Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide basketball team are fighting an uphill battle as the final stretch of the regular season gets underway.
Despite once being a top-10 team, Alabama fell out of the rankings weeks ago and has been trying to fight their way back ever since. Now on a two-game win streak following wins over Ole Miss and Arkansas, Alabama is the first team out of the latest Coaches poll.
Only a few games remain in the regular season before the SEC men’s basketball tournament begins.
A look at the full Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports:
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Change |
| 1 | Gonzaga | 21-2 | 798 (30) | – |
| 2 | Auburn | 23-2 | 734 (2) | – |
| 3 | Kentucky | 21-4 | 731 | +1 |
| 4 | Arizona | 22-2 | 725 | +1 |
| 5 | Duke | 21-4 | 631 | +1 |
| 6 | Kansas | 20-4 | 603 | +2 |
| 7 | Purdue | 22-4 | 596 | -4 |
| 8 | Baylor | 21-4 | 583 | +2 |
| 9 | Providence | 21-2 | 577 | +2 |
| 10 | Villanova | 19-6 | 475 | +5 |
| 11 | Texas Tech | 19-6 | 451 | -2 |
| 12 | Illinois | 18-6 | 441 | +1 |
| 13 | Tennessee | 18-6 | 360 | +5 |
| 14 | UCLA | 14-5 | 358 | -2 |
| 15 | Houston | 20-4 | 351 | -8 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | 19-5 | 328 | -2 |
| 17 | USC | 21-4 | 288 | +4 |
| 18 | Ohio State | 15-6 | 278 | -2 |
| 19 | Michigan St | 18-6 | 244 | -2 |
| 20 | Texas | 18-7 | 170 | – |
| 21 | Murray St | 24-2 | 105 | +3 |
| 22 | Wyoming | 21-3 | 94 | +4 |
| 23 | Marquette | 16-9 | 87 | -4 |
| 24 | Connecticut | 17-7 | 68 | -1 |
| 24 | Arkansas | 19-6 | 68 | +6 |
Schools Dropped Out
No. 22 Saint Mary’s; No. 25 Wake Forest
Others Receiving Votes
Alabama 55; Saint Mary’s 45; Colorado St. 33; Xavier 20; Notre Dame 18; Wake Forest 16; Miami-Florida 14; Louisiana State 8; Southern Methodist 7; Loyola-Chicago 7; Seton Hall 6; Rutgers 6; Boise St. 6; Davidson 4; San Francisco 3; North Carolina 2; Iowa State 2; Iowa 2; Texas Christian 1; Missouri St. 1
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on Twitter @SpurrFM.
Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!