Published Dec 2, 2024
Where does Alabama basketball rank after the Players Era Festival
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Jack Knowlton  •  TideIllustrated
Staff Writer
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@JackKnowlton_

Alabama basketball checked in at No. 10 in the latest edition of the Associated Press top 25 poll. The Crimson Tide dropped one spot after going 2-1 in the Players Era Festival tournament last week.

The Tide (6-2) also dropped in the US LBM Coaches poll, landing at No. 12 after victories over Rutgers and then-No. 6 Houston, before suffering a loss to Oregon in the championship game.

Kansas remained at No. 1 in the AP Poll, improving to 7-0, including a win over Duke last week. Alabama’s archrival Auburn jumped up to No. 2 following an impressive showing at the Maui Invitational. The Tigers defeated then-No. 5 Iowa State, No. 12 North Carolina and Memphis to win the championship.

Fellow SEC sides Tennessee and Kentucky climbed to No. 3 and No. 4 in the AP Poll respectively. Both the Volunteers and Wildcats are also off to 7-0 starts this season. Marquette (8-0) rounded out the top five.

Alabama will look to pick up a pair of wins with two games left in the gauntlet portion of its non-conference schedule. The Tide will first travel to Chapel Hill, North Carolina for a matchup with the No. 12-ranked Tar Heels on Wednesday as part of the SEC/ACC Challenge. UNC (4-3) lost its last two games to Auburn and Michigan State and will look to avenge its loss to Alabama in the Sweet 16 of last year’s NCAA Tournament.

After its trip to North Carolina, Alabama will play its first game back in Coleman Coliseum since Nov. 11 when it faces No. 21 Creighton on Dec. 14. The Bluejays (5-3) also participated in the Players Era Festival, dropping games to San Deigo State and No. 20 Texas A&M and picking up a win over Notre Dame. Creighton fell out of the top 25 this week.

Alabama will face North Carolina at 6:15 p.m. Wednesday inside the Dean E. Smith Center. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

Here are the full AP and coaches polls

AP Poll

1. Kansas

2. Auburn

3. Tennessee

4. Kentucky

5. Marquette

6. Iowa State

7. Gonzaga

8. Purdue

9. Duke

10. Alabama

11. Wisconsin

12. Oregon

13. Florida

14. Cincinnati

15. Baylor

16. Memphis

17. Houston

18. Pittsburgh

19. Illinois

20. North Carolina

21. Oklahoma

22. Texas A&M

23. Ole Miss

24. San Diego State

25. UConn

Coaches' poll

1. Kansas

2. Auburn

3. Tennessee

4. Marquette

5. Iowa State

6. Kentucky

7. Purdue

8. Gonzaga

9. Duke

10. Oregon

11. Wisconsin

12. Alabama

13. Florida

14. Cincinnati

15. Memphis

16. Baylor

17. Illinois

18. Houston

19. Pittsburgh

20. Ole Miss

21. Oklahoma

22. North Carolina

23. Michigan

24. Texas A&M

25. Michigan State