You can read it here every Wednesday beyond the southSo let's get into another SEC topic, breaking down last week's biggest matchups, previewing next week's schedule, and talking about the state of affairs for the best conference in the land.

In this week's edition, let's switch to the hardwood and talk about the SEC. Although we are just beginning conference play, there seems to be some distinct tiers forming within the league. Who is the best team in the SEC right now?

Contenders

auburn

For now, this conversation starts with the Auburn Tigers. The Auburn Tigers are off to a great start, going 13-2 including a 2-0 mark in conference play. Coach Bruce Pearl's retooled team was especially impressive defensively, holding Texas A&M star Wade Taylor to 2-of-16 shooting and holding the Aggies to a field goal in the final nine minutes. He held them down without a hitch and secured victory. Auburn plays LSU at home this Saturday night.

tennessee

Ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press poll and led by familiar stars Santiago Vescovi, Zakai Ziegler, Josiah Jordan-James and newcomer transfer guard Dalton Knecht, the Vols opened last weekend. They defeated Ole Miss in the game, but they were upset. They suffered an upset loss in a road game against Mississippi State last night.

kentucky

The Wildcats are ranked No. 6 in the Associated Press poll and are off to a 2-0 conference start with a convincing win over lowly Missouri State on Tuesday night. Antonio Reeves has been sensational this year, averaging over 18 points per game, and freshman sensation DJ Wagner has been equally impressive. The Cats are off to a strong start in the post-Oscar Tshibwe era. They head to College Station to play Texas A&M on Saturday.

lower level

Alabama

The Crimson Tide plays one of the toughest schedules in the nation, and a ridiculous trifecta of games against Purdue, Creighton, and Arizona is a big part of why the team is 10-5. The problem is defense, and Alabama's defense seems to be slowly but surely getting better. Mark Sears and the Tide's offense will continue to score, but Alabama will need a defensive performance like last night's second half against South Carolina if it wants any chance of defending its conference crown. Dew.

Ole Miss

Ole Miss is off to a 14-1 start, just beat Florida last night, and looked like one of the better teams in the conference after the first Saturday. New head coach Chris Beard has been winning everywhere he's been, and there's no reason to think Ole Miss will be any different. The first year is supposed to be a process, and the Revs were blown away by Tennessee in the first game, but it's a decent start for a program that has been on hiatus for so long.

rest

Once the first two groups of teams are finished, things get completely chaotic. It feels like Missouri and Vanderbilt have the definition of the worst teams in the conference, and LSU could potentially be at a slightly higher level, but after that the teams really mess around. We need to see more conference play before there is some degree of separation because it feels like there is.

It's a long season, but it's only just begun.

Michael Brauner is a senior sports analyst and contributing writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP