Alabama basketball drops in latest AP, Coaches Polls
The Alabama men’s basketball team has dropped in the latest editions of both the AP and Coaches Polls, which were released on Monday. Granted, it wasn’t a significant drop in either. The AP has the Crimson Tide sitting at No. 16 after checking in at No. 14 last week. Meanwhile, the Coaches has UA at No. 17 after being ranked No. 13 a week ago.
If Alabama wants to make it far in the SEC Tournament — and eventually the NCAA Tournament — it must find a way to beat top-tier competition. Of their nine losses, seven of them have come against teams ranked in the top-15. Those losses include No. 3 Purdue, No. 4 Tennessee (two times), No. 5 Arizona, No. 10 Creighton, No. 13 Auburn and No. 15 Kentucky.
In a lot of ways, that’s a good thing, as Alabama typically beats the teams its supposed to. But if this group can ever find a way to get over the hump against top competition, they have a chance to go far in tournament play. Florida dropped out of the top-25 in the AP Poll (and dropped to No. 25 in the Coaches), but Saturday’s trip to Gainesville won’t be easy for the Tide. The last time the Gators lost at home was two months ago against Kentucky.
Check out the latest polls below.
AP Poll
*Note: Team Name (Record) – Points (First-Place Votes)
1. Houston Cougars (26-3) – 1,539 (52)
2. UConn Huskies (26-3) – 1,462 (6)
3. Purdue Boilermakers (26-3) – 1,364 (4)
4. Tennessee Volunteers (23-6) – 1,364
5. Arizona Wildcats (23-6) – 1,252
6. Iowa State Cyclones (23-6) – 1,212
7. North Carolina Tar Heels (23-6) – 1,201
8. Marquette Golden Eagles (22-7) – 1,056
9. Duke Blue Devils (23-6) – 1,051
10. Creighton Bluejays (22-8) – 983
11. Baylor Bears (21-8) – 901
12. Illinois Fighting Illini (22-7) – 834
13. Auburn Tigers (22-7) – 746
14. Kansas Jayhawks (21-8) – 723
15. Kentucky Wildcats (21-8) – 711
16. Alabama Crimson Tide (20-9) – 592
17. South Carolina Gamecocks (24-5) –
18. Washington State Cougars (23-7) –
19. Gonzaga Bulldogs (24-6) –
20. BYU Cougars (21-8) –
21. San Diego State Aztecs (22-7) –
22. Utah State Aggies (24-5) –
23. St. Mary’s Gaels (24-7) –
24. South Florida Bulls (22-5) –
25. Dayton Flyers (22-6) –
Others receiving votes
Coaches Poll
*Note: Team Name (Record) – Points (First-Place Votes)
1. Houston Cougars (26-3) – 795
2. UConn Huskies (26-3) – 757
3. Purdue Boilermakers (26-3) – 745
4. Tennessee Volunteers (23-6) – 705
5. Arizona Wildcats (23-6) – 644
6. Iowa State Cyclones (23-6) – 629
7. North Carolina Tar Heels (23-6) – 628
8. Duke Blue Devils (23-6) – 541
9. Marquette Golden Eagles (22-7) – 531
10. Creighton Bluejays (22-8) – 487
11. Baylor Bears (21-8) – 452
12. Illinois Fighting Illini (22-7) – 423
13. Kentucky Wildcats (21-8) – 396
14. Auburn Tigers (22-7) – 376
15. Kansas Jayhawks (21-8) – 366
16. South Carolina Gamecocks (24-5) – 298
17. Alabama Crimson Tide (20-9) – 289
18. Gonzaga Bulldogs (24-6) – 215
19. San Diego State Aztecs (22-7) – 194
20. Washington State Cougars (23-7) – 182
21. St. Mary’s Gaels (24-7) – 175
22. Utah State Aggies (24-5) – 151
23. BYU Cougars (21-8) – 140
24. South Florida Bulls (22-5) – 88
25. Florida Gators (20-9) – 42
Others receiving votes
Dayton 31; Texas Tech 24; Nevada 24; Boise State 16; App State 13; James Madison 10; Oklahoma 8; Northwestern 7; Indiana State 5; Clemson 5; TCU 4; Wake Forest 3; Nebraska 1
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