Just when we thought they were in, they pulled themselves back out. That might be our operative phrase for a couple SEC basketball teams, notably Kentucky and Tennessee after this past weekend’s games. This a conference that is crazy on the NCAA Tournament bubble right now—while Florida locked up a share of the league title and Missouri is comfortably in the field, it’s anybody’s guess with at least five other teams.
The SEC has seen two ships cross in the night when it comes to the race for its conference championship. Ole Miss basketball wasn’t supposed to be a contender, while Kentucky certainly wasn’t supposed to be an NCAA bubble team. But that’s how the season has unfolded to date. It’s Ole Miss that’s tied with Florida atop the conference standings, with Missouri hanging just behind. And it’s Kentucky that’s struggling. With the Rebels set to host last year’s national champion, today is as good a time as any to take a deeper look at Ole Miss basketball and see if they’re the real thing.