Where Alabama Basketball Ranks After Week 4

The Crimson Tide made it to the Players Era Festival Championship, but did the two big wins outweigh the loss in the title game?

Alabama guard Aden Holloway (2) dribbles the ball against Oregon at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV on Saturday, Nov 30, 2024. / Photo by Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Alabama basketball has been riding a bit of roller coaster to start its most anticipated season in program history as it went from No. 2 to No. 8 to No. 9 in the AP Poll despite recording a solid 4-1 record in the first three weeks.

This past week was a bit different for the Crimson Tide and college basketball as a whole, as Alabama was among eight programs that participated in the inaugural Players Era Festival. This Las Vegas-based NIL event is the first of its kind as the winning team, that being Oregon, will receive $1.5 million in prize money. Alabama will take home $1.25 million after falling to the Duck 83-81 on Saturday night.

Alabama reached the first place game after defeating then-No. 6 Houston in a 85-80 overtime thriller and coming out victorious in a close 95-90 battle against Rutgers. Oregon, on the other hand, defeated No. 20 Texas A&M and San Diego State each by 10 points to help the Ducks reach the final match.

Despite making it to the Championship, the loss outweighed the two big-time wins as Alabama dropped to No. 10 in the AP Top 25 Poll and to No. 12 in the Coaches Poll.

AP Top 25

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

1. Kansas (35), 7-0, 1499
2. Auburn (26), 7-0, 1490
3. Tennessee, 7-0, 1351
4. Kentucky, 7-0, 1267
5. Marquette, 8-0, 1246
6. Iowa State, 5-1, 1225
7. Gonzaga, 7-1, 1181
8. Purdue, 7-1, 1058
9. Duke, 5-2, 941
10. Alabama, 6-2, 939
11. Wisconsin, 8-0, 903
12. Oregon, 8-0, 806
13. Florida, 8-0, 782
14. Cincinnati, 6-0, 774
15. Baylor, 5-2, 567
16. Memphis, 6-1, 500
17. Houston, 4-3, 402
18. Pittsburgh, 7-1, 374
19. Illinois, 6-1, 351
20. North Carolina, 292
21. Oklahoma, 7-0, 266
22. Texas A&M, 6-2, 207
23. Ole Miss, 6-1, 165
24. San Diego State, 4-2
25. UConn, 5-3. 123

Others receiving votes: Michigan St. 108, Arkansas 104, Texas 97, Michigan 95, Arizona St 89, Indiana 72, Drake 58, Xavier 33, Utah St. 28, Louisville 27, West Virginia 26, Clemson 25, BYU 24, Dayton 24, Texas Tech 22, Nebraska 22, Mississippi St. 20, Ohio St. 19, Maryland 13, UCLA 13, Creighton 12, Saint Mary's 11, Georgia 10, St. John's 7, Loyola Chicago 4, Florida St. 3, DePaul 3, UC Irvine 2, Columbia 2.

Coaches Poll

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

1. Kansas (19), 7-0, 760
2. Auburn (12), 7-0, 755
3. Tennessee, 7-0, 694
4. Marquette, 8-0, 646
5. Iowa State, 5-1, 629
6. Kentucky, 7-0, 628
7. Purdue, 7-1, 535
8. Gonzaga, 7-1, 517
9. Duke, 5-2, 472
10. Oregon, 8-0, 457
11. Wisconsin, 8-0, 450
12. Alabama, 6-2, 441
13. Florida, 8-0, 427
14. Cincinnati, 6-0, 376
15. Memphis, 6-1, 265
16. Baylor, 5-2, 262
17. Illinois, 6-1, 234
18. Houston, 4-3, 221
19. Pittsburgh, 7-1, 213
20. Ole Miss, 6-1, 139
21. Oklahoma, 7-0, 111
22. North Carolina, 4-3, 96
23. Michigan, 6-1, 90
24. Texas A&M, 6-2, 86
25. Michigan State, 6-2, 73

Schools Dropped Out: No. 2 UConn; No. 15 Indiana; No. 19 Creighton; No. 21 Arkansas; No. 22 Xavier; No. 23 Arizona;

Others Receiving Votes: UConn 63; San Diego State 56; Texas 54; Mississippi State 39; Arizona State 39; Drake 34; Texas Tech 32; Arkansas 28; UCLA 17; Xavier 16; BYU 16; Ohio State 15; Utah State 13; Saint Mary's 12; Dayton 10; St. John's 8; Nebraska 8; Indiana 8; Creighton 8; West Virginia 5; Maryland 5; Clemson 5; Georgia 3; Arizona 2; UC Irvine 1; Nevada 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, No. 7 in the Coaches Poll
• After Week 3 (Illinois win): No. 9 in AP Poll, No. 9 in Coaches Poll
• After Week 4 (Houston win, Rutgers win, Oregon loss): No. 10 in AP Poll, No. 12 in Coaches Poll