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Projected college basketball rankings after No. 1 Alabama upset by Tennessee

By Cody Williams

KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - FEBRUARY 15: Noah Clowney #15 of the Alabama Crimson Tide goes up for a basket against Olivier Nkamhoua #13 of the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena on February 15, 2023 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - FEBRUARY 15: Noah Clowney #15 of the Alabama Crimson Tide goes up for a basket against Olivier Nkamhoua #13 of the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena on February 15, 2023 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images) /
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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

  1. Houston Cougars
  2. Purdue Boilermakers
  3. Alabama Crimson Tide
  4. UCLA Bruins
  5. Kansas Jayhawks
  6. Arizona Wildcats
  7. Tennessee Volunteers
  8. Virginia Cavaliers
  9. Texas Longhorns
  10. Baylor Bears
  11. Marquette Golden Eagles
  12. Gonzaga Bulldogs
  13. Indiana Hoosiers
  14. Miami Hurricanes
  15. Kansas State Wildcats
  16. Saint Mary’s Gaels
  17. Iowa State Cyclones
  18. Xavier Musketeers
  19. UConn Huskies
  20. San Diego State Aztecs
  21. Providence Friars
  22. TCU Horned Frogs
  23. Creighton Bluejays
  24. Florida Atlantic Owls
  25. 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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