A week ago I offered an admittedly too early prediction of what teams were and were not in contention for the next SEC Basketball Regular Season Championship. All 16 teams were grouped into Contenders, Maybe Contenders, Longshots, and a woebegone assemblage of stragglers characterized as "Forget About It."
There were six 'Contenders' last week. After the games of Jan. 25, the group is down to just four. Moving in an opposite direction, the 'Maybe Contenders' group has grown from three to five. The same as before, there are two 'Longshots' this week, though not the same two teams. The 'Forget About It' group remains at five, but not the same five.
The groupings are subjective but as before rankings from five computer models are considered. The five algorithms are the NCAA NET; ESPN's BPI; KPI; along with ratings by Ken Pomeroy and Evan Miya. An average ranking is provided for each SEC basketball team, through games of Jan. 25.
SEC Basketball Regular Season Basketball Contenders
- Auburn Tigers (18-1 and 6-0 in SEC play) - Average national ranking (all Division 1 teams) is No. 2. The Tigers did benefit Saturday night from a non-call on Auburn's Johni Broome, described by Jay Bilas as "there is no world in which that is not a foul." Nonetheless, the Tigers are 'for real' formidable and perhaps the nation's best team.
- Alabama Crimson Tide (17-3 and 6-1) - Average national ranking is No. 6. The Crimson Tide has too frequently shown it can be insufficiently focused against lesser teams. Nate Oats knows that this cannot be allowed to happen during tournament season. When the Crimson Tide is clicking. it can claim to be one of the nation's best.