Crimson Tide rebounds strongly, ascending to No. 14 after decisive wins. This momentum builds as SEC play looms.
Week 8 of the Associated Press men’s college basketball rankings dropped Monday, and Alabama is moving in the right direction.
The Crimson Tide climbed from No. 16 to No. 14 in the latest AP Poll after putting together a strong response following its loss to No. 1 Arizona. Instead of letting that setback snowball, Alabama handled business with back-to-back 11-point wins, reminding everyone why this team remains firmly in the national conversation.
Alabama bounced back with a 104-93 win over South Florida, followed by a 92-81 victory against Kennesaw State.
The Tide’s offense stayed aggressive, the pace never slowed, and the response was exactly what you want to see from a team with postseason expectations. Losses happen, but how you respond matters more.
Alabama did just that.
Now sitting at No. 14, Alabama continues to stack quality performances as it closes out nonconference play. The Crimson Tide will host Yale on Dec. 29 in its final non-conference matchup before jumping into the grind of SEC play, where little margin for error exists.
That game provides one more opportunity to clean things up and build momentum before conference competition ramps up.
Here’s a look at the full Week 8 AP Top 25 rankings:
- Arizona
- Michigan
- Iowa State
- UConn
- Purdue
- Duke
- Gonzaga
- Houston
- Michigan State
- BYU
- Vanderbilt
- North Carolina
- Nebraska
- Alabama
- Texas Tech
- Louisville
- Kansas
- Arkansas
- Tennessee
- Illinois
- Virginia
- Florida
- Georgia
- USC
- Iowa
With SEC play looming, Alabama’s climb to No. 14 isn’t about hype, it’s about positioning.
The Tide handled its bounce-back stretch the right way, and now the focus shifts to sustaining that level of play against tougher competition.
Alabama is exactly where it needs to be heading into the next phase of the season, which is when rankings start to matter less and results start to matter more.
Non-conference lessons are in the rearview mirror, and SEC play will demand focus, depth, and execution every single night.
The Tide aren’t chasing respect anymore, they’ve earned it.
Now they have to defend it.