Where Alabama Basketball Ranks After Week 3

The Crimson Tide responded strongly following a loss to Purdue with a 100-87 win over Illinois, but how much did it change Alabama's placement in the polls?

Nov 20, 2024; Birmingham, AL, USA; Alabama guard Labaron Philon (0) gets a dunk with Illinois center Tomislav Ivisic (13) trailing in the CM Newton Classic at Legacy Arena. Alabama defeated Illinois 100-87. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— After receiving its highest preseason ranking in the AP and Coaches Polls in program history at No. 2, the Alabama men's basketball team started relatively strong with two wins to open the season in Week 1––maintaining its inaugural ranking in each of the polls.

Week 2 wasn't as friendly to the Crimson Tide though, as Alabama defeated McNeese State in a scrappy single-digit game and then followed it with an 87-78 loss to then-No. 13 Purdue in its first road contest of the young season. This dropped the Tide to No. 8 in the AP Poll last Monday.

Alabama's season was off to a sluggish start, but a 100-87 win over No. 25 Illinois in the C.M. Newton Classic on Nov. 20 immediately turned things around, but the player stats were an extreme surprise. Preseason All-American point guard Mark Sears shockingly didn’t score a single point and Alabama center Clifford Omoruyi had just six in just 15 minutes of action due to foul trouble. The Crimson Tide received a ton of praise during the offseason for its plethora of depth and it showed that evening as forward Grant Nelson tallied 23 points and guards Labaron Philon, Aden Holloway and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. each put up 16-plus points.

But despite the nice turnaround from a disappointing loss, Alabama moved down a couple of spots to No. 9 in the AP Poll and Coaches Poll on Monday.

AP Poll

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

1. Kansas (51), 5-0, 1536
2. UConn (6), 4-0, 1429
3. Gonzaga (2), 5-0, 1428
4. Auburn (3), 4-0, 1393
5. Iowa State, 3-0, 1216
6. Houston, 3-1, 1125
7. Tennessee, 6-0, 1116
8. Kentucky, 5-0, 1075
9. Alabama, 4-1, 1065
10. Marquette, 6-0, 10004
11. Duke, 4-1, 986
12. North Carolina, 3-1, 976
13. Purdue, 5-1, 865
14. Indiana, 4-0, 666
15. Wisconsin, 4-0, 641
16. Cincinnati, 5-0, 610
17. Baylor, 4-2, 482
18. Florida, 6-0, 466
19. Arkansas, 4-1, 387
20. Texas A&M, 4-1, 318
21. Creighton, 4-1, 198
22. Xavier, 5-0, 191
23. Ole Miss, 5-0, 180
24. Arizona, 2-2, 154
25. Mississippi State, 5-0, 86

Others receiving votes: BYU 70, Pittsburgh 62, Texas 57, Ohio St. 55, Saint Mary's 52, Illinois 50, Memphis 38, Texas Tech 31, Drake 29, Nebraska 21, Michigan St. 14, Georgia 11, St. John's 10, Oregon 10, Penn St. 9, Utah St. 6, Vanderbilt 6, Nevada 5, UCLA 5, Arizona St 5, Maryland 4, Providence 3, Furman 2, Florida St. 1, Columbia 1.

Coaches Poll

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

1. Kansas (25), 5-0, 767
2. UConn (2), 4-0, 717
3. Auburn (3), 4-0, 707
4. Gonzaga (1), 5-0, 689
5. Iowa State, 3-0, 602
6. Tennessee, 6-0, 587
7. Houston, 3-1, 559
8. Kentucky, 5-0, 539
9. Alabama, 4-1, 527
10. Duke, 4-1, 502
11. Marquette, 6-0, 499
12. Purdue, 5-1, 429
13. North Carolina, 3-1, 424
14. Cincinnati, 5-0, 330
15. Indiana, 4-0, 262
16. Florida, 6-0, 260
17. Wisconsin, 7-0, 252
18. Baylor, 4-2, 244
19. Creighton, 4-1, 167
20. Texas A&M, 4-1, 146
21. Arkansas, 4-1, 128
22. Xavier, 5-0, 85
23. Arizona, 2-2, 76
24. Ole Miss, 5-0, 73
25. Pitt, 6-1, 66

Schools Dropped Out: No. 20 Illinois; No. 20 St. John's; No. 24 Texas Tech

Others Receiving Votes: BYU 60; Texas 43; Mississippi State 43; Illinois 42; St. John's 40; Texas Tech 39; Ohio State 38; Saint Mary's 33; Drake 23; Memphis 21; Nebraska 20; Oregon 8; Rutgers 7; Dayton 5; Michigan State 4; UCLA 3; Georgia 3; Nevada 2; Utah State 1; Penn State 1; Maryland 1; LSU 1

Alabama in the Polls by Week:

• Preseason: No. 2 in AP Poll, No. 2 in Coaches Poll
• After Week 1 (UNC Asheville win, Arkansas State win): No. 2 in AP Poll, No. 2 in Coaches Poll
• After Week 2 (McNeese win, Purdue loss): No. 8 in the AP Poll and No. 7 in the Coaches Poll
• After Week 3 (Illinois win): No. 9 in AP Poll, No. 9 in Coaches Poll