Some big games are ahead in the SEC this week. The biggest involve a couple of teams from Alabama

The biggest games of the week in men's college basketball reside in the Southeastern Conference.

Seems to be a recurring theme this season.

It make sense given the league that was once synonymous solely with football has four of the nation's top six teams in the AP Top 25, led for the seventh consecutive week by No. 1 Auburn. And that the league's eight total teams in the rankings are nearly double any other conference; the Big 12 is next with three in the top 10 and five total in the poll.

But the focus this week can be narrowed even further: the state of Alabama.

The Tigers (25-2, 13-1), who have won four straight since a loss to Florida, begin a brutal four-game stretch that would have been entirely against ranked teams had Mississippi not fallen out on Monday. Auburn faces the Rebels on Wednesday night before going to No. 17 Kentucky on Saturday, with No. 12 Texas A&M and No. 6 Alabama awaiting the following week.

Speaking of the Crimson Tide, they enter the week tied with the third-ranked Gators for second in the SEC, two games behind their biggest rival. Alabama (22-5, 11-3) faces No. 24 Mississippi State on Tuesday night and visits No. 5 Tennessee on Saturday, part of a run of seven straight against ranked teams with the Gators and Auburn on deck next week.

“It's about survival,” Tigers coach Bruce Pearl said succinctly. “The league is so good and so competitive.”

Still, the Tigers keep winning. Their only losses have come against teams ranked second (Duke) and third (Florida) in the Top 25. And they 10 wins over ranked opponents, including the current No. 4 (Houston), No. 5 (Tennessee) and No. 6 (Alabama).

Not that Pearl is satisfied. The Tigers have much bigger goals: a third regular-season SEC title in the past eight seasons, a second straight conference tournament title and, just maybe, a second Final Four and first national championship in school history.

"We’ve got to continue to try to get better,” Pearl said. “That’s our goal. And while we’re trying to do that, we’re trying to beat the people in front of us. We’re trying to play for championships.”

Elsewhere in the SEC, Vanderbilt (18-9, 6-8, No. 43 NET) can help its NCAA Tournament hopes when it visits No. 12 Texas A&M on Wednesday and then faces No. 15 Missouri on Saturday. The Commodores are among many teams in power leagues, including conference rivals Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas, that are hanging precariously on the NCAA bubble.

The Sooners play Kentucky on Wednesday and visit Ole Miss on Saturday. The Longhorns get Arkansas on Wednesday and Georgia on Saturday. And the Razorbacks follow their game against Texas with a trip to South Carolina on Saturday.

Big 12's best

The Big 12, which has long been considered the nation's dominant league, still has three in the top 10 and five in the Top 25 this week. Two faced off on Monday night when No. 4 Houston visited No. 10 Texas Tech, and two more match up on Saturday when No. 22 Arizona heads to ninth-ranked Iowa State.

The other ranked team is BYU, which entered at No. 25 this week after dismantling Kansas and edging Arizona last week. The Cougars visit Arizona State on Wednesday night before facing West Virginia on Saturday.

Other notable games

No. 8 Michigan State entered the week with a half-game lead over No. 15 Michigan in the Big Ten. But the Spartans have a tough week ahead with a trip to No. 16 Maryland on Wednesday night and a visit from No. 11 Wisconsin on Sunday.

No. 23 Saint Mary's, which has clinched the regular-season West Coast title, gets Loyola Marymount and Oregon State this week.

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