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HOOPS INSIDER INSIDE ONE OF COLLEGE BASKETBALL’S PREMIER CONFERENCES | COMPILED BY PATRICK STEVENS, SPECIAL TO GATEHOUSE MEDIA STORY OF THE WEEK RANKING THE LEAGUE * Calipari calls out the ‘Cats: Kentucky coach John Calipari was less than enthused about his team’s performance against 1. Kentucky: Sure, the Wildcats have some Texas A&M — and its progress to date. “Toughness means that you’re engaged, that you’re playing people before they maturing to do in the next couple months, catch the ball, that you’re meeting people before the ball hits the rim when you rebound, that you’re sprinting the floor but and they might not emerge as a serious every time and bouncing, and you’re talking,” he said. “We got closer. But still that’s going to be a work in progress. Until national title contender. But they are still we get really good at that, we’re going to be who we are. Every team that plays us is going to have a chance.” capable of doing a lot of damage. (Last week: 1) STOCK RISING STOCK FALLING 2. Auburn: The 15-year NCAA Tournament drought on the Plains looks like Auburn: The only team in the SEC Texas A&M (again): For the second it’s going to end in another eight weeks or without a league loss entering the year in a row, the Aggies find so. (LW: 3) week was none other than Bruce themselves in a deep hole at the Pearl’s Tigers. They’ve won at Ten- start of league play. Unlike last year, 3. Florida: Even after dropping a game at nessee and picked off both Arkansas when A&M fielded an inexperienced Mississippi, the Gators are positioned to be and Mississippi at home and rolled into the week on a roster when it started 1-5 in the SEC after securing one of the top four teams in the SEC — much 14-game winning streak. Auburn’s first 20-win season only modest accomplishments outside the league, like everyone expected at the start of the since 2008-09 is within sight by mid-January, and it won’t this season’s bunch did plenty of good work prior to season. (LW: 2) see Florida or Kentucky until mid-February. The Tigers’ the 18-game league slate. But 0-5 is 0-5, and a spate of progress at the defensive end places them in the middle injuries and suspensions appears to largely be in the 4. Tennessee: KenPom.com lists Grant tier of the league, more than enough for offense led by rear-view mirror. With a stretch of four out of six games Williams as the SEC’s top player so far this the likes of Mustapha Heron, Bryce Brown, Jared Harper in College Station, the window is open for the Aggies to season. Games like his monster showing and DeSean Murray to take turns creating problems. salvage their season. against Vanderbilt surely don’t hurt in that regard. (LW: 4) WEEKEND SPOTLIGHT 5. Arkansas: Snapped out of a three-game slide by edging Missouri at home. That’s a first step toward the Razorbacks re- establishing themselves as a contender for a place in the top third of the league. (LW: 7) 6. Alabama: Quietly collected a pair of vic- tories last week and now get four of five in Tuscaloosa. (LW: 9) 7. Missouri: The Tigers have alternated wins and losses since Dec. 19, which means they could be Texas A&M’s first SEC victim come the weekend. (LW: 8) 8. Mississippi: The Rebels are 3-0 at home against the SEC, and 0-2 on the road. To climb into postseason contention, Andy Ken- nedy’s team needs to do better away from Oxford. (LW: 10) 9. Georgia: Owners of the most efficient defense in league play … and the SEC’s second-least efficient offense against conference foes. The Bulldogs need more options beyond Yante Maten. (LW: 5) 10. Texas A&M: It’s getting close to now-or- never time for the Aggies, an unexpected twist for a team that was 11-1 less than a month ago. (LW: 6) 11. Louisiana State: An unexpected development — the Tigers are 3-0 in true road games in Will Wade’s first season, upending Memphis, Texas A&M and Arkan- sas. (LW: 12) 12. South Carolina: Chris Silva and the Gamecocks bagged a victory at Georgia for the second year in a row. When their defense is sharp, they’re still a pain to face. (LW: 13) Florida’s KeVaughn Allen heads to the basket as Missouri’s Jordan Geist defends during the first half Saturday 13. Mississippi State: The Bulldogs are in Columbia, Mo. [JEFF ROBERSON/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS] struggling to score, and their season-long perimeter shooting woes have been ampli- Florida at Kentucky fied this month. It’s going to be a tough task Weekend slate All times EST escaping the bottom third of the league. (LW: 11) Saturday, 8:15 p.m., Rupp Arena, Time Game TV Lexington, Ky., ESPN 14. Vanderbilt: The schedule has done the SATURDAY It might not be quite the heavyweight battle Commodores no favors, what with early 1 p.m. Louisiana State at Vanderbilt SEC Network it was at times earlier this decade, but meetings with Florida, Kentucky and Tennes- 3:30 p.m. Mississippi at Arkansas SEC Network Florida-Kentucky remains one of the best see. To make matters worse, Vanderbilt will 4 p.m. Missouri at Texas A&M ESPN/ESPN2 rivalries within the conference. Kentucky see all three of them a second time by Feb. 17. (LW: 14) 6 p.m. Georgia at Auburn SEC Network continues to lean heavily on Hamidou Diallo, 6 p.m. Tennessee at South Carolina ESPN/ESPN2 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Kevin Knox, *Entering week of Jan. 15 8:30 p.m. Mississippi State at Alabama SEC Network and the Wildcats entered the week with a 4-1 mark in the SEC — with all four victories decided by single digits. Florida’s enjoyed some better moments behind guards Chris Chiozza, Jalen Hudson NUMBER OF NOTE and Egor Koulechov, but it tripped up in conference play for the first time all season Saturday at Mississippi. The teams won’t see each other again until the final weekend of the regular season, so the winner gets a leg up in the chase for the SEC’s top seed. The Gators and Wildcats split their home-and-home series last year. 1,000 Career games as a head coach for Tennessee’s Rick Barnes, who reached the milestone in Saturday’s 75-62 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK defeat of Texas A&M. Barnes is 647-353 over stops at George Mason, Providence, Clemson, Texas and • G Shai Gilgeous-Alex- • G Kassius Robertson, • G Tremont Waters, • F Grant Williams, Ten- Tennessee. ander, Kentucky: Helped Missouri: Notched 20.5 Louisiana State: Posted nessee: Averaged 23.0 the Wildcats two a pair points and 6.5 rebounds averages of 13.5 points, points and 6.0 rebounds 2-7 of victories by averaging per game as the Tigers 4.0 rebounds and 6.5 against Vanderbilt and Record for Vanderbilt in games decided by single-digit 19.0 points, 5.5 rebounds beat Georgia and fell to assists as the Tigers Texas A&M, including a margins. That includes three setbacks in conference and 5.5 assists. Arkansas. snagged a split with 37-point outburst against play for the Commodores (6-11). Arkansas and Alabama. Vanderbilt. 6x3 ad position.