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It's SEC basketball time, but forget what you know about Eastern Division history.

Florida has become the SEC's marquee program in recent years but you won't recognize the two-time defending national champions. All the familiar faces have scattered to NBA rosters.

That traditional marquee program in Lexington? You won't recognize it either after two brutal months under new coach Billy Gillispie. The Wildcats have the lowest RPI in the SEC, surely a first, and haven't got a marquee win yet.

The power base of the Eastern Division lies in, of all places, that long state that sits between the Smoky Mountains and the Mississippi River.

As 2008 dawns, Tennessee and Vanderbilt look like the leading contenders to battle for SEC East supremacy. The Vols are ranked in the top 10 and the Commodores are unbeaten.

Throw in Memphis and three of the top six RPI teams in the nation call the Volunteer State home.

If there's one thing that hasn't changed it's that South Carolina and Georgia are still swimming upstream. The Gamecocks at least are gaining good new players. Georgia can't keep the ones it has.

Here's a look at the East:

Florida (13-2)

Good win: Rutgers, 88-63.

Bad loss: Florida State, 65-51.

Top newcomer: Nick Calathes, 6-5 freshman guard.

They miss: All five starters from the national championship team.

RPI: 122

A year after returning everybody from one NCAA title, the Gators return virtually no one from a second title. Guard Walter Hodge is the only returnee who played meaningful minutes. He's a starter, along with big men Maurice Speights and Dan Werner, who were bit players last year as freshmen.

Speaking of freshmen, Calathes is the leading scorer (14.8 ppg) and joins point guard Jai Lucas in the starting backcourt. Chandler Parsons (10.1 ppg), Alex Tyus, Adam Allen and Jonathan Mitchell are all freshmen averaging double-figure minutes.

Speights appears to be the most improved player and will have some big nights in the paint. Coach Billy Donovan wisely served up a fairly soft non-conference schedule. In league play, the Gators will take some licks due to their overwhelming youth but will eventually be a team to be reckoned with again.

Georgia (8-4)

Good win: Wake Forest, 72-50.

Bad loss: ETSU, 76-58.

Top newcomer: Jeremy Price, 6-8 freshman forward.

They miss: Takais Brown, Mike Mercer.

RPI: 192

Dennis Felton's rebuilding timetable keeps getting waylaid by the loss of key players. This year, it's forward Takais Brown and guard Mike Mercer were dismissed. Over the weekend, 7-foot center Rashad Singleton quit over lack of playing time. Mercer was a talented guard who could score, Brown a formidable presence in the paint. Dependable Sundiata Gaines is back for his fourth - or is it eighth? - turn as the starting point guard. He does everything well except shoot the trey.

Guard Billy Humphrey can score and swing man Terrance Woodbury continues to improve. The Bulldogs' big men are complimentary players, with the exception of Jeremy Price, a 6-8, 270-pound freshman, who had eaten into Singleton's minutes. Besides Price, four other freshmen are contributing off the bench.

Kentucky (6-7)

Good win: Florida International, 92-49.

Bad loss: Gardner-Webb, 84-68.

Top newcomer: Patrick Patterson, 6-8 freshman forward.

They miss: Randolph Morris.

RPI: 234.

Tubby Smith is enjoying life at Minnesota while Big Blue fans get used to the new sheriff in town, Billy Clyde Gillispie. There's no honeymoon, though, because the Wildcats are off to their worst start since 1989-90.

To be fair, Gillispie hasn't played with a full deck until the past couple of games when point guard Derrick Jasper returned. Still, home losses to Gardner-Webb and San Diego are unthinkable. Cat fans also are scratching their heads at Gillispie's lineup choices and substitution patterns.

There's no doubt that freshman forward Patrick Patterson (16.8 ppg) is star material, but there's little else in the paint. Joe Crawford, Ramel Bradley and Jodie Meeks give Kentucky strong scoring from the perimeter. And, who knows, maybe Jasper is the catalyst to get the season jump-started.

Making the NCAA tournament will require a serious transformation.

South Carolina (8-6)

Good win: Providence, 68-67.

Bad loss: UNC-Asheville, 61-58.

Top newcomer: Devan Downey, 5-9 transfer guard.

They miss: Brandon Wallace.

RPI: 98

Tennessee fans may disagree, but South Carolina thinks it has the top transfer tandem in the league. Downey (18.8 ppg) and Zam Frederick (16.0 ppg) join sophomore Brandon Raley-Ross (11.5 ppg) in giving the Gamecocks potent scoring from the perimeter.

In a departure from the past, South Carolina is among SEC 3-point-shooting leaders at 41.9 percent. Raley-Ross was leading the nation at 68.2 percent when he suffered a knee sprain last week. Inside, Dominique Archie and freshman Mike Holmes are undersized but serviceable. The bench isn't much.

Tennessee (12-1)

Good win: Xavier, 82-75.

Only loss: Texas, 97-78.

Top newcomer: Tyler Smith, 6-7 transfer forward.

They miss: Dane Bradshaw.

RPI: 5

Chris Lofton hasn't quite regained the form that earned him 2007 SEC player-of-the-year honors, hitting only 33.6 percent of his 3-point tries. But the Vols have enough weapons to take up the slack.

Transfers Tyler Smith (12.9 ppg) and J.P. Prince (14.0 ppg) provide a two-point dimension UT lacked the past two seasons - and two more talented bodies to give Bruce Pearl the most depth he's had.

Ramar Smith and Wayne Chism are playing with more purpose of late and Jordan Howell has carved his niche in the rotation with steady play and 42.9-percent 3-point shooting. JaJuan Smith (14.4 ppg) is having a strong season at both ends of the court.

The biggest improvement is the half-court defense. The biggest weakness remains rebounding.

Vanderbilt (15-0)

Good win: UMass, 97-88.

Bad loss: None.

Top newcomer: A.J. Ogilvy, 6-10 freshman center.

They miss: Derrick Byars.

RPI: 6

Kevin Stallings gets the golden-compass award for finding freshman center A.J. Ogilvy in Australia. Ogilvy, who averages 19.3 points and 7.3 rebounds, has been the missing link, giving Vandy an inside complement to hot-shooting guards Shan Foster and Alex Gordon.

Foster (21.1 ppg) is hitting 53.3 percent from 3-point range to overshadow Gordon's 43.1 mark. Ross Neltner (8.6 ppg) and Alan Metcalfe (7.7 ppg) bang inside and Jermaine Beal does a little of everything at point guard.

There's not much scoring on the bench but if the Commodores stay healthy, they'll be dancing in March - maybe deep into March.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.