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Projected college basketball rankings after Alabama upset by Memphis, Duke & LSU roll

By Cody Williams

Dec 14, 2021; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Tigers guard Lester Quinones (11) looks for an open lane as Alabama Crimson Tide guard Keon Ellis (14) defends during the first half at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 14, 2021; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Tigers guard Lester Quinones (11) looks for an open lane as Alabama Crimson Tide guard Keon Ellis (14) defends during the first half at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Alabama entered the week as the No. 6 team in the latest AP Top 25 college basketball rankings but they fall in our projections after losing to Memphis.

Nate Oat’s Alabama Crimson Tide had a dream start to the month of December that put them firmly on the map as a potential big-time player in the 2021-22 college basketball season. Wins over Gonzaga and Houston had them vaulted up to No. 6 in the latest AP Top 25 college basketball rankings but heading into a tough matchup on the road against Memphis.

On paper, Alabama should’ve handled the game pretty well. However, what the numbers don’t show is that Memphis had simply not played to its potential thus far in the season. But with head coach Penny Hardaway pulling out the Memphis State throwback jerseys, the Tigers found their mojo against a top-10 team.

In a convincing effort, Memphis ran away from the Crimson Tide, ultimately handing them a 92-78 loss. Now, Bama is surely set to fall in the next Top 25 rankings, but how far will they tumble? Let’s check out our latest projections.

Projected college basketball rankings after Memphis upsets Alabama, Duke rolls

  1. Baylor Bears
  2. Duke Blue Devils
  3. Purdue Boilermakers
  4. UCLA Bruins
  5. Gonzaga Bulldogs
  6. Kansas Jayhawks
  7. Arizona Wildcats
  8. Villanova Wildcats
  9. USC Trojans
  10. Iowa State Cyclones
  11. Alabama Crimson Tide
  12. Michigan State Spartans
  13. Auburn Tigers
  14. Houston Cougars
  15. Ohio State Buckeyes

Alabama is almost certainly going to fall outside of the top 10 in the next AP Top 25 college basketball rankings. While Memphis has talent and showed their upside, the Crimson Tide still lost to a team that was 5-4 coming into the matchup on Tuesday night.

With that said, the quality wins that Nate Oats’ team has to its credit should do them some favors in the next rankings as they shouldn’t fall all that far. This was a game where they played on the road against a team that, frankly, hadn’t played to its ceiling until Tuesday. That can only be held against the Tide but so much.

Next. Top 25 college basketball teams of all time. dark

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