After a tough weekend in Birmingham, Alabama men's basketball took a hit in both major national polls. Following Saturday’s lopsided loss to Arizona, the Crimson Tide dropped four spots in the latest Coaches Poll and four spots in the AP Top 25, landing at No. 16 in both. That’s the program’s lowest ranking since March 2024 - a clear sign that voters took notice of how one-sided that Arizona game turned out to be.
But there’s no time to dwell. Alabama has two more matchups lined up this week before the team heads into its eight-day Christmas break.
First up: a Wednesday night home game at Coleman Coliseum against South Florida. Then, on Sunday, they’ll head north to Huntsville’s Von Braun Center to take on Kennesaw State.
And while both opponents may not carry the same national weight as Arizona, there’s plenty of intrigue here - especially from a coaching tree perspective. South Florida is led by Bryan Hodgson, a familiar face in Tuscaloosa.
He was part of Nate Oats’ original staff, following him from Buffalo to Alabama before branching out to take the Arkansas State job in 2023. Hodgson is now in his first season at South Florida, and his team currently sits at No. 75 in the NET rankings - making Wednesday’s showdown a Quadrant 2 opportunity for the Tide.
Sunday’s game against Kennesaw State brings another reunion. Antoine Pettway, a former Alabama player and longtime assistant under multiple coaching staffs, took over at KSU in 2023.
Like Hodgson, Pettway was a key figure in the program before stepping into a head coaching role elsewhere. Kennesaw State is currently No. 192 in the NET, which places that game in Quadrant 3 territory.
These matchups continue a trend for Alabama this season - facing off against programs led by former Oats assistants. Earlier this month, the Tide hosted UTSA and head coach Austin Claunch, another ex-Alabama staffer. That one ended in a blowout win for the Tide, and they’ll be looking to replicate that result twice more before the break.
As of Monday, Alabama sits at No. 14 in the NCAA’s NET rankings. The team is 3-3 in Quadrant 1 games so far, with seven more such matchups still on the schedule based on current NET standings.
That includes a big one right out of the gate in SEC play: a home date with Kentucky on January 3. The rest of the Quadrant 1 games are all on the road - a gauntlet that will test Alabama’s consistency and toughness in conference play.
For now, the focus is on closing out December strong. The Arizona loss stung, but with two more chances this week to clean things up and build momentum, Alabama has an opportunity to head into the holidays on a high note.