Twenty-one wins and an NIT appearance was enough of a surprise to win Ole Miss' rookie head coach Andy Kennedy SEC coach-of-the-year honors in 2006-07.

Nice start, Coach, but you lose three of your top four scorers so it's off to the rebuilding ranks.

Or maybe not. The surprises just keep coming.

Ole Miss, a consensus pick to finish last in the SEC West, is nothing less than the biggest story in the conference as league play begins.

The Rebels are 13-0, with a top-20 ranking, off to the best start in school history and are the only SEC team with a victory over an opponent ranked in the Associated Press poll.

Elsewhere in the West, Arkansas has everybody back from last year - except coach Stan Heath.

John Pelphrey wasn't the Razorbacks' first choice as coach but he brings a solid pedigree that includes playing for Rick Pitino at Kentucky and coaching under Billy Donovan at Florida.

Mississippi State has enough ingredients to cause trouble. LSU lost "Big Baby" Glen Davis to the NBA and the 2006 Final Four is a distant memory.

Alabama is good but can only wonder what might have been possible were Ronald Steele not out for the season. Auburn is struggling to build any momentum heading into Jeff Lebo's fourth year.

Alabama (11-4)

Good win: Iowa State, 83-68.

Bad loss: Clemson, 87-61.

Top newcomer: Rico Pickett, 6-3 freshman guard.

They miss: Ronald Steele.

RPI: 56

The Crimson Tide have some things going for them. Richard Hendrix is a beast inside, averaging 19.1 points and 10.1 rebounds. The five top scorers are shooting at least 40 percent from 3-point range. Alonzo Gee and Mykal Riley can shoot the lights out.

If Steele, one of the nation's top point guards, were around to direct traffic instead of sitting out to recover from knee surgery, Alabama would be an NCAA tournament team.

Steele's absence puts Pickett (6.9 ppg) in the starting lineup and he's not doing badly for a rookie.Coach Mark Gottfried's challenge is to make the whole as great as the sum of some impressive parts.

Arkansas (11-3)

Good win: At Baylor, 85-78.

Bad loss: Appalachian State, 74-67.

Top newcomer: John Pelphrey.

They miss: Nobody.

RPI: 79

The only new face for the preseason pick to win the West is the coach, Pelphrey. The top eight players are back and there are no newcomers of note. So the pressure is on to do better than the 21-14 record (7-9 SEC) that got Stan Heath fired.

The Razorbacks are balanced with the five top scorers - Patrick Beverly, Sonny Weems, Darian Townes, Gary Ervin and Charles Thomas - averaging between 12.4 and 9.1 points a game. They defend well and, led by 7-footer Steven Hill, are among the nation's top shot-blocking teams.

One sore spot has been poor 3-point shooting, which would improve if 2007 SEC freshman of the year Beverly returns to form.

Auburn (9-3)

Good win: George Washington, 74-70.

Bad loss: West Virginia, 88-59.

Top newcomer: None.

They miss: Josh Dollard.

RPI: 168

In addition to forward Dollard, who is taking a medical redshirt season, the Tigers will miss top big man Korvotney Barber (13.8 ppg) for the next four to six weeks due to a broken hand.

Already thin, Auburn will have to use walk-ons to spell a starting lineup that plays a lot of minutes. Point guard Quantez Robertson averages 37.7 minutes a game but that hasn't stopped him from a 3-1 assist-turnover ratio.

Rasheem Barrett and Quan Prowell are capable of offensive bursts but the Tigers don't have the muscle to mix it up.

LSU (7-7)

Good win: Oregon State, 67-61.

Bad loss: Wichita State, 67-47.

Top newcomer: Marcus Thornton, junior guard.

They miss: Glen Davis.

RPI: 188

Injuries and academics have shrunk John Brady's roster of veterans. Thank goodness for two impact newcomers.

Thornton, a juco-transfer guard, and Anthony Randolph, a 6-10 freshman, are scoring 17.9 and 13.7 points, respectively.

Talented Tasmin Mitchell is probably out for the year after suffering a knee injury three games in. Garrett Temple, the only other link to the 2006 Final Four, is averaging only 6.1 ppg.

The Tigers can block shots but don't rebound well and lack a steady point guard. Chris Johnson, a much improved forward, will miss the next month because of a broken hand.

Ole Miss (13-0)

Good win: Clemson, 85-82.

Bad loss: None.

Top newcomer: Chris Warren, 5-11 freshman guard.

They miss: No one, apparently.

RPI: 11

Dwayne Curtis is among the most productive centers in the nation, averaging 15.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and shooting 68.4 percent from the field.

Combined with Kenny Williams, he helps the Rebels lead the SEC in rebounding margin.

Warren is a surprise at the point, averaging 15.2 points and 5.6 assists. Sophomore guard Eniel Polynice has tripled his scoring average from last year to 12.1 per game.

Another freshman, Trevor Gaskins, is lights out at 45.6 percent from 3-point range. Guard, David Huertas, a transfer from Florida, also is scoring in double figures.

Embracing Kennedy's uptempo style, the Rebels are among the highest-scoring and best-shooting teams in the league.

Mississippi State (9-5)

Good win: Missouri, 87-75.

Bad loss: Miami (Ohio), 67-60.

Top newcomer: Phil Turner, 6-3 freshman guard.

They miss: the Delk twins.

RPI: 151

Somehow, this team ought to have a better pre-conference resume than it does. The Bulldogs don't have much off the bench but the starting lineup is pretty good.

Junior guard Jamont Gordon (17.5 ppg) is one of the best all-around players in the league, inch for inch.

Senior forward Charles Rhodes could put together an All-SEC season if he stays on task. He's averaging 15.6 points and 7.3 rebounds.

Besides Gordon, the Bulldogs start two other Tennessee exports. Barry Stewart (Shelbyville) is a scorer at guard and Jarvis Varnado (Brownsville) rebounds and rejects shots in the paint.

The decision by twins Richard and Reginald Delk to transfer hurts the depth, if nothing else.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.