Where Alabama ranks in USA TODAY Sports preseason men’s basketball coaches poll

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GLENDALE, ARIZONA - APRIL 06: Head coach Nate Oats of the Alabama Crimson Tide meets with Mark Sears #1 in the first half against the Connecticut Huskies in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal game at State Farm Stadium on April 06, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

The start of the 2024-25 college basketball season is just 12 days away, and the expectations for Nate Oats and the Alabama Crimson Tide have never been higher.

Wednesday saw the release of the preseason USA TODAY Sports men's basketball coaches poll. To no surprise, Alabama was ranked in the top five at No. 2. Bill Self's Kansas Jayhawks took the top spot at No. 1.

The two-time defending national champion UConn Huskies were ranked No. 3 with the Houston Cougars No. 4. The Duke Blue Devils and freshman sensation Cooper Flagg rounded out the top five.

Fresh off the program's first trip to the Final Four in school history, and led by returning players like top-scoring guard Mark Sears (a 2024-25 AP preseason All-American) and forward Grant Nelson, Alabama has a grueling nonconference slate -- even by Oats' scheduling standards.

In a stretch from mid-November through mid-December, the Crimson Tide will travel to West Lafayette, Ind., to face the 13th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers on Nov. 15, followed by the Illinois Fighting Illini at Birmingham's Legacy Arena on Nov. 20.

The Tide will then head to Las Vegas for the Players Era Festival starting Nov. 26 with a game against Houston, followed by a matchup with No. 25 Rutgers a day later. Alabama will close the Players Era Festival with a matchup against unranked Notre Dame on Nov. 30.

From there, the Crimson Tide visits the 10th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels in Chapel Hill for a Sweet 16 rematch with RJ Davis and company on Dec. 4 as part of the SEC-ACC Challenge. Alabama closes its stretch of Top 25 competition against the 14th-ranked Creighton Bluejays on Dec. 14 in Tuscaloosa.

Alabama opens the regular season against UNC Asheville at Coleman Coliseum on Monday, Nov. 4. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPNU.

2024-25 Preseason Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll Rank

School

Last Year's Record

Points

1

Kansas

23-11

743 (15)

2

Alabama

25-12

718 (6)

3

Connecticut

37-3

717 (6)

4

Houston

32-5

698 (4)

5

Duke

27-9

625

6

Iowa State

29-8

591

7

Gonzaga

27-8

575

8

Baylor

24-11

545

9

Arizona

27-9

510

10

North Carolina

29-8

498

11

Auburn

27-8

465

12

Tennessee

27-9

437

13

Purdue

34-5

390

14

Creighton

25-10

342

15

Texas A&M

21-15

332

16

Arkansas

16-17

272

17

Marquette

27-10

268

18

Indiana

19-14

208

19

Texas

21-13

166

20

Cincinnati

22-15

163

21

Florida

24-12

130

22

UCLA

16-17

123

23

Kentucky

23-10

95

24

Illinois

29-9

87

25

Mississippi

20-12

66

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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Where Alabama ranks in USA TODAY Sports preseason men's basketball coaches poll

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