Alabama's Placement in KenPom, Bracketology Entering Regular Season

Where the Crimson Tide stands in ESPN's Joe Lunardi's Bracketology and KenPom ratings as the 2025-26 season approaches.

Mar 29, 2025; Newark, NJ, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats calls to his team during the first half against the Duke Blue Devils in the East Regional final of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

We are officially two days away from Alabama men's basketball's first game of the regular season against North Dakota!

Alabama finished last season ranked No. 6 following the Elite Eight loss to Duke. The Crimson Tide's No. 2 spot in the 2024-25 preseason AP Top 25 was its highest mark in program history, and Alabama remained inside the top 10 for the entire season despite having the toughest strength of schedule in the country.

The Crimson Tide was placed as the No. 15 team in the Preseason AP Top 25 on Oct. 13, but there are a couple of more ranking systems that include Alabama. Perhaps two of the most notable are KenPom ratings and ESPN's Joe Lunardi's Bracketology.

After outlasting Florida State and dismantling Furman in its two exhibition games, Lunardi believes that the Crimson Tide will be the 4-seed in the South Region of the NCAA Tournament. UA has been a top-4 seed in four of the last five seasons, as Alabama was a 6-seed in 2022 and the No. 1 overall seed in 2023.

Lunardi's South Region:

• 1-seed Houston vs. 16-seed Montana
• 8-seed Missouri vs. 9-seed USC
• 5-seed Gonzaga vs. 12-seed Akron
• 4-seed Alabama vs. 13-seed Utah Valley
• 6-seed North Carolina vs. 11-seed VCU
• 3-seed Tennessee vs. 14-seed James Madison
• 7-seed Creighton vs. 10-seed Mississippi State
• 2-seed Michigan vs. 15-seed Youngstown State

Like Bracketology, KenPom's ratings are fluid and can change very quickly, as they're designed to be purely predictive. The purpose of this system is to show how strong a team would be if it played tonight, independent of injuries or emotional factors. Alabama starts the season at No. 23, with an offensive ranking of 16th, a defensive ranking of 34th and the Crimson Tide is No. 1 in the nation in adjusted tempo.

KenPom

1. Houston, O-Rating: 10th, D-Rating: 1st
2. Florida, O-Rating: 3rd, D-Rating: 6th
3. Purdue, O-Rating: 1st, D-Rating: 29th
4. Kentucky, O-Rating: 8th, D-Rating: 4th
5. Connecticut, O-Rating: 2nd, D-Rating: 13th
6. Illinois, O-Rating: 6th, D-Rating: 16th
7. Duke, O-Rating: 7th, D-Rating: 17th
8. Gonzaga, O-Rating: 9th, D-Rating: 20th
9. Tennessee, O-Rating: 28th, D-Rating: 3rd
10. UCLA, O-Rating: 18th, D-Rating: 7th
11. Michigan, O-Rating: 20th, D-Rating: 8th
12. Texas Tech, O-Rating: 12th, D-Rating: 18th
13. Iowa State, O-Rating: 44th, D-Rating: 2nd
14. Louisville, O-Rating: 5th, D-Rating: 38th
15. Arizona, O-Rating: 11th, D-Rating: 22nd
16. St. John's, O-Rating: 23rd, D-Rating: 12th
17. Baylor, O-Rating: 15th, D-Rating: 19th
18. BYU, O-Rating: 4th, D-Rating: 55th
19. Vanderbilt, O-Rating: 19th, D-Rating: 23rd
20. Wisconsin, O-Rating: 17th, D-Rating: 31st
21. Kansas, O-Rating: 42nd, D-Rating: 10th
22. USC, O-Rating: 26th, D-Rating: 21st
23. Alabama, O-Rating: 16th, D-Rating: 34th
24. Ole Miss, O-Rating: 36th, D-Rating: 14th
25. Michigan State, O-Rating: 37th, D-Rating: 15th

Alabama's 2025-26 Season in Bracketology, KenPom

• Entering regular season: South 4-seed, No. 23 KenPom