With four games tonight and three Wednesday, the Southeastern Conference will reach the midway mark of its league schedule in men's basketball.
The conference is coming off Saturday's triumph in the Big 12/SEC Challenge, when the SEC clinched six wins in the 10-game extravaganza with Kentucky's 83-76 comeback victory at West Virginia. While that challenge was taking place, Auburn was routing LSU 95-70 to maintain its lead in the conference chase.
Bruce Pearl's Tigers, who were picked to finish ninth in the league and are down two former starters and former assistant coach Chuck Person as the result of an ongoing federal investigation, improved to 19-2 overall and 7-1 in SEC play. It's the best start for Auburn since the 1998-99 season, when Cliff Ellis had a 20-1 team that wound up 29-4 and the program's lone No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
"We're one game in front, but we're probably two games out of fifth or sixth place," Pearl said Saturday night in a news conference. "To put up a number like this against an LSU team with five top-50 wins is good, but we've got to keep trying to get better. We'll just keep putting challenges out there to stay humble and hungry."
In a league without an Associated Press top-10 representative yet without a weak link, five programs - Auburn, Florida, Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee - have begun to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. They have the top five records in conference play and are potential threats to not only reach the NCAA tournament but advance to the second weekend, especially given the performances of Florida, Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee against their Big 12 counterparts this past weekend.
Arkansas has the potential to get in the mix, but here is a closer look at the SEC's current fab five:
Auburn sophomore guard Mustapha Heron averaged 17.5 points and 10 rebounds last week in lopsided wins over Missouri and LSU. (Cat Wofford/Auburn Athletics)AUBURN
Record: 19-2 (7-1 SEC)
NCAA RPI: 6th
Joe Lunardi projection: 2 seed
Taking stock: Auburn does not have a starter taller than 6-foot-7, yet the Tigers rank third in the league in rebounds per game (39.8) and second in blocks (6.2) to go along with their sizzling showings from 3-point range. The Tigers have made 14 3-pointers in each of their last two blowout victories over Missouri and LSU and lead the league with 10 3s a game. Junior guard Bryce Brown leads the SEC with 72 3s, and Auburn is the only league team with a perfect record (11-0) at home.
Coach Bruce Pearl after beating LSU: "We've got nine guys who are playing well and playing well together. I think matchups are important, and there are some nights that we have good matchups. We probably took some shots they were glad we took, but we made them. I think our fans got treated to some good basketball."
FLORIDA
Record: 15-6 (6-2 SEC)
NCAA RPI: 36th
Joe Lunardi projection: 5 seed
Taking stock: Florida has four guards averaging in double figures with Jalen Hudson (16.5), Egor Koulechov (14.5), Chris Chiozza (12.6) and KeVaughn Allen (11.4). When the Gators shoot well, they are fun to behold, which was the case at the Phil Knight Invitational in late November, when they scored more than 100 against Stanford and Gonzaga before losing 87-84 to Duke. When they don't, they become quite mediocre, and the big question remains whether 6-11, 265-pound John Egbunu can return from the torn ACL he suffered last Valentine's Day.
Coach Mike White after beating Baylor: "This was very encouraging, and I'm pleased with our effort, especially defensively. We didn't put 40 (minutes) together, but it's probably as good of a defensive performance as we've played. We made a bunch of shots, and I thought we showed some character."
ALABAMA
Record: 14-7 (5-3)
NCAA RPI: 29th
Joe Lunardi projection: 9 seed
Taking stock: Alabama had plenty of chances to buckle Saturday against Oklahoma, especially when a Trae Young 3-pointer put the Sooners up 60-55 with 11:12 remaining. The Crimson Tide, however, countered with a 13-0 run and held Young scoreless the rest of the way in their 80-73 victory. Collin Sexton leads Alabama with 18.5 points per game, while fellow freshman guard John Petty is next at 11.8. It was Petty who took over against Auburn when Sexton was out with an abdominal injury, making 8 of 13 3-point attempts as the Tide handed the Tigers their lone conference setback on Jan. 17, 76-71.
Coach Avery Johnson after beating Oklahoma: "I thought we played a more mature basketball game today, and I think we were focused for a longer period of time. I've been a part of NBA Finals and playoff series in a lot of different cities, but the crowd that I witnessed - and this is not me blowing smoke because we won the game - in Tuscaloosa for an Alabama basketball game was magical."
KENTUCKY
Record: 16-5 (5-3 SEC)
NCAA RPI: 12th
Joe Lunardi projection: 5 seed
Taking stock: It would have been quite the long shot in October to consider Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the team MVP to this point, but that's exactly the case, as the 6-6 freshman guard from Hamilton Heights is averaging 11.8 points and a team-high 4.4 assists per game. Kevin Knox erupted Saturday night at West Virginia, making 11 of 17 shots, including five of eight from long range, to score 34 points in 35 minutes. Whether the Wildcats can use the Morgantown trip as a launch to bigger and better things remains to be seen for a program that is still adjusting to the recent arrival from injury of Jarred Vanderbilt, one of six Wildcats who are 6-9 are taller.
Coach John Calipari after beating West Virginia: "To be able to do that in this environment means that we're growing up, and part of it is that we have a full roster, which we have not had. We still haven't figured out Jarred yet. Everybody talks about our shooting, but we're not that bad of a shooting team. We're just so big that we don't play that way."
TENNESSEE
Record: 15-5 (5-3 SEC)
NCAA RPI: 13th
Joe Lunardi projection: 4 seed
Taking stock: Tennessee clearly is led by the forward tandem of sophomore Grant Williams and junior Admiral Schofield, who average 16.2 and 12.7 points per contest. Yet it's also quite clear that the Volunteers can overcome occasions in which those two struggle. Williams and Schofield were a combined 6-for-21 in Saturday's 68-45 trampling of Iowa State, yet guards Lamonte Turner and James Daniel, the lone senior on the team, combined for 36 points on 13-of-23 shooting. The Vols arguably could be 20-0, having led each of their five losses by at least eight points.
Coach Rick Barnes after beating Iowa State: "I do think we're growing up, and I don't think there is any question about that. We've been in a lot of really tough games, and our resume is pretty good. Our two nonleague losses were to North Carolina and Villanova, and I do think playing a really hard schedule helps you. We're still a relatively young team."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.