Despite an impressive victory over a ranked Big Ten school last Wednesday, Nate Oats’ Alabama basketball team fell in this week’s USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll.
Alabama (4-1 overall) fell two spots to No. 9 after beating previously 20th-ranked Illinois, 100-87, in the C.M. Newton Classic at Legacy Arena in Birmingham. Grant Nelson scored 23 points to lead the Tide past the Illini. Auburn transfer Aden Holloway poured in 18.
Rick Barnes’ Tennessee Volunteers (6-0) and Mark Pope’s Kentucky Wildcats (5-0) both jumped Alabama in the top 10, as did Kelvin Sampson’s Houston Cougars (3-1), who play the Crimson Tide in this week’s Players Era Festival out in Las Vegas Tuesday.
Tipoff for Alabama vs. Houston is 7 p.m. CT Tuesday. The game will be televised on TBS. The Players Era Festival is a first of its kind — a glorified cash scramble by participating schools for various NIL war funds ($9 million total, according to various reports).
ESPN’s Matchup Predictor currently gives Houston a 71.9 percent chance of beating Alabama.
The top five of the new Coaches Poll remained the same. Bill Self’s Kansas Jayhawks (5-0) stayed at No. 1 with two-time defending national champion UConn at No. 2. Bruce Pearl’s Auburn Tigers were No. 3. Gonzaga (No. 4) and Iowa State (No. 5) rounded out the top five.
Tennessee rose to No. 6 with Houston at No. 7 and Kentucky at No. 8. Alabama ranked one spot ahead of the Duke Blue Devils and freshman sensation Cooper Flagg.
Full USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll
| Rank | Team | Record | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas | 5-0 | 767 (25) |
| 2 | UConn | 4-0 | 717 (2) |
| 3 | Auburn | 4-0 | 707 (3) |
| 4 | Gonzaga | 5-0 | 689 (1) |
| 5 | Iowa State | 3-0 | 602 |
| 6 | Tennessee | 6-0 | 587 |
| 7 | Houston | 3-1 | 559 |
| 8 | Kentucky | 5-0 | 539 |
| 9 | Alabama | 4-1 | 527 |
| 10 | Duke | 4-1 | 502 |
| 11 | Marquette | 6-0 | 499 |
| 12 | Purdue | 5-1 | 429 |
| 13 | North Carolina | 3-1 | 424 |
| 14 | Cincinnati | 5-0 | 330 |
| 15 | Indiana | 4-0 | 262 |
| 16 | Florida | 6-0 | 260 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | 7-0 | 252 |
| 18 | Baylor | 4-2 | 244 |
| 19 | Creighton | 4-1 | 167 |
| 20 | Texas A&M | 4-1 | 146 |
| 21 | Arkansas | 4-1 | 128 |
| 22 | Xavier | 5-0 | 85 |
| 23 | Arizona | 2-2 | 76 |
| 24 | Ole Miss | 5-0 | 73 |
| 25 | Pittsburgh | 6-1 | 66 |
Schools Dropped Out
No. 20 Illinois; No. 20 St. John’s; No. 24 Texas Tech;
Others Receiving Votes
BYU 60; Texas 43; Mississippi State 43; Illinois 42; St. John’s 40; Texas Tech 39; Ohio State 38; Saint Mary’s 33; Drake 23; Memphis 21; Nebraska 20; Oregon 8; Rutgers 7; Dayton 5; Michigan State 4; UCLA 3; Georgia 3; Nevada 2; Utah State 1; Penn State 1; Maryland 1; LSU 1;