Alabama Basketball Rises to No. 6 in Latest AP Top 25 Poll
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama men's basketball got just the shot in the arm it needed heading into this week's SEC Tournament in Nashville.
The Crimson Tide is No. 6 in the latest AP Top 25 poll that was released Monday morning. Previously, Alabama was ranked No. 8, but two solid wins over Auburn in Coleman Coliseum and at Georgia in Athens were enough to move the Crimson Tide up two spots in the final week heading into the NCAA Tournament.
Regarding the other teams of the SEC, only one other team is ranked. This week, Arkansas rises from No. 12 up four spots to No. 8 after winning 11 SEC games in a row to finish its regular season. The Razorbacks continue to be the hottest team in the conference and will look to make a heavy impact later this week in the SEC Tournament.
Tennessee received 14 votes in this week's poll, but it was not enough to earn the Volunteers a spot amongst the top 25 teams in the country.
In the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll, Alabama is now the sole possessor of No. 5 after sharing the spot with West Virginia last week. Arkansas sits in the same place as it does in the AP poll at No. 8.
Here are the full AP Top 25 and Ferris Mowers Coaches polls after 16 weeks of college basketball:
AP Top 25
(Ranking, team, record, conference, points, first-place votes)
1. Gonzaga (24-0) West Coast 1,573 (61)
2. Baylor (21-1) Big 12 1,510 (2)
3. Illinois (20-6) Big Ten 1,438
4. Michigan (19-3) Big Ten 1,382
5. Iowa (20-7) Big Ten 1,314
6. Alabama (21-6) Southeastern 1,239
7. Houston (21-3) American Athletic 1,173
8. Arkansas (21-5) Southeastern 1,046
9. Ohio State (18-8) Big Ten 1,032
10. West Virginia (18-8) Big 12 919
11. Kansas (19-8) Big 12 873
12. Oklahoma State (18-7) Big 12 851
13. Texas (17-7) Big 12 802
14. Villanova (16-5) Big East 729
15. Florida State (15-5) Atlantic Coast 687
16. Virginia (17-6) Atlantic Coast 531
17. Creighton (18-7) Big East 510
18. Loyola Chicago (24-4) Missouri Valley 488
19. San Diego State (20-4) Mountain West 462
20. Texas Tech (17-9) Big 12 389
20. Purdue (18-8) Big Ten 389
22. Virginia Tech (15-5) Atlantic Coast 266
23. Colorado (20-7) Pacific 12 209
24. USC (21-6) Pacific 12 175
25. Oklahoma (14-9) Big 12 172
Others receiving votes:
BYU 93, Oregon 67, Connecticut 53, Clemson 25, Wisconsin 24, Tennessee 14, Wichita State 13, St. Bonaventure 11, Winthrop 7, Virginia Commonwealth 4, LSU 2, San Diego 1, Michigan State 1, UC Santa Barbara 1.
Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll
(Ranking, team, record, points, first-place votes)
1. Gonzaga 24-0 775 (31)
2. Baylor 21-1 740
3. Illinois 20-6 689
4. Michigan 19-3 687
5. Alabama 21-6 610
6. Iowa 20-7 584
7. Houston 21-3 572
8. Arkansas 21-5 489
9. West Virginia 18-8 483
10. Ohio St. 18-8 395
11. Villanova 16-5 384
12. Kansas 19-8 383
13. Florida State 15-5 363
14. Oklahoma State 18-7 340
15. Virginia 17-6 313
16. Texas 17-7 312
17. Creighton 18-7 287
18. Loyola-Chicago 24-4 240
19. San Diego St. 20-4 227
19. Purdue 18-8 227
21. Virginia Tech 15-5 176
22. Texas Tech 17-9 174
23. Southern California 21-6 155
24. Oklahoma 14-9 119
25. Oregon 19-5 116
Others receiving votes:
Colorado 68; Brigham Young 39; Wichita St. 26; Connecticut 26; Clemson 25; Tennessee 9; Drake 8; Winthrop 7; St. Bonaventure 7; Michigan St 7; UCLA 3; Toledo 3; Wisconsin 2; North Carolina 2; Florida 2; Colorado St. 1.
