TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Alabama men’s basketball entered this past week at No. 3 in the AP Top 25 Poll and No. 3 in the Coaches Poll while eyeing a late away game against Arkansas this past Saturday. The Crimson Tide won 85-81, but nearly blew an 18-point lead in the second half.
It’s always fun to have madness before March and college basketball fans certainly got their money’s worth on Saturday. Then-No. 1 Auburn fell to then-No. 6 Florida 90-81 at home, giving the Tigers their first loss in SEC play. Additionally, Clemson, Alabama’s 2024 Elite Eight foe, upset then-No. 2 Duke 77-71 at home just as Alabama-Arkansas was getting underway.
In other words, moments into Saturday night’s matchup in Fayetteville, the Crimson Tide was given a chip on its shoulder. If Alabama beat Arkansas, head coach Nate Oats and company would all but certainly be ranked as the new No. 1 team in the polls. As the final score suggests, this was very likely to become a reality.
Alabama was officially placed at No. 1 in the Coaches Poll on Monday. However, the AP Top 25 placed the Crimson Tide at No. 2 with Auburn remaining at the top spot.
Saturday’s Iron Bowl of Basketball will be the 44th all-time meeting between teams ranked No. 1 and No. 2. That said, the Crimson Tide is first preparing for Tuesday night’s road matchup against Texas.
(Rank, Team, First-Place Votes, Record, Points)
Auburn (34), 21-2, 1479Alabama (23), 20-3, 1470Florida, 20-3, 1342Duke, 20-3, 1342Tennessee, 20-4, 1315Houston, 19-4, 1235Purdue, 19-5, 1142Texas A&M, 18-5, 1065St. John’s, 21-3, 1058Iowa State, 18-5, 880Michigan State, 19-4, 868Texas Tech, 18-5, 778Arizona, 17-6, 701Memphis, 20-4, 676Kentucky, 16-7, 558Wisconsin, 19-5, 488Kansas, 16-7, 469Marquette, 18-6, 442Ole Miss, 18-6, 415Michigan, 18-5, 350Missouri, 17-6, 333Mississippi State, 17-6, 292Clemson, 19-5, 291Creighton, 18-6, 198Maryland, 18-6, 196
Others Receiving Votes: UCLA 123, UConn 106, Illinois 59, Louisville 53, New Mexico 40, Drake 21, Saint Mary’s 20, Utah St. 8, George Mason 7, Gonzaga 5.
(Rank, Team, First-Place Votes, Record, Points)
Alabama (15), 20-3, 758Auburn (16), 21-2, 741Florida, 20-3, 688Tennessee, 20-4, 669Duke, 20-3, 665Houston, 19-4, 639Purdue, 19-5, 575St. John’s, 21-3, 558Texas A&M, 18-5. 369Iowa State, 18-5, 482Michigan State, 19-4, 458Texas Tech, 18-5, 369Arizona, 17-6, 367Memphis, 20-4, 357Wisconsin, 19-5, 284Marquette, 18-6, 248Michigan, 18-5, 241Kentucky, 16-7, 217Clemson, 19-5, 196Kansas, 16-7, 186Creighton, 18-6, 148Missouri, 17-6, 142Ole Miss, 18-6, 127UConn, 16-7, 96Maryland, 18-6, 87
Schools Dropped Out: No. 23 Saint Mary’s; No. 25 Illinois.
Others Receiving Votes: Mississippi State 72; Louisville 57; Saint Mary’s 51; UCLA 42; Illinois 19; New Mexico 16; Gonzaga 7; Oregon 5; VCU 2; Utah State 2; UC San Diego 1; Drake 1; Baylor 1.
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Publish date : 2025-02-09 11:00:00
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