Where Alabama Basketball Lands in Week 15's AP Poll
After defeating Georgia and Mississippi State to extend its win streak to four, the Alabama men's basketball climbed to the No. 16 spot in the AP poll on Feb. 5. But even after splitting their games with one win and one loss this past week, the Crimson Tide still climbed up to No. 15 in the prestigious top-25 rankings on Monday.
The first victory of the aforementioned streak came in an upset over then-No. 8 Auburn on Jan. 24, but when the Crimson Tide faced their Iron Bowl opponent again on Feb. 7, things didn't go their way as they lost 99-81 and the run ended there. A loss like that could be detrimental to a team's mindset over the next couple of games, especially when they have to go on the road against another rival, LSU, the very next match.
However, Alabama took down the Tigers 109-92 on Feb. 10 to complete the season sweep. The Tide's efforts to come back quickly from their struggles against Auburn and produce one of their best offensive games of the season helped them in Week 15's AP Poll.
Nevertheless, Texas A&M, Alabama's next opponent, will challenge the Tide's mission to start another streak and rise in the rankings once again. The Aggies have won their last three games, including a dominant 85-69 upset over then-No. 6 Tennessee. They received the 12th-most votes outside of the top-25 in this week's poll.
Luckily for Alabama, not only will it have home-court advantage, but the game also won't be played until Saturday, Feb. 17. Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats and company have plenty of time to devise a game plan against one of the hotter teams in the SEC.
AP Poll Top 25
- UConn, 22-2
- Purdue, 22-2
- Houston, 21-3
- Marquette, 18-5
- Arizona, 19-5
- Kansas, 19-5
- North Carolina, 19-5
- Tennessee, 17-6
- Duke, 18-5
- Iowa State, 18-5
- South Carolina, 21-3
- Baylor, 17-6
- Auburn, 19-5
- Illinois, 17-6
- Alabama, 17-7
- Dayton, 19-4
- Creighton, 17-7
- Saint Mary's, 20-6
- BYU, 17-6
- Wisconsin, 16-8
- Virginia, 19-5
- Kentucky, 16-7
- Indiana State, 22-3
- Florida Atlantic, 19-5
- Oklahoma, 18-6
Others receiving votes: Utah St. 160, Colorado St. 145, Texas Tech 111, San Diego St. 84, Washington St 82, Clemson 57, Nevada 57, Gonzaga 50, New Mexico 27, Florida 19, Michigan St. 17, Texas A&M 16, Grand Canyon 13, Mississippi 12, TCU 10, Texas 9, Memphis 8, South Florida 7, Northwestern 2, UNC Wilmington 1.
