Did Alabama Basketball Return to Polls After Beating Texas A&M, Auburn?

The Crimson Tide's 42-week streak in the AP Top 25 ended after falling to Florida on Feb. 1, but did Alabama revive itself after two big wins this past week?

Feb 7, 2026; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide forward Amari Allen (5) runs a play as Auburn Tigers guard Tahaad Pettiford (0) defends during the first half at Neville Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images | John Reed-Imagn Images

After 13 weeks into the regular season, Alabama men's basketball entered its matchups against Texas A&M and Auburn outside of the AP Top 25 and the Coaches Poll for the first time since Jan. 22, 2024.

The Crimson Tide came into this past week ranked ninth in the SEC standings, as wins are starting to become a necessity for seeding in the conference tournament. Alabama was well aware of this, as the Tide took down the Aggies 100-97 at home on Feb. 4, and also beat the Tigers 96-92 on the road on Feb. 7.

But despite these victories, Alabama head coach Nate Oats and company remained outside of Monday's AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll. The Tide had the most votes outside of the AP Top 25 and the second-most votes outside of the Coaches Poll.

Against Texas A&M, which entered last Wednesday's matchup ranked first in the SEC standings, Alabama had six of its eight players who saw time on the floor score 10-plus points. Aden Holloway and Labaron Philon Jr. combined for 29 points in the second half, and the rest of the Crimson Tide scored 25!

Against Auburn, the Crimson Tide erased a 10-point first-half deficit thanks to the double-digit scoring efforts of four players. Philon once again led the Crimson Tide in scoring with 25 points, freshman Amari Allen tallied 17, Holloway, a former Auburn player, logged 15 as part of a late spurt and Charles Bediako put up 12.

Alabama aims to build on this winning streak and return to the rankings on the road against Ole Miss on Feb. 11 and at home against South Carolina on Feb. 14.

AP Top 25

(Ranking, Team, First-Place Votes, Record, Points)

1. Arizona (59), 23-0, 1475
2. Michigan, 22-1, 1416
3. Houston, 21-2, 1275
4. Duke, 21-2, 1254
5. Iowa State, 21-2, 1247
6. UConn, 22-2, 1227
7. Nebraska, 21-2, 1091
8. Illinois, 20-4, 1060
9. Kansas, 18-5, 966
10. Michigan State, 20-4, 929
11. North Carolina, 19-4, 863
12. Gonzaga, 23-2, 803
13. Purdue, 19-4, 785
14. Florida, 17-6, 718
15. Virginia, 20-3, 642
16. Texas Tech, 17-6, 549
17. St. John's 18-5, 524
18. Saint Louis, 23-1, 422
19. Vanderbilt, 19-4, 375
20. Clemson, 20-4, 354
21. Arkansas, 17-6, 304
22. BYU, 17-6, 198
23. Miami-Ohio, 24-0, 195
24. Louisville, 17-6, 182
25. Kentucky, 17-7, 80

Others Receiving Votes: Alabama 72, Iowa 69, NC State 31, Tennessee 26, Villanova 17, Utah St. 15, Georgia 6, Santa Clara 2, Auburn 2, Saint Mary's 1.

Coaches Poll

(Ranking, Team, First-Place Votes, Record, Points)

1. Arizona (30), 23-0, 774
2. Michigan (1), 22-1, 745
3. Houston, 21-2, 667
4. Iowa State, 21-2, 658
5. UConn, 22-2, 649
6. Duke, 21-2, 643
7. Illinois, 20-4, 563
8. Nebraska, 21-2, 538
9. Kansas, 18-5, 481
10. Michigan State, 20-4, 478
11. Gonzaga, 23-2, 455
12. Purdue, 19-4, 439
13. North Carolina, 19-4, 389
14. Florida, 17-6, 381
15. Virginia, 20-3, 332
16. Texas Tech, 17-6, 318
17. St. John's, 18-5, 259
18. Clemson, 20-4, 258
19. Saint Louis, 23-1, 193
20. Vanderbilt, 19-4, 181
21. Arkansas, 17-6, 179
22. BYU, 17-6, 138
23. Louisville, 17-6, 94
24. Miami-Ohio, 24-0, 83
25. Iowa, 18-5, 71

Schools Dropped Out: No. 25 Texas A&M.

Others Receiving Votes: Kentucky 30; Alabama 24; Villanova 13; North Carolina State 13; Tennessee 10; Utah State 8; Texas A&M 7; Georgia 3; Santa Clara 1.

Alabama Basketball's 2025-26 Season in the Polls

• Preseason: No. 15 in AP Poll, No. 16 in Coaches Poll
• After Week 1 (North Dakota win, St. John's win): No. 8 in AP Poll, No. 9 in Coaches Poll
• After Week 2 (Purdue loss): No. 11 in AP Poll, No. 11 in Coaches Poll
• After Week 3 (Illinois win): No. 8 in AP Poll, No. 9 in Coaches Poll
• After Week 4 (Gonzaga loss, UNLV win, Maryland win): No. 12 in AP Poll, No. 12 in Coaches Poll
• After Week 5 (Clemson win, UTSA win): No. 12 in AP Poll, No. 12 in Coaches Poll
• After Week 6 (Arizona loss): No. 16 in AP Poll, No. 16 in Coaches Poll
• After Week 7 (USF win, Kennesaw State win): No. 14 in AP Poll, No. 15 in Coaches Poll
• After Week 8 (Holiday break): No. 15 in Coaches Poll (AP Top 25 not released during break)
• After Week 9 (Yale win, Kentucky win): No. 13 in AP Poll, No. 12 in Coaches Poll
• After Week 10 (Vanderbilt loss, Texas loss): No. 18 in AP Poll, No. 18 in Coaches Poll
• After Week 11 (Mississippi State win, Oklahoma win): No. 17 in AP Poll, No. 17 in Coaches Poll
• After Week 12 (Tennessee loss): No. 23 in AP Poll, No. 23 in Coaches Poll
• After Week 13 (Missouri win, Florida loss): Not ranked in AP Poll, Not ranked in Coaches Poll
• After Week 14 (Texas A&M win, Auburn win): Not ranked in AP Poll, Not ranked in Coaches Poll

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