Alabama basketball ranked No. 1 in AP Top 25, USA TODAY coaches poll
Alabama basketball has moved up to No. 1 in the latest AP Top 25. It's the first time the Crimson Tide has been ranked No. 1 since Dec. 30, 2002.
Alabama is also No. 1 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll. Houston stayed at No. 2 in both rankings, and Purdue fell to No. 3 after a loss to Northwestern. The Crimson Tide (22-3, 12-0 SEC) received 38 first-place votes to Houston's 22 in the AP Poll. Alabama and Houston each received 15 first-place votes in the coaches poll.
Tennessee is the only other SEC team ranked in the AP poll. Texas A&M is No. 25 in the coaches poll. The Vols are No. 10 in the AP poll and No. 11 in the coaches poll. This week, Alabama faces No. 11 Tennessee (19-6, 8-4) on Wednesday (6 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU) in Knoxville. Then, the Crimson Tide returns home to face Georgia (15-10, 5-7) on Saturday (5 p.m., SEC Network).
The Crimson Tide were ranked No. 3 in both polls last week. Then coach Nate Oats' team beat Florida 97-69 at home and Auburn 77-69 on the road.
The highest Alabama had been in the AP poll this season was No. 2, but then it lost 93-69 to Oklahoma on the road in late January to drop a few spots in the polls.
Nick Kelly covers Alabama football and men's basketball for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter: @_NickKelly
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This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama basketball ranked No. 1 in AP Top 25, USA TODAY coaches poll
