Where Alabama Basketball Ranks in Polls Entering 2026 NCAA Tournament

Did the Crimson Tide move in the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll after falling to Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament quarterfinal?

Alabama forward Aiden Sherrell (22) in action against Ole Miss at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN on Friday, Mar 13, 2026. | Photo by Crimson Tide Athletics

Alabama men's basketball entered the SEC Tournament as the No. 15 team in both the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll. The Crimson Tide was the 2-seed in the SEC Tournament and earned a double bye into the quarterfinal. But despite having six days without playing a game, Alabama was upset by 15-seed Ole Miss 80-79 this past Friday.

Head coach Nate Oats and company were named the No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday and will face 13-seed Hofstra on March 20 in Tampa Bay, Florida. The Crimson Tide was labeled as the No. 14 overall seed after the full bracket was announced.

Alabama won't be associated with the following numbers on the score bug during March Madness, but the Crimson Tide has been ranked No. 18 in both the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll entering the NCAA Tournament.

Alabama and Hofstra have never met. In addition to being the underdog, the Pride has some added pressure to its name, as this is its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2001. Head coach Speedy Claxton played for Hofstra from 1996-2000, was an assistant there from 2013 up until he took his current position in 2021.

This will be Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats' sixth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance. The only other time that's happened in program history was from 1982-87, but the 1987 appearance was vacated by NCAA penalties.

This story will be updated with the full AP Top 25

AP Top 25

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

1. Duke (50), 32-2, 1418
2. Arizona (7), 32-2, 1372
3. Michigan, 31-2, 1310
4. Florida, 26-7, 1221
5. Houston, 28-6, 1214
6. Iowa State, 27-7, 1096
7. UConn, 29-5, 1032
8. Purdue, 27-8, 912
9. Virginia, 29-5, 903
10. St. John's, 28-6, 860
11. Michigan State, 25-7, 833
12. Gonzaga, 30-3, 829
13. Illinois, 24-8, 801
14. Arkansas, 26-8, 750
15. Nebraska, 26-6, 689
16. Vanderbilt, 26-8, 538
17. Kansas, 23-10, 503
18. Alabama, 23-9, 438
19. Wisconsin, 24-10, 392
20. Texas Tech, 22-10, 376
21. North Carolina, 24-8, 293
22. Saint Mary's, 27-5, 113
23. Louisville, 23-10, 112
24. Tennessee, 22-11, 112 (tied with Louisville)
25. Miami-Florida, 25-8, 110

Others Receiving Votes: Miami (Ohio) 100, BYU 62, UCLA 38, Utah St. 28, TCU 17, High Point 14, VCU 12, Clemson 9, Ohio St. 5, Kentucky 4, Saint Louis 3, Akron 3, Santa Clara 2, McNeese St. 1.

Coaches Poll

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

1. Duke (26), 32-2, 770
2. Arizona (5), 32-2, 744
3. Michigan, 31-2, 718
4. Florida, 26-7, 656
5. Houston, 28-6, 653
6. Iowa State, 27-7, 586
7. UConn, 29-5, 570
8. Virginia, 29-5, 531
9. St. John's, 28-6, 514
10. Gonzaga, 30-3, 470
11. Michigan State, 25-7, 450
12. Illinois, 24-8, 437
13. Purdue, 26-8, 416
14. Nebraska, 26-6, 395
15. Arkansas, 26-8, 381
16. Vanderbilt, 26-8, 316
17. Kansas, 23-10, 242
18. Alabama, 23-9, 239
19. Texas Tech, 22-10, 228
20. Wisconsin, 24-10
21. North Carolina, 24-8, 149
22. Saint Mary's, 2705, 103
23. Miami-Florida, 25-8, 76
24. Louisville, 23-10, 56
25. Tennessee, 22-11, 55

Schools Dropped Out: No. 20 Miami (OH).

Others Receiving Votes: Miami (OH) 36; UCLA 31; Utah State 23; BYU 14; Villanova 11; Saint Louis 7; VCU 5; South Florida 1; Santa Clara 1; Ohio State 1; Akron 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
• After Week 15 (Ole Miss win, South Carolina win): No. 25 in AP Poll, Not ranked in Coaches Poll
• After Week 16 (Arkansas win, LSU win): No. 17 in AP Poll, No. 18 in Coaches Poll
• After Week 17 (Mississippi State win, Tennessee win): No. 16 in AP Poll, No. 16 in Coaches Poll
• End of Regular Season (Georgia loss, Auburn win): No. 15 in AP Poll, No. 15 in Coaches Poll
• Entering NCAA Tournament (Ole Miss loss in SEC Tournament): No. 18 in AP Poll, No. 18 in Coaches Poll

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