Finally, the SEC basketball season has arrived at its crescendo.

Tied at the top of the conference with three games remaining, Alabama and Tennessee will meet for the second time on Saturday (7 p.m. CT, ESPN) with the SEC regular-season title almost certainly on the line.

The last week of build-up to the SEC's decisive game has been eventful. The Vols knocked Auburn out of the title race Wednesday. Kentucky finally found a bit of game-to-game consistency. Ole Miss and Texas A&M migrated to the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble.

Here's how our latest SEC basketball power rankings stack up.

1. Tennessee

Here's a fun fact: Dalton Knecht, the unstoppable bucket-getting force that willed the Vols to a win over Auburn with 39 points in 33 minutes Wednesday, was a second-team all-conference selection in the Big Sky last season. He might be the best player in the SEC this season and has made Tennessee into the conference's most complete team.

Last week: 2

Record: 22-6

2. Alabama

The Crimson Tide's offense is, according to KenPom's metrics, the most efficient in college basketball since the 2014-15 Wisconsin team that went to the national title game. That makes Alabama's occasional defensive no-shows ‒ and that might be a kind way to describe what happened when Kentucky hung 117 on the Tide last week ‒ all the more infuriating.

Last week: 1

Record: 20-8

3. Auburn

Auburn watched any remaining hope it had for an SEC title drown under a wave of Knecht 3-pointers as the Tigers blew an eight-point second-half lead in Knoxville. Auburn is 1-7 in Quadrant 1 games.

Last week: 3

Record: 21-7

MORE ON AUBURN: 'That's disappointing': What the Tennessee loss does to Auburn basketball's SEC outlook

4. Kentucky

Freshman guard Reed Sheppard made the last-second shot that helped Kentucky stack Quad 1 wins together for the first time this season. Then he described his pleasure in sending Mississippi State fans home "all mad and disappointed." That's real maturity in the face of pressure paired with a little bit of bite ‒ exactly what this youthful Kentucky team needs. Discount the Wildcats in March at your own risk.

Last week: 4

Record: 20-8

5. Florida

The Gators did not trail for even a second in home wins over terrible Mizzou and Vanderbilt teams. They've positioned themselves to compete for a double-bye at the SEC Tournament with South Carolina and Alabama next.

Last week: 5

Record: 20-8

6. South Carolina

There were some allegations of fraudulence thrown around after the Gamecocks – unfancied by the analytics – dropped consecutive games. They responded with huge road wins over Ole Miss and Texas A&M. The defense rests, your honor.

Last week: 6

Record: 23-5

7. Mississippi State

The Bulldogs narrowly missed a chance to level up their NCAA Tournament resume when Kentucky broke their hearts at the buzzer. But UK's Sheppard wasn't the only standout freshman in that game. So long as Josh Hubbard, who hit 7 3-pointers on his way to 34 points, is wearing maroon and white, Mississippi State is going to be a fun watch. That the Bulldogs flipped him from Ole Miss further bolsters his growing cult hero status.

Last week: 7

Record: 19-9

8. Texas A&M

Among power conference teams, only Rutgers fields an offense less efficient than Texas A&M's. The Aggies are an ugly, brutal watch, and their NCAA Tournament hopes are fading fast.

Last week: 8

Record: 15-13

9. Ole Miss

Speaking of fading, Ole Miss has lost six of its past seven games, including three out of its past four games at home, where it was previously unbeaten. The Rebels are a bad basketball team that occasionally makes enough 3-pointers to compensate for its deficiencies. They'll be right at home in the NIT.

Last week: 9

Record: 19-9

BEARD: Among culprits for Ole Miss basketball's fizzling March Madness hopes, discipline ranks high

10. LSU

Holding a 7-8 SEC mark with Vanderbilt, Arkansas and Mizzou on the schedule, LSU can dream about a winning conference record a year after it went 2-16. Well done, Matt McMahon.

Last week: 10

Record: 15-13

11. Georgia

Building a historically neglected Georgia program into one that can compete regularly was never going to be simple. But if you're a Bulldogs fan, you were probably hoping for more progress in Mike White's second year.

Last week: 11

Record: 15-13

12. Arkansas

The Razorbacks grabbed back the attention of their fans with a quick two-game winning streak, then slipped on a Vanderbilt-shaped banana peel. Arkansas needs another offseason rebuild, and Eric Musselman has to get this one right.

Last week: 12

Record: 14-14

13. Vanderbilt

The Commodores aren't going anywhere, but with Jerry Stackhouse's job security in question, every game is still under an uncomfortable microscope. Tuesday's win at Bud Walton Arena was Vandy's second in a row.

Last week: 13

Record: 8-20

14. Missouri

Mizzou's race to history remains on course. The Tigers are three games away from joining Bryce Drew's Vanderbilt as the only teams to go winless in the modern SEC. A home game against a sputtering Ole Miss team on Saturday looks like the Tigers' best chance to avoid that infamy.

Last week: 14

Record: 8-20

David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: SEC basketball power rankings: Tennessee hops Alabama into top spot