Alabama Hoops Moves Up In AP Top 25 Poll
Alabama men's basketball (17-10, 7-7 SEC) moved up in the top 25 of the AP poll. despite going 1-1 this past week.
The No. 24 ranked Crimson Tide moved up one spot from last week's AP poll with a win against Mississippi State at Coleman Coliseum and a loss on the road against then No. 4 Kentucky. The team beat Mississippi State this past Wednesday 80-75, led by guard Jahvon Quinerly's 21 points and eight assists. In the second half of the game, Oats was ejected after receiving two technical fouls, a move that fueled the Tide to go on an 18-2 run and effectively end the game.
The team then lost to Kentucky 90-81, despite having a 13 point lead in the first half. Senior guard Keon Ellis scored a game high 28 points. The Wildcats ended up moving down two spots in the AP poll from four to six even though they beat Alabama, due to their loss earlier in the week to Tennessee.
This is Alabama's second straight appearance in the top 25 poll after being excluded for the four weeks prior. The Tide are also the only team in the AP poll too have double digit losses so far this season with 10, with Texas and Iowa tying with the second most at eight each. Alabama's last three losses have been to AP top five opponents, pairing that with the team's wins against five top 25 teams in the most recent poll, the poll voters must believe that Crimson Tide doesn't deserve to be punished.
The Crimson Tide will play on the road against Vanderbilt on Tuesday at 8 p.m. CT, then will return home to Coleman Coliseum to take on South Carolina on Saturday at 5 p.m. CT.