At this point, the SEC has pretty much nailed down the #8 spot in the conference RPI rankings. And that’s not a good thing.
Judging only the team-by-team RPI ratings, four SEC schools appear to be in decent shape in terms of making the NCAA Tournament. A fifth squad is on the bubble, but the league’s overall #8 ranking will likely make it tough for any SEC team ranked below 50th on the RPI chart to earn an at-large bid from the selection committee.
Below are the updated numbers…
| School | RPI | SEC Record | Div. I Record | Last Game |
| Florida | 4 | 9-1 | 19-3 | 83-58 W MSU |
| Missouri | 33 | 6-4 | 17-6 | 98-79 W UM |
| Ole Miss | 45 | 7-3 | 18-5 | 79-98 L @MU |
| Kentucky | 49 | 8-2 | 17-6 | 72-61 W AUB |
| Alabama | 64 | 7-3 | 14-8 | 60-57 W LSU |
| Texas A&M | 76 | 4-6 | 14-9 | 46-52 L @UGA |
| Tennessee | 85 | 4-6 | 12-10 | 66-61 W @USC |
| Arkansas | 100 | 5-5 | 14-9 | 49-67 L @VU |
| Georgia | 111 | 6-4 | 12-11 | 52-46 W A&M |
| LSU | 112 | 4-6 | 13-8 | 57-60 L @ALA |
| Vanderbilt | 146 | 3-7 | 9-13 | 67-49 W ARK |
| Auburn | 205 | 3-7 | 9-14 | 62-72 L @UK |
| S. Carolina | 209 | 2-8 | 12-11 | 61-66 L UT |
| Miss. State | 224 | 2-8 | 7-15 | 58-83 L @ UF |
Streaking
Kentucky and Georgia have both won five games in a row. For UK, such a run was expected (inevitable). For UGA, it’s a bit more of a surprise as Mark Fox has held his squad together and now led them back to the upper half of the SEC standings board.
On the other end of things are South Carolina and Mississippi State. The Gamecocks have lost four in a row while Rick Ray’s thin roster of Bulldogs has endured eight straight defeats.
MrSEC.com NCAA Tourament Projection as of 2/11/13
If the tournament began today, Florida would be in with either a #1 or #2 seed. The Gators are the only SEC team with a winning record versus the RPI top 50 (5-2). Missouri would be in as well. Ole Miss and Kentucky — with RPI ranks of #45 and #49 respectively — would likely get at-large bids.
Alabama is currently on the bubble with the nation’s 64th best RPI, but with the SEC down, that number probably wouldn’t provide the Tide with a bid.
Midweek Schedule
Kentucky at Florida (Tuesday, 7pm ET) — It’s a shame this head-to-head battle for the SEC lead won’t feature injured Gator Will Yeguete.
Alabama at Georgia (Tuesday, 9pm ET)
Ole Miss at Texas A&M (Wednesday, 7pm ET)
Missouri at Mississippi State (Wednesday, 8pm ET)
Tennessee at Vanderbilt (Wednesday, 8pm ET)
Arkansas at Auburn (Wednesday, 9pm ET)
LSU at South Carolina (Thursday, 7pm ET)
