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Each weekday, The Daily W asks about the Who, What, Where, When, or Whys of SEC basketball. Today's question:

Where has Chris Lofton's shot been all year?

That's been the topic du jour on Rocky Top this season. Since arriving in Knoxville, Lofton's been known as a three-point shooter, although his percentage of made threes has dropped off every season since his incredible 46.5% freshman year. That's understandable enough -- teams have been more and more determined to clamp down and not let Lofton beat them single handedly (though he's made lots of shots with a hand in his face over the years, too). But defense has had little to do with it this season. Lofton's been missing all kinds of shots, whether closely guarded or wide open. His three-point percentage has downright plummeted to 36.3%, and on many occasions his teammates are opting to work the ball inside rather than kick out to a wide open Lofton.

Or, at least they have been, but that might be about to change. In Tennessee's first 17 games, Lofton only hit 40% or better three times; he's done it in each of the last two games (totaling 12-23 from behind the line). His overall shooting percentage is up in those two games, too, and he's posted two of his top three point totals for the season. Also, not to be overlooked, Lofton has been perfect from the free-throw line after struggling in a couple of games earlier this month.

Now the question becomes: Will Lofton keep filling it up? Tuesday's game against Alabama gives his a chance to, as the Tide are 239th on Pomeroy's ranking of three-point defense. The true test may come Saturday at Mississippi State against one of the best defensive teams in college basketball. If Lofton can light up The Hump, then look out SEC.

Each weekday, The Daily W looks at the Who, What, Where, When, or Whys of SEC basketball. Today's question:

Who would have thought that, in late January, we'd have a weekend where the two most important games featured the Mississippi schools, Vanderbilt, and Florida?

And yet, that's what we got this past weekend. State's 88-68 win over Ole Miss and the Gators blowout of Vandy iced it: we've been following the wrong teams from the Magnolia State and Eastern division all along.

It was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Florida, but if the Gators can hold off Arkansas this weekend, next week's game against Tennessee will go a long way toward deciding the SEC Eastern division. The Gators have put themselves in this position by getting phenomenal play from freshman starters Jai Lucas and Nick Calathes, but also got a career-high 19 from Walter Hodge against the Commodores (as a junior in a lineup made from freshmen and sophomores, Hodge qualifies as an "old man").

The Gators looked good but untested in non-conference play, losing the only two games they played against teams with a pulse (Florida State and Ohio State). But they're being tested now that the SEC season has cranked up, and answering the bell in stunning fashion. Other than an increasingly inexplicable loss to Ole Miss, the Gators look lights-out in conference play, with a league-best 81.5 points/game, and tremendous production from freshmen Calathes (41 assists to only 15 turnovers in SEC games) and Lucas (11 of 18 from behind the arc in SEC play). This team is not rebuilding, they're redefining what expectations should be when a school wins consecutive championships.

On the other side of the conference, Ryan Ferguson already tabbed Mississippi State as the best in the West, and he's probably right.