4. Alabama (7-2)
Despite the pair of losses already on their resume, Alabama has looked like one of the best teams in the nation this season. Nate Oats never shies away from challenges in nonconference play, and the Crimson Tide have had six straight games against prominent power conference foes. Suffice to say, they’re up here on the rankings yet again due to their success, boasting one of the nation’s most productive offenses.
This week they came back home from the Players Era Festival but went quickly back on the road, heading to Chapel Hill as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge. The Crimson Tide didn’t panic, scoring a 94-79 road win at North Carolina with a masterful performance. Mark Sears led the way with 20 points and 7 assists while both Labaron Philon and Aden Holloway had 15-point efforts in the impressive road victory.
In addition to a 15-point win in Chapel Hill, the Crimson Tide have impressive wins over Houston, Illinois, and Rutgers in recent weeks and are really putting on a show on offense on a regular basis. Their losses to Oregon and Purdue aren’t dealbreakers at all, as this team is finding ways to win games in impressive fashion otherwise. That long stretch of tough games continues against Creighton next weekend, with Alabama hoping to make yet another statement.