Alabama's Spot in KenPom, NET Rankings, Bracketology Entering Vanderbilt Game

Where the Crimson Tide stands in ESPN's Joe Lunardi's Bracketology, KenPom ratings and NET rankings one game into SEC play.

Jan 3, 2026; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats instructs his players during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Coleman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: David Leong-Imagn Images | David Leong-Imagn Images

Alabama men's basketball ranks No. 13 in the AP Top 25 after finishing nonconference play with an 10-3 record and also a 1-0 start to SEC play following a home win over Kentucky.

While the AP Top 25 utilizes numerous factors to determine its weekly list, there are a few more ranking systems that include the Crimson Tide. Perhaps three of the most notable are KenPom ratings, ESPN's Joe Lunardi's Bracketology and NET rankings.

The Crimson Tide took down the Wildcats 89-74, and ahead of Alabama's road matchup against No. 11 Vanderbilt, Lunardi believes that the Crimson Tide will be the 3-seed in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament.

Lunardi's East Region

• 1-seed UConn vs. 16-seed Georgia Southern
• 8-seed Auburn vs. 9-seed UCLA
• 5-seed Kansas vs. 12-seed Liberty
• 4-seed Illinois vs. 13-seed UNC Wilmington
• 6-seed Villanova vs. 11-seed NC State
• 3-seed Alabama vs. 14-seed Long Island
• 7-seed SMU vs. 10-seed Saint Louis
• 2-seed Purdue vs. 15-seed Vermont

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 enters the Vanderbilt matchup at No. 14, with an offensive ranking of No. 2, a defensive ranking of No. 70 and the Crimson Tide is No. 13 in the nation in adjusted tempo.

KenPom

(Rank, Team, Offensive Rating, Defensive Rating)

1. Michigan, O-Rating: 5th, D-Rating: 1st
2. Arizona, O-Rating: 9th, D-Rating: 4th
3. Iowa State, O-Rating: 7th, D-Rating: 5th
4. Purdue, O-Rating: 1st, D-Rating: 15th
5. Gonzaga, O-Rating: 8th, D-Rating: 10th
6. Vanderbilt, O-Rating: 6th, D-Rating: 14th
7. Connecticut, O-Rating: 26th, D-Rating: 3rd
8. Illinois, O-Rating: 3rd, D-Rating: 21st
9. Duke, O-Rating: 10th, D-Rating: 16th
10. BYU, O-Rating: 11th, D-Rating: 18th
11. Houston, O-Rating: 21st, D-Rating: 8th
12. Michigan State, O-Rating: 61st, D-Rating: 2nd
13. Louisville, O-Rating: 4th, D-Rating: 44th
14. Alabama, O-Rating: 2nd, D-Rating: 70th
15. Florida, O-Rating: 34th, D-Rating: 11th
16. Tennessee, O-Rating: 41st, D-Rating: 12th
17. Iowa, O-Rating: 22nd, D-Rating: 19th
18. Kansas, O-Rating: 54th, D-Rating: 7th
19. Nebraska, O-Rating: 47th, D-Rating: 17th
20. Texas Tech, O-Rating: 13th, D-Rating: 51st
21. Virginia, O-Rating: 17th, D-Rating: 39th
22. Villanova, O-Rating: 29th, D-Rating: 25th
23. Arkansas, O-Rating: 18th, D-Rating: 46th
24. Kentucky, O-Rating: 37th, D-Rating: 27th
25. St. John's, O-Rating: 46th, D-Rating: 23rd

The NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings reward teams for beating quality opponents, especially on the road. It measures efficiency based on strength of opponent and location across all games played. It also uses a quadrant system based on the aforementioned factors along with opponent NET rankings:

• Quadrant 1: Home 1-30, Neutral 1-50, Away 1-75
• Quadrant 2: Home 31-75, Neutral 51-100, Away 76-135
• Quadrant 3: Home 76-160, Neutral 101-200, Away 135-240
• Quadrant 4: Home 161-353, Neutral 201-353, Away 241-353

Alabama has a NET ranking of 13th, as it is 2-3 against quad 1 teams, 3-0 against quad 2 teams, 4-0 against quad 3 teams and 2-0 against quad 4 teams.

NET Rankings

(Rank, Team, Record in Quads 1-4)

1. Michigan: 4-0 Q1, 4-0 Q2, 3-0 Q3, 2-0 Q4
2. Arizona: 4-0 Q1, 2-0 Q2, 1-0, Q3, 7-0 Q4
3. Iowa State: 3-0 Q1, 3-0, Q2, 1-0 Q3, 7-0, Q4
4. Gonzaga: 3-1 Q1, 3-0, Q2, 5-0 Q3, 5-0 Q4
5. Vanderbilt: 4-0 Q1, 3-0 Q2, 2-0 Q3, 5-0 Q4
6. Purdue: 4-1 Q1, 1-0 Q2, 5-0 Q3, 3-0 Q4
7. Duke: 4-1 Q1, 2-0 Q2, 2-0 Q3, 5-0 Q4
8. UConn: 4-1 Q1, 4-0 Q2, 1-0 Q3, 5-0 Q4
9. BYU: 4-1 Q1, 2-0 Q2, 2-0 Q3, 5-0 Q4
10. Illinois: 3-3 Q1, 2-0 Q2, 0-0 Q3, 6-0 Q4
11. Nebraska: 4-0 Q1, 4-0 Q2, 1-0 Q3, 6-0 Q4
12. Michigan State: 4-2 Q1, 2-0 Q2, 2-0 Q3, 5-0 Q4
13. Alabama: 2-3 Q1, 3-0 Q2, 4-0 Q3, 2-0 Q4
14. Iowa: 0-2 Q1, 2-0 Q2, 3-0 Q3, 7-0 Q4
15. Louisville: 2-3 Q1, 2-0 Q2, 1-0 Q3, 6-0 Q4
16. Houston: 2-1 Q1, 3-0 Q2, 3-0 Q3, 5-0 Q4
17. Kansas: 2-4 Q1, 2-0 Q2, 2-0 Q3, 4-0 Q4
18. Villanova: 2-2 Q1, 1-0 Q2, 3-0 Q3, 6-0 Q4
19. Texas Tech: 2-3 Q1, 1-0 Q2, 4-0 Q3, 4-0 Q4
20. Utah State: 0-0 Q1, 2-1 Q2, 5-0 Q3, 4-0 Q4
21. Georgia: 0-1 Q1, 3-0 Q2, 2-0 Q3, 8-0 Q4
22. North Carolina: 3-2 Q1, 0-0 Q2, 4-0 Q3, 6-0 Q4
23. SMU: 1-2 Q1, 4-0, 2-0, 5-0
24. Saint Mary's: 0-2 Q1, 4-0 Q2, 6-0 Q3, 4-0 Q4
25. Virginia: 2-2 Q1, 2-0 Q2, 2-0 Q3, 6-0 Q4

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