Is Alabama Basketball America's New Top-Ranked Team?

How far up the polls did the then-No. 3 Crimson Tide move after defeating Arkansas and each of last week's top-2 teams losing?

Alabama guard Mark Sears (1) shoots the ball against Arkansas at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, AR on Saturday, Feb 8, 2025. | Photo by Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Alabama men's basketball entered this past week at No. 3 in the AP Top 25 Poll and No. 3 in the Coaches Poll while eyeing a late away game against Arkansas this past Saturday. The Crimson Tide won 85-81, but nearly blew an 18-point lead in the second half.

It's always fun to have madness before March and college basketball fans certainly got their money's worth on Saturday. Then-No. 1 Auburn fell to then-No. 6 Florida 90-81 at home, giving the Tigers their first loss in SEC play. Additionally, Clemson, Alabama's 2024 Elite Eight foe, upset then-No. 2 Duke 77-71 at home just as Alabama-Arkansas was getting underway.

In other words, moments into Saturday night's matchup in Fayetteville, the Crimson Tide was given a chip on its shoulder. If Alabama beat Arkansas, head coach Nate Oats and company would all but certainly be ranked as the new No. 1 team in the polls. As the final score suggests, this was very likely to become a reality.

Alabama was officially placed at No. 1 in the Coaches Poll on Monday. However, the AP Top 25 placed the Crimson Tide at No. 2 with Auburn remaining at the top spot.

Saturday's Iron Bowl of Basketball will be the 44th all-time meeting between teams ranked No. 1 and No. 2. That said, the Crimson Tide is first preparing for Tuesday night's road matchup against Texas.

AP Top 25

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

1. Auburn (34), 21-2, 1479
2. Alabama (23), 20-3, 1470
3. Florida, 20-3, 1342
4. Duke, 20-3, 1342
5. Tennessee, 20-4, 1315
6. Houston, 19-4, 1235
7. Purdue, 19-5, 1142
8. Texas A&M, 18-5, 1065
9. St. John's, 21-3, 1058
10. Iowa State, 18-5, 880
11. Michigan State, 19-4, 868
12. Texas Tech, 18-5, 778
13. Arizona, 17-6, 701
14. Memphis, 20-4, 676
15. Kentucky, 16-7, 558
16. Wisconsin, 19-5, 488
17. Kansas, 16-7, 469
18. Marquette, 18-6, 442
19. Ole Miss, 18-6, 415
20. Michigan, 18-5, 350
21. Missouri, 17-6, 333
22. Mississippi State, 17-6, 292
23. Clemson, 19-5, 291
24. Creighton, 18-6, 198
25. Maryland, 18-6, 196

Others Receiving Votes: UCLA 123, UConn 106, Illinois 59, Louisville 53, New Mexico 40, Drake 21, Saint Mary's 20, Utah St. 8, George Mason 7, Gonzaga 5.

Coaches Poll

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

1. Alabama (15), 20-3, 758
2. Auburn (16), 21-2, 741
3. Florida, 20-3, 688
4. Tennessee, 20-4, 669
5. Duke, 20-3, 665
6. Houston, 19-4, 639
7. Purdue, 19-5, 575
8. St. John's, 21-3, 558
9. Texas A&M, 18-5. 369
10. Iowa State, 18-5, 482
11. Michigan State, 19-4, 458
12. Texas Tech, 18-5, 369
13. Arizona, 17-6, 367
14. Memphis, 20-4, 357
15. Wisconsin, 19-5, 284
16. Marquette, 18-6, 248
17. Michigan, 18-5, 241
18. Kentucky, 16-7, 217
19. Clemson, 19-5, 196
20. Kansas, 16-7, 186
21. Creighton, 18-6, 148
22. Missouri, 17-6, 142
23. Ole Miss, 18-6, 127
24. UConn, 16-7, 96
25. Maryland, 18-6, 87

Schools Dropped Out: No. 23 Saint Mary's; No. 25 Illinois.

Others Receiving Votes: Mississippi State 72; Louisville 57; Saint Mary's 51; UCLA 42; Illinois 19; New Mexico 16; Gonzaga 7; Oregon 5; VCU 2; Utah State 2; UC San Diego 1; Drake 1; Baylor 1.

Alabama in the Polls by Week:

• Preseason: No. 2 in AP Poll, No. 2 in Coaches Poll
• After Week 1 (UNC Asheville win, Arkansas State win): No. 2 in AP Poll, No. 2 in Coaches Poll
• After Week 2 (McNeese win, Purdue loss): No. 8 in the AP Poll, No. 7 in the Coaches Poll
• After Week 3 (Illinois win): No. 9 in AP Poll, No. 9 in Coaches Poll
• After Week 4 (Houston win, Rutgers win, Oregon loss): No. 10 in AP Poll, No. 12 in Coaches Poll
• After Week 5 (North Carolina win): No. 7 in AP Poll, No. 8 in Coaches Poll
• After Week 6 (Creighton win): No. 6 in AP Poll, No. 7 in Coaches Poll
• After Week 7 (North Dakota win, Kent State win): No. 5 in AP Poll, No. 6 in Coaches Poll
• After Week 8 (South Dakota State win): No. 5 in AP Poll, No. 6 in Coaches Poll
• After Week 9 (Oklahoma win): No. 5 in AP Poll, No. 5 in Coaches Poll
• After Week 10 (South Carolina win, Texas A&M win): No. 4 in AP Poll, No. 5 in Coaches Poll
• After Week 11 (Ole Miss loss, Kentucky win): No. 4 in AP Poll, No. 3 in Coaches Poll
• After Week 12 (Vanderbilt win, LSU win): No. 4 in AP Poll, No. 4 in Coaches Poll
• After Week 13 (Mississippi State win, Georgia win): No. 3 in AP Poll, No. 3 in Coaches Poll
• After Week 14 (Arkansas win): No. 2 in AP Poll, No. 1 in Coaches Poll