Alabama basketball up several spots in USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

Nate Oats' Alabama Crimson Tide moved up a few spots in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll after their 89-74 win over Kentucky. Here's the full top 25.

Jan 5, 2026 - 13:00
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Alabama basketball up several spots in USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

The Alabama Crimson Tide opened SEC basketball play with a statement win over the Kentucky Wildcats, 89-74, on Saturday afternoon at Coleman Coliseum.

Backed by 26 points from Aden Holloway, who tied both his career and season highs by making six of eight shots from 3-point range, Alabama made 15 shots from beyond the arc in a game that was never seriously in doubt.

The Crimson Tide led by as many as 21 while en route to their fourth straight victory over Kentucky dating back to last season. Labaron Philon had 17 points for Alabama, which picked up 14 from Houston Mallette. The Tide's 7-foot center Noah Williamson, an offseason pickup from Bucknell, gave Alabama 10 points in 18 minutes off the bench.

The Tide out-rebounded Kentucky, 41-37.

Where is Alabama basketball ranked in USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll after win over Kentucky?

Alabama is ranked No. 12 in the Week 10 USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, up three spots from last week. The Crimson Tide are ranked one spot below the Nebraska Cornhuskers and one spot ahead of Tom Izzo's Michigan State Spartans.

Nate Oats' Crimson Tide are the second-highest ranked SEC team behind No. 10 Vanderbilt (14-0).

USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll full Top 25 ranking: Alabama among biggest risers

The full Week 10 top 25 rankings in the USA TODAY Sports men's basketball coaches poll are below.

RankTeamRecordPTS1stPrevChgHi/Lo
1Michigan13-0768241-1/7
2Arizona14-074972-2/13
3Iowa State14-070303-3/18
4UConn14-166604-3/7
5Purdue13-162406+11/6
6Duke13-161605-13/6
7Houston13-158408+12/8
8Gonzaga16-156507-17/20
9BYU13-1527010+17/11
10Vanderbilt14-0488011+110/NR
11Nebraska14-0473013+211/NR
12Alabama11-3403015+39/16
13Michigan State12-240009-48/21
14Texas Tech11-3345016+211/20
15Arkansas11-3334018+314/23
16Illinois11-3294019+38/19
17North Carolina13-2250012-512/25
18Louisville11-3232013-55/18
19Iowa12-2211023+419/NR
20Georgia13-1164024+420/NR
21Kansas10-4131017-417/NR
22Tennessee10-4123020-213/23
23Virginia12-2120021-221/NR
24Villanova12-2700NR+1524/NR
25SMU12-2420NR-25/NR

Schools Dropped Out

No. 22 Florida; No. 25 St. John's;

Others Receiving Votes

UCF 41; Utah State 34; Clemson 29; Florida 21; Saint Mary's 17; Seton Hall 13; Saint Louis 11; Indiana 10; St. John's 4; Missouri 3; Miami (OH) 3; Kentucky 3; California 2; USC 1; Oklahoma State 1;

Alabama basketball schedule: When do Crimson Tide play next?

Alabama (10-3) will head to Nashville for its first SEC road contest of the 2025-26 season against the Vanderbilt Commodores (13-0) Wednesday. Alabama-Vanderbilt will tip at 8 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Alabama basketball up several spots in USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

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