The Oklahoma Sooners have at least separated themselves from the bottom of the pack in the SEC.
After starting conference play 0-4, the Sooners have won back-to-back conference games for the first time this season with wins against South Carolina and Arkansas the last two weekends. However, the Gamecocks and Razorbacks are bottom dwellers in the SEC, but at least the Sooners assured they're not at the bottom of the conference.
While the Sooners have been getting back on track, the rest of the SEC has been a Royal Rumble in a conference with 13 teams currently projected to make the field of 68 for the NCAA Tournament.
Now almost a month into conference play, here's how the SEC is looking.
I'd say the SEC is loaded top to bottom, but there's South Carolina. The Gamecocks are still looking for their first conference win at 0-7, and it'll be embarrassing for whoever that first dub comes against (if it ever comes).
John Calipari's first season at Arkansas has went from bad to worse. The Razorbacks recently lost standout freshman Boogie Fland for the rest of the season because of a hand injury.
The positive for the Razorbacks is they beat Georgia last week for their first conference win, and with South Carolina being so bad, they shouldn't drop anymore no matter how much worse their season gets.
The Tigers earned the 14th spot with their only conference win so far being against Arkansas. LSU has had a loaded SEC slate so far, but will still likely stay near the bottom.
If the SEC was divided into tiers, the Sooners escaped the bottom tier after proving they're at least better than bottom dwellers South Carolina and Arkansas.
There's also an argument to be made, especially for an OU site, that the Sooners should be ahead of Georgia after the Bulldogs' recent plunge. However, Georgia won head-to-head, and the Sooners will need a more impressive win than South Carolina or Arkansas to jump Georgia.
Georgia started SEC play just as hot as anyone else, but has now dropped four straight since beating OU. Granted, it was a tough stretch for the Bulldogs, but one of those losses was to Arkansas in its first game after losing Boogie Fland for the season.
With the Sooners trending upward and Georgia's stock crashing, those two could be switching spots by next week.
The Longhorns are certainly better than what they showed during their nonconference schedule. Texas has now gotten itself into the NCAA Tournament field after an impressive start to conference play.
Texas' only SEC losses were to Tennessee and Florida. The Longhorns have also won back-to-back games over ranked opponents in Missouri and Texas A&M.
Vanderbilt's stock is rising like BitCoin. Within a week, the Commodores upset Kentucky and Tennessee. Their loss between that was to Alabama.
Vanderbilt will be coming in hot to Norman on Saturday to play the Sooners.
The Rebels have lost three in a row after a solid start to SEC play. Ole Miss will likely continue to drop in these power rankings with everyone behind it on the rise.
The Aggies just lost a thriller to in-state rival Texas. The Aggies are still deserving to be this high, though, as a top-20 team.
The Bulldogs needed overtime to beat South Carolina. However, Mississippi State hammered the Gamecocks in the first meeting earlier this month.
Soon, we'll find out what the Bulldogs are really made of.
Outside of a slip up against Texas and early loss to Auburn, the Tigers have been stellar in SEC play with wins over Ole Miss, Arkansas, Florida, Vanderbilt and LSU. Mizzou could be dangerous down the stretch.
Once a top-5 team in the country, Kentucky has struggled recently with two straight losses to Vanderbilt and Alabama. This is still Kentucky, though, so expect the Wildcats to get back on track, even under new leadership.
Tennessee just lost to Auburn 53-51, but nearly taking down the Tigers might be more impressive than a win against any other team. From here on up, any of these SEC teams could make a run to the Final Four, including the Volunteers.
Winners of three straight, Alabama is one of the best teams in the country, yet probably not the best college basketball team in its own state.
The Gators have had some questionable performances, but have also embarrassed teams like Tennessee and Texas. Again, Florida is another SEC team capable of a Final Four run if the right squad shows up in March.
The Auburn Tigers are the best team in college basketball, and there's no argument until someone proves otherwise.