Where Alabama Basketball Ranks in Polls After Beating South Florida, Kennesaw State

Did the Crimson Tide move in the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll after taking down the Bulls and Owls?
Alabama guard Jalil Bethea (1) in action against Kennesaw State during the Rocket City Classic at Propst Arena in Huntsville, AL on Sunday, Dec 21, 2025.
Alabama guard Jalil Bethea (1) in action against Kennesaw State during the Rocket City Classic at Propst Arena in Huntsville, AL on Sunday, Dec 21, 2025. | Photo by Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics

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After six weeks into the regular season, Alabama men's basketball entered its matchups against South Florida and Kennesaw State as the No. 16 team in the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll.

The Crimson Tide took down the Bulls 104-93 in Coleman Coliseum last Wednesday, and it also beat the Owls 92-81 in Huntsville, Ala., this past Sunday.

These 11-point victories against former Alabama assistants Bryan Hodgson (USF head coach) and Antoine Pettway (Kennesaw State head coach) moved Alabama up to No. 14 in the AP Top 25 and to No. 15 in the Coaches Poll on Monday.

This story will be updated with the full AP Top 25.

AP Top 25

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

  1. Arizona (38), 11-0, 1428
  2. Michigan (19), 11-0, 1408
  3. Iowa State (1), 12-0, 1320
  4. UConn, 12-1, 1281
  5. Purdue, 11-1, 1174
  6. Duke, 11-1, 1148
  7. Gonzaga, 12-1, 1080
  8. Houston, 11-1, 1061
  9. Michigan State, 11-1, 985
  10. BYU, 11-1, 966
  11. Vanderbilt, 12-0, 810
  12. North Carolina, 11-1, 806
  13. Nebraska, 12-0, 704
  14. Alabama, 9-3, 638
  15. Texas Tech, 9-3, 588
  16. Louisville, 10-2, 555
  17. Kansas, 9-3, 494
  18. Arkansas, 9-3, 470
  19. Tennessee, 9-3, 460
  20. Illinois, 8-3, 429
  21. Virginia, 10-1, 252
  22. Florida, 8-4, 215
  23. Georgia, 10-1, 127
  24. USC, 12-1, 92
  25. Iowa, 10-2, 79

Others Receiving Votes: Kentucky 78, Seton Hall 49, Auburn 39, St. John's 23, California 19, LSU 17, UCLA 13, Clemson 9, Miami (Ohio) 6, Utah St. 5, Arizona St 5, Indiana 4, Miami 4, Saint Louis 3, Belmont 2, Baylor 1, Oklahoma St. 1, UCF 1, NC State 1.

Coaches Poll

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

  1. Michigan (20), 11-0, 764
  2. Arizona (11), 11-0, 754
  3. Iowa State, 12-0, 696
  4. UConn, 12-1, 662
  5. Purdue, 11-1, 622
  6. Duke, 11-1, 611
  7. Gonzaga, 12-1, 584
  8. Houston, 11-1, 565
  9. Michigan State, 11-1, 532
  10. BYU, 11-1, 515
  11. Vanderbilt, 12-0, 433
  12. North Carolina, 11-1, 402
  13. Nebraska, 12-0, 371
  14. Louisville, 10-2, 346
  15. Alabama, 9-3, 306
  16. Texas Tech, 9-3, 298
  17. Kansas, 9-3, 276
  18. Arkansas, 9-3, 227
  19. Illinois, 8-3, 211
  20. Tennessee, 9-3, 210
  21. Virginia, 10-1, 189
  22. Florida, 8-4, 154
  23. Iowa, 10-2, 102
  24. Georgia, 10-1, 60
  25. USC, 12-1, 35

Schools Dropped Out: No. 20 St. John's; No. 24 Auburn.

Others Receiving Votes: St. John's 32; Kentucky 32; Seton Hall 20; Utah State 15; Auburn 10; California 9; UCLA 8; Saint Louis 8; LSU 6; Yale 4; Oklahoma State 3; Saint Mary's 1; Indiana 1; Clemson 1.

Head coach Nate Oats' emphasis on the glass was immediately apparent against USF, as the Crimson Tide tallied 16 offensive rebounds in the first half. UA finished with a season-high 20 offensive rebounds. Alabama guards Labaron Philon and Aden Holloway combined for 53 points (Philon 29, Holloway 24), hitting 18 shots from the field between them. The Bulls kept the game close though, as it finished with 25 offensive rebounds and three players scoring 20-plus points.

As expected, Alabama had no trouble on offense against the Owls, clearing the 90-point mark for the ninth time in twelve games. The Crimson Tide struggled on the defensive end, giving up 53 points in the second half. That said, Alabama sophomore forward Aiden Sherrell had a career-high 21 points to go along with seven rebounds and two blocks on Sunday. Kennesaw State's big second half led to four players finishing with 10-plus points.

The Crimson Tide does not play this week, as its next game will be at home against Yale on Dec. 29. It's Alabama's final non-conference contest before SEC play.

Alabama Basketball's 2025 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

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Hunter De Siver
HUNTER DE SIVER

Hunter De Siver is the lead basketball writer for BamaCentral and has covered Crimson Tide football since 2024. He previously distributed stories about the NFL and NBA for On SI and was a staff writer for Missouri Tigers On SI and Cowbell Corner. Before that, Hunter generated articles highlighting Crimson Tide products in the NFL and NBA for BamaCentral as an intern in 2022 and 2023. Hunter is a graduate from the University of Alabama, earning a degree in sports media in 2023.

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