Where Alabama Basketball Ranks in Polls After Beating Yale, Kentucky

Did the Crimson Tide move in the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll after taking down the Bulldogs and Wildcats?

Jan 3, 2026; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide guard Labaron Philon (0) dribbles against Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (0) during the second half at Coleman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: David Leong-Imagn Images | David Leong-Imagn Images

After eight weeks into the regular season, Alabama men's basketball entered its matchups against Yale and Kentucky as the No. 14 team in the AP Top 25 and the No. 15 team in the Coaches Poll.

Following the holiday break from Dec. 22-28, the Crimson Tide took down the Bulldogs 102-78 in Coleman Coliseum on Dec. 29, and it also beat the Wildcats 89-74 at home this past Saturday in the SEC opener.

These 15-plus-point victories helped move Alabama up to No. 13 in the AP Top 25 and No. 12 in the Coaches Poll on Monday.

Alabama joined a small handful of SEC programs to take down the Wildcats four consecutive times. Aden Holloway scored 26 points. Labaron Philon Jr. also shined with 13 points in the second half alone — ending Kentucky's comeback effort down the stretch. Other standout performances from the Crimson Tide include 14 points from Houston Mallette, 11 points and nine rebounds from Amari Allen and a season-high 10 points from Noah Williamson.

Alabama set new season highs in made three-pointers (22) and offensive rebounds (21) against Yale. Holloway led all scorers with 26 points and dished seven assists. Allen and Taylor Bol Bowen tied for the Alabama lead with nine rebounds. The Crimson Tide finished the contest with five players in double figures (Allen, Holloway, Houston Mallette, Jalil Bethea and Latrell Wrightsell Jr.).

Alabama aims to build off its four-game win streak with a road victory against No. 11 Vanderbilt on Wednesday evening. The 14-0 Commodores are one of six teams in college basketball that remain undefeated. It's Vanderbilt's best start since 2007-08 (16-0), and the Commodores weren't even ranked in the AP Top 25 until the third week of the season.

AP Top 25

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

1. Arizona (32), 14-0, 1494
2. Michigan (29), 13-0, 1493
3. Iowa State, 1390
4. UConn, 14-1, 1343
5. Purdue, 13-1, 1254
6. Duke, 13-1, 1206
7. Houston, 13-1, 1113
8. Gonzaga, 16-1, 1101
9. BYU, 13-1, 1039
10. Nebraska, 14-0, 998
11. Vanderbilt, 14-0, 936
12. Michigan State, 12-2, 834
13. Alabama, 11-3. 782
14. Texas Tech, 11-3, 676
15. Arkansas, 11-3, 659
16. Illinois, 11-3, 602
17. North Carolina, 13-2, 557
18. Georgia, 13-1, 378
19. Iowa, 12-2, 340
20. Louisville, 11-3, 336
21. Tennessee, 10-4. 277
22. Kansas, 10-4, 208
23. Virginia, 12-2, 183
24. SMU, 12-2, 142
25. UCF, 12-1, 132

Others Receiving Votes: Villanova 127, Seton Hall 31, Southern Cal 28, Utah St. 27, Miami (Ohio) 22, Clemson 21, Saint Louis 14, LSU 14, Texas 12, Florida 11, Saint Mary's 10, Kentucky 9, California 8, Miami 5, Indiana 4, Auburn 3, TCU 2, UCLA 2, Virginia Tech 2.

Coaches Poll

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

1. Michigan (24), 13-0, 768
2. Arizona (7), 14-0, 749
3. Iowa State, 14-0, 703
4. UConn, 14-1, 666
5. Purdue, 13-1, 624
6. Duke, 13-1, 616
7. Houston, 13-1, 584
8. Gonzaga, 16-1, 565
9. BYU, 13-1, 527
10. Vanderbilt, 14-0, 488
11. Nebraska, 14-0, 473
12. Alabama, 11-3, 403
13. Michigan State, 12-2, 400
14. Texas Tech, 11-3, 345
15. Arkansas, 11-3, 334
16. Illinois, 11-3, 294
17. North Carolina, 13-2, 250
18. Louisville, 11-3, 232
19. Iowa, 12-2, 211
20. Georgia, 13-1, 164
21. Kansas, 10-4, 131
22. Tennessee, 10-4, 123
23. Virginia, 12-2, 120
24. Villanova, 12-2, 70
25. SMU, 12-2, 42

Schools Dropped Out: No. 22 Florida; No. 25 St. John's;

Others Receiving Votes: UCF 41; Utah State 34; Clemson 29; Florida 21; Saint Mary's 17; Seton Hall 13; Saint Louis 11; Indiana 10; St. John's 4; Missouri 3; Miami (OH) 3; Kentucky 3; California 2; USC 1; Oklahoma State 1.

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
• After Week 8 (Holidays 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

Subscribe to BamaCentral's Free Newsletter