Alabama basketball falls in the polls following second loss of the season

[Tony_Tsoukalas]

Last week was a forgettable one for Alabama which lost to an unranked opponent in Memphis before flirting with another potential upset loss during its comeback win against Jacksonville State. The two ugly performances cost the Crimson Tide in the polls this week as it slipped four places to No. 10 in The Associated Press Top 25 and three places to No. 11 in the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll.

Baylor held its No. 1 ranking in both polls, earning 60 of the 61 first-place votes in the AP Top 25 and all of the 32 first-place votes in the coaches poll. Arizona earned the other first-place vote in the AP Top 25. Alabama will host Baylor on Jan. 29 as part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.

Alabama (9-2) entered Monday at No. 24 in the NET rankings used by the NCAA tournament selection committee. The Tide is 2-1 in Quad 1 games, 1-1 in Quad 2 games, 5-0 in Quad 3 games and 1-0 in Quad 4 games. Alabama’s next game will come Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT when it faces Davidson in the C.M. Newton Classic inside Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala. The neutral-site matchup will currently serve as a Quad-2 game as Davidson ranks No. 54 in the NET rankings.

Alabama is still the highest-ranked SEC team in both polls. The AP top 25 also includes No. 12 Auburn, No. 17 LSU, No. 19 Tennessee and No. 20 Kentucky. The coaches poll also includes No. 12 Auburn, No. 16 LSU, No. 18 Kentucky and No. 19 Tennessee.

LINK TO POLLS

 

[Tide60T]

These early polls reflect wins against weaker opponents for some teams. Bama will reap the benefits of playing a tough schedule once the SEC play starts.