634883046 1328376262662949 9155725936555578745 N E1771262490449 — Houston Mallette (95) celebrates against South Carolina. (University of Alabama Athletics)

After spending the last two weeks absent from the Associated Press top 25, the Alabama men’s basketball team is back in the rankings after claiming its fourth straight win in SEC play.

The Crimson Tide moved up to No. 25 after going 4-0 as an unranked team over the last two weeks including a win over South Carolina on Saturday. The team also has moved into a tie for third place in the conference standings.

And the shift back into the rankings comes just in time for a top-25 matchup to be featured at Coleman Coliseum this week.

Keep reading to see more from this week’s poll + what’s on the college basketball slate this week.

AP Top 25

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The rankings feature a new No. 1 team this week as Michigan retakes the top spot after a pair of losses from previously undefeated Arizona.

There are no SEC teams ranked in the top 10 for the fifth consecutive poll but six total received votes this week including:

No. 12 Florida
No. 19 Vanderbilt
No. 20 Arkansas
No. 25 Alabama
Tennessee
Kentucky

Alabama, which currently holds an 18-7 overall record, is the second highest ranked seven-loss team but that’s for good reason.

Of the team’s seven losses, five of them are to teams currently ranked in the top 20. The Crimson Tide also has two wins over teams currently ranked ahead of them. (That’s also why Joe Lunardi has Alabama as a No. 4 seed in his latest bracketology.)

Arkansas at Alabama highlights busy week

When No. 21 Arkansas comes to Tuscaloosa on Wednesday, Alabama will not only be trying to bolster its resume even more. The Tide could also take a big step in earning a top-four seed + a double bye in next month’s SEC Tournament.

Alabama is looking for its first win over a team ranked at the time of tip off since beating Illinois on Nov. 19.

Here’s some of the key college basketball games across our state this week: