Alabama Basketball Ranked No. 1 for Second Time in Program History

With Purdue losing and Alabama overpowering Auburn on the road, the Crimson Tide is the new top-ranked team in both the latest AP Top 25 and Coaches Polls.

For just the second time in program history, Alabama basketball is the No. 1 team in the nation.

On Monday morning, the Crimson Tide was the new top-ranked team in the latest AP Top 25 Poll. Alabama defeated Florida last Wednesday at Coleman Coliseum before traveling to Neville Arena and beating the Auburn Tigers. The Crimson Tide was also revealed as the latest No. 1 team in the USA Today Sports Coaches Poll.

Alabama's No. 1 ranking is just the second time in the program's history that it has been able to top the AP Poll. Previously, the only other time as No. 1 for the Crimson Tide was a two-week stint during the 2002-03 season.

The ranking also marks the highest that Alabama has ever been ranked this late in the season. Both the 1955-56 and 2020-21 teams finished the season ranked No. 5. However, the 55-56 team never ascended higher than No. 4 at any point during the regular season, and the 20-21 team never reached higher than No. 6 outside of its final ranking.

𝐍𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐧𝐞

For the first time since the 2002-03 season the Crimson Tide are #1 in the @AP_Top25!#RollTide | #BlueCollarBasketball pic.twitter.com/pDxTY7BLcA

— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) February 13, 2023

The door for Alabama jumping to No. 1 was opened over the weekend when the top-ranked Purdue Boilermakers were toppled by Northwestern on the road. While Houston was ranked second and ahead of Alabama, the Crimson Tide bested the Cougars earlier this season in a hostile road game.

The victory earlier this year combined with last week's wins over Florida and Auburn were enough to convince voters to bump Alabama into the No. 1 spot.

Around the rest of the Southeastern Conference in the AP Top 25, Tennessee sits at No. 10 but is the only other ranked program in the SEC. Missouri received 114 voting points while Texas A&M received 16 and Arkansas 4. However, none are ranked this week.

In the Coaches Poll, Tennessee is No. 11 while Texas A&M slips in at No. 25. Missouri received 15 voting points and Auburn 13, but neither team is ranked this week.

Here are the full AP Top 25 and Coaches Polls for Week 15 of college basketball:

AP Top 25 - Feb. 13, 2022

(Ranking, team, record, points, first-place votes)

1. Alabama (22-3) 1,523 (38) 

2. Houston (23-2) 1,503 (22) 

3. Purdue (23-3) 1,408 (2) 

4. UCLA (21-4) 1,302 

5. Kansas (20-5) 1,283 

6. Texas (20-5) 1,214 

7. Virginia (19-4) 1,212 

8. Arizona (22-4) 1,139 

9. Baylor (19-6) 1,072 

10. Tennessee (19-6) 896 

11. Marquette (20-6) 815 

12. Kansas State (19-6) 790 

13. Gonzaga (21-5) 761 

14. Indiana (18-7) 717 

15. Miami (FL) (20-5) 693 

16. Xavier (19-6) 642 

17. Saint Mary's (22-5) 567 

18. Creighton (17-8) 517 

19. Iowa State (16-8) 396 

20. UConn (19-7) 358 

21. San Diego State (20-5) 271 

22. TCU (17-8) 204 

23. North Carolina State (20-6) 140 

24. Providence (18-7) 136 

25. Florida Atlantic (24-2) 117

Others receiving votes:

Missouri 114, Northwestern 96, Illinois 84, Pittsburgh 82, Nevada 36, Oklahoma State 23, Texas A&M 16, Oral Roberts 9, Iowa 5, Arkansas 4, Rutgers 2, Charleston 1, Maryland 1, Boise State 1.

USA Today Sports Coaches Poll - Week 15

(Ranking, team, record, points, first-place votes)

1. Alabama 22-3 782 (15)

2. Houston 23-2 775 (15)

3. Purdue 23-3 728 (1)

4. UCLA 21-4 679

5. Texas 20-5 642

6. Virginia 19-4 634 (1)

7. Kansas 20-5 624

8. Arizona 22-4 554

9. Baylor 19-6 549

10. Marquette 20-6 455

11. Tennessee 19-6 438

12. Gonzaga 21-5 368

13. Miami-Florida 20-5 360

14. Kansas State 19-6 354

15. Indiana 18-7 346

16. Xavier 19-6 328

17. Saint Mary's 22-5 305

18. Iowa State 16-8 238

19. Creighton 17-8 226

20. San Diego St. 20-5 158

21. Providence 18-7 151

22. NC State 20-6 128

23. Connecticut 19-7 119

24. Texas Christian 17-8 78

25. Texas A&M 18-7 65

Others receiving votes:

Northwestern 54; Florida Atlantic 49; Illinois 41; Pittsburgh 35; Rutgers 21; Clemson 21; Maryland 20; Oklahoma State 15; Missouri 15; Nevada 13; Auburn 13; Duke 12; Iowa 4; Charleston 2; Oral Roberts 1.

See Also:

Alabama Escapes Auburn with 77-69 Win, Stays Undefeated in SEC Play

No. 3 Alabama Silences Raucous Neville Arena for Just Third Time in 11 Years

BamaCentral Courtside: No. 3 Alabama 77, Auburn 69