Alabama remains unranked after wins over Texas A&M, Auburn
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After falling out of the Associated Press poll for the first time in two years, the Alabama men’s basketball team responded with two big SEC wins in a four-day span.
But that still was not enough for the Crimson Tide to return to the top 25, sitting just outside the top 25 for the second consecutive week.
Alabama grabbed a home win over previous SEC leader Texas A&M before hitting the road to take down Auburn. The Tide improved to 16-7 overall and 6-4 in SEC play, getting back into the top half of the conference standings.
Keep reading to see the full rankings from this week + see what comes next for both Alabama + Auburn.
AP Top 25
There were not many changes to this week’s rankings. Several teams shuffled around but Arizona and Michigan remain the top two teams for the second straight week
There was only one team that fell out of last week’s top 25 with Tennessee falling out in favor of Kentucky after the Wildcats’ second win of the season against the Vols.
Kentucky, who was 30th in last week’s poll, jumped over the Crimson Tide to claim the No. 25 spot. The Wildcats earned 8 more points than Alabama despite the Tide’s head-to-head victory early in conference play.
There are just four SEC teams featured in the top 25 this week with four others also receiving votes including:
- No. 14 Florida
- No. 19 Vanderbilt
- No. 21 Arkansas
- No. 25 Kentucky
- Alabama (26th)
- Tennessee (29th)
- Georgia (32nd)
- Auburn (34th)
What comes next?
Before any more games are played, all eyes are still on the Tuscaloosa judge who will be ruling on Charles Bediako’s eligibility.
But whether the big man plays this week or not, Alabama will have two games to try to break back into the top 25. This week’s schedule includes:
- at Ole Miss, Feb. 11, 6PM, SEC Network
- South Carolina, Feb. 14, 7:30PM, SEC Network
Four of the next five games for Alabama are against teams currently sitting in the bottom third of the SEC standings. While it may not be a stretch to boost the Tide’s resume, it does provide a chance for Alabama to make a move for a double bye in next month’s SEC Tournament.
For Auburn, the Tigers need to bounce back against two ranked opponents this week. Steven Pearl’s team already has three ranked wins this season including two in conference play.
Auburn’s schedule this week includes:
- No. 15 Vanderbilt, Feb. 10, 6PM, SEC Network
- at No. 21 Arkansas, Feb. 14, TBA
