Alabama earned No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the first time in decades but after getting upset by Tennessee, the college basketball rankings are moving again.
On Monday, the Alabama Crimson Tide sat atop the college basketball rankings for the first time in two decades. Two days later on a trip to Knoxville for a Top 10 clash with the Tennessee Volunteers, though, Nate Oats’ team is no longer going to be holding that No. 1 spot. Talk about short-lived.
Going on the road to face a Vols team that, though they’ve struggled, has been a nightmare for opponents defensively was no easy task for the Crimson Tide. That proved true on the hardwood too. Tennessee limited Alabama to just 35.4 percent shooting on the night while forcing 19 turnovers as well.
The Vols got the lead early and fought off every run from the Tide to ultimately earn the 68-59 win on their home floor.
With No. 1 falling for the second straight week, we have to check in on the college basketball rankings to see what the AP Top 25 could look like after a bit of early-week madness.
College basketball rankings: Projected Top 25 after Alabama upset by Tennessee
- Houston Cougars
- Purdue Boilermakers
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- UCLA Bruins
- Kansas Jayhawks
- Arizona Wildcats
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Virginia Cavaliers
- Texas Longhorns
- Baylor Bears
- Marquette Golden Eagles
- Gonzaga Bulldogs
- Indiana Hoosiers
- Miami Hurricanes
- Kansas State Wildcats
- Saint Mary’s Gaels
- Iowa State Cyclones
- Xavier Musketeers
- UConn Huskies
- San Diego State Aztecs
- Providence Friars
- TCU Horned Frogs
- Creighton Bluejays
- Florida Atlantic Owls
- Pittsburgh Panthers
Note: Projected rankings do not reflect results for Indiana-Northwestern, TCU-Iowa State and San Diego State-Fresno State on Wednesday night
Houston was already in competition to be No. 1 when Alabama earned the distinction on Monday in the AP Top 25, so it makes sense that the Cougars will take that top spot. The Crimson Tide will likely fall back behind Purdue, even with the loss to the Vols not being that bad, especially on the road. Meanwhile, Tennessee should vault higher into the Top 10 after pulling off the big win.
There are more shakeups in the rankings with Texas dropping after a loss to Texas Tech on Monday night while Kansas State falls as well. Creighton also took a loss, causing them to drop a bit, while NC State falls out of the Top 25 entirely after a loss at Syracuse on Tuesday night.
It’s already been a crazy week for ranked teams getting upset and No. 1 going down in Knoxville adds to that. There are still four more nights in the week, though, for more chaos to ensue.
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