Alabama, Arkansas featured in this week’s AP Top 25

The SEC has just two teams in this week’s AP Top 25.

The Alabama Crimson Tide are down two spots to #8 following their loss to Arkansas (more on them in a moment) and victory over Mississippi State. ‘Bama remains in good shape for a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament, if not a 1-seed if they’re able to win out and the Big Ten cannibalizes itself.

Without looking too far ahead, though, the Tide have to focus on their clashes this week with Auburn and Georgia. Alabama has already wrapped up its first regular season SEC title since 2002, and will be the #1 seed in the SEC Tournament starting next week. It’s just a matter of avoiding slip-ups on the way there.

The Arkansas Razorbacks had a big week, jumping from #20 to #12 with wins over Alabama and LSU. Arkansas’ eight-spot jump upwards was the most of any team in this week’s poll, as Eric Musselman’s squad rounds the corner into the final week. Arkansas will most likely be the two-seed in the SEC Tournament, so long as they win at least one of their next two games, against South Carolina and Texas A&M.

Missouri and Tennessee joined Alabama and Arkansas in last week’s poll, but both are on the outside looking in this week, as Mizzou lost to Ole Miss in its lone game of the week, and Tennessee beat Vanderbilt but fell to Auburn. Both teams received votes, but not enough to stay in the Top 25.