Alabama Basketball Finishes Steady in Final Polls, Faces Varied Early Predictions

Crimson Tide ranked 16th in final Coaches Poll, but way-too-early rankings have Alabama anywhere from 6th to unranked.

Apr. 8, 2026 at 1:50am

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A cubist, geometric painting featuring overlapping planes of crimson red, white, and grey, conceptually representing the fragmented and uncertain outlook for the Alabama basketball team heading into the next season.Alabama basketball's uncertain preseason outlook is reflected in the varied national rankings, with the Crimson Tide's future potential deconstructed into a fragmented, geometric visualization.Tuscaloosa Today

Alabama basketball's 2025-26 season has officially come to a close, with the Crimson Tide finishing 16th in the final USA Today Coaches Poll. However, early preseason rankings for the 2026-27 season vary widely, with Alabama landing as high as 6th and as low as unranked in different prominent predictions.

Why it matters

The wide range in Alabama's preseason rankings highlights the uncertainty surrounding the Crimson Tide's outlook for next season. After a 25-10 campaign and a Sweet 16 appearance, Alabama will look to build on that success, but the national perception of the team seems to be all over the map.

The details

In the final Coaches Poll of the 2025-26 season, Alabama came in at 16th overall. On the same day, several major outlets released their way-too-early preseason rankings for the 2026-27 season. ESPN put the Crimson Tide at 20th, while Fox Sports was much higher on Alabama, ranking them 6th nationally. On3 slotted Alabama at 17th, but The Athletic did not include the Tide in their early top 25.

  • The final 2025-26 USA Today Coaches Poll was released on April 7, 2026.
  • The way-too-early preseason rankings for the 2026-27 season were also released on April 7, 2026.

The players

Nate Oats

The head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide basketball team, who has agreed to a deal with the university that lasts through 2032.

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What they’re saying

“Alabama basketball's end-of-season rankings are in, and so are the way-too-early ones.”

— Emilee Smarr, Author

What’s next

As Alabama prepares for the 2026-27 season, the wide range in preseason rankings will provide motivation for the Crimson Tide to prove the doubters wrong and live up to the high expectations set by some analysts.

The takeaway

The varied preseason rankings for Alabama basketball highlight the unpredictability of college hoops, where a team's outlook can shift dramatically from one season to the next. The Crimson Tide will look to use this as fuel to exceed expectations and build on their Sweet 16 run from last year.