TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Despite its No. 5 ranking, Alabama basketball isn’t quite the media darling it was three months ago.

The Crimson Tide was predicted to win the SEC in October and began the season ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press top 25. Barring a loss at Purdue and defeat to Oregon in the championship game of the Players Era Festival, Alabama (12-2) has handled its business on the court. However, the Tide now finds itself lumped into a 1B category when it comes to SEC contenders thanks to hot starts from No. 1 Tennessee (14-0) and No. 2 Auburn (13-1).

Does that current perception create a chip on the Tide’s shoulders? Head coach Nate Oats certainly hopes so.

“We’ve got something to prove,” Oats said Tuesday. “We’re flying under the radar a little bit which is nice for a change. We’ve got to come in playing like we’ve got something to prove every time out.”

While Oats hopes his team’s overlooked status serves as motivation, he understands the hype around Auburn and Tennessee.

Auburn ranks No. 1 according to KenPom, boasting the nation’s top-rated offense and No. 14 defense. The Volunteers are ranked fourth by the service, featuring the No. 20 offense and No. 2 defense. Meanwhile, Alabama isn’t too far behind at No. 9 overall, boasting the No. 4 offense and No. 44 defense.

As for the NET rankings, which are used to determine the NCAA tournament, Auburn ranks No. 1 with Tennessee at No. 3 and Alabama at No. 9, a spot below No. 8 Florida.

Alabama’s first loss occurred during its first road trip of the season, as it suffered an 87-78 defeat inside Purdue’s Mackey Arena. The Tide also faced adversity in its 83-81 loss to Oregon in Las Vegas, as starting guard Latrell Wrightsell ruptured his Achilles tendon during the game, ruling him out for the season. Alabama also began the year without South Florida transfer Chris Youngblood, who is still shaking off some rust after missing nine games with an ankle injury.

Still, with one of the nation’s deepest rosters at his disposal, Oats isn’t expecting much sympathy

“We really haven’t been healthy,” Oats said. “But shoot, that’s the game of basketball. There’s a lot of injuries happening. You’ve got to figure it out whether it’s in the middle of the game or whenever. You’ve got to figure it out on the fly.”

Alabama certainly seems to be back on the right track. Since losing to Oregon, the Tide has ripped off six straight wins. That includes a blowout at North Carolina and another commanding win to open SEC play against Oklahoma over the weekend.

The Tide will look to carry that momentum on the road this week as it travels to South Carolina (10-4, 0-1 in the SEC) on Wednesday before visiting No. 10 Texas A&M (12-2, 1-0) on Saturday.

Alabama will enter Wednesday’s game as a favorite over South Carolina after the Gamecocks suffered an 85-50 defeat at Mississippi State to open SEC play. However, South Carolina knocked off Clemson earlier this season and will enter the matchup with its own point to prove.

“Looking forward to our first conference road game,” Oats said. “These are games where you find out if your team is going to be able to compete for a championship or not.”