaten them by 30 points earlier in the season, not much was expected from the Vols on Saturday, even at home in Knoxville. But Rick Barnes has a tough team and Tennessee was dominant in a 64-44 win over Florida with their defensive acumen on full display. The win allowed the Vols to avoid an 0-2 week at home after dropping to Kentucky in the middle of the week.
Tennessee has a third straight home game on Wednesday against Missouri and then travels to Oklahoma on Saturday.
2. Alabama Crimson Tide: 19-3 (8-1)
Alabama did what it needed to this week to keep pace with Auburn. The Crimson Tide earned a hard fought road win in Starkville on Wednesday and then blew out Georgia in Tuscaloosa on Saturday. The Tide has won five in a row and will now get a much-needed week off.
A pair of road games stand between Alabama and its showdown with Auburn. After a week off, the Crimson Tide travels to Arkansas and Texas before hosting the Tigers.
1. Auburn Tigers: 20-1 (8-0)
Auburn is 8-0 in the SEC and has now won 13 games in a row. They're the clear-cut No. 1 team in college basketball right now and they keep stacking great wins. They went on the road this week and earned double-digit wins over both LSU and Ole Miss to remain undefeated in league play.
Oklahoma and Florida come to Auburn this week.