TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Eleven AP Top 25 teams lost on Saturday, tying a record first set back on January 29, 2011. This resulted in a significant shakeup at the top of the polls, with the Alabama Crimson Tide making a case as the No. 1 overall team in the country after beating Arkansas and blowing out LSU, 106-66, behind freshman Brandon Miller’s 31 points.
Alabama came in at No. 4 on the updated AP Poll, although Andy Patton and Isaac Schade - the hosts of the Locked on College Basketball podcast - believe they have a case to be even higher.
“Looking at their resume right now it’s easy to see the case for them being legitimately the No. 1 team in the country,” Patton said. “They’re fourth at KenPom, 15-2, neither of their losses are bad at all, a neutral site loss to UConn and technically a neutral loss to Gonzaga, although that game was in Birmingham.”
Alabama’s losses may not be weighing them down, but they currently have just one marquee win. However, the win they do have is a big one - a come from behind victory over No. 1 Houston on the road.
“It’s a great win,” Patton continued. “Alabama was down 15 at one point in the second half, stormed all the way back and secured a victory. That is one of the best wins of the entire season. But the rest of their resume in terms of wins…they have some wins that haven’t aged exceptionally well. North Carolina does not look as elite as they were at the time. Michigan State is a good team, they’re not a great team. Kentucky is all over the place, Arkansas is obviously dealing with some significant injuries and is currently in the middle of a three-game losing streak.”
Patton and Schade ultimately settle on placing Alabama second in their Top 5 rankings, just behind Houston. Kansas comes in at No. 3, followed by UCLA who remains undefeated in Pac-12 play and Purdue, who clings onto a Top 5 spot after a pair of victories last week.
Check out the full episode for more insight and analysis into Patton and Schade’s Top 5.