Alabama players celebrate winning the championship SEC Men's Basketball Tournament George Walker IV / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

Alabama gets No. 1 ranking in both March Madness and final AP Top 25 poll

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated 3/13/23

It has been a rough season off the court for the Alabama Crimson Tide, but on the court, there's no denying that head coach Nate Oats has a team that can win it all during this March Madness tournament.

Both the team's No. 1 overall seeding in the 2023 NCAA Tournament as well as Alabama's place on the final AP Top 25 poll of the college basketball season point to that fact.

Alabama finished as the No. 1 seed in the AP Top 25 after starting the season at No. 20.

It was a season of notable wins and this team is undoubtedly deserving of the honor. Amongst the games won by Alabama includes clashes with No. 12 Michigan State, No. 1 North Carolina, No. 1 Houston, and No. 15 Arkansas.

POLL ALERT: Alabama, Houston, Purdue, Kansas top the final AP Top 25 poll of the season ahead of March Madness; NCAA tourney-bound Memphis cracks rankings.

Full poll: https://t.co/ZJG5mgWrsa pic.twitter.com/yrX8SNumGF
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) March 13, 2023

Usually known as a football school thanks to Nick Saban's five national titles with the Crimson Tide, the basketball program has been phenomenal in 2022-23. Not only did Alabama finish with a 29-5 record as well as the SEC regular season crown, but the Crimson Tide blew through the SEC basketball tournament as well — beating Mississippi State, No. 25 Missouri, and No. 5 Texas A&M en route to hoisting the SEC trophy.

All of this success came under the shadow of former player Darius Miles being indicted on capital murder charges for a shooting in January. Star freshman Brandon Miller was peripherally caught up in the case but never charged. His continuing to play while this case unfolded has been the subject of much debate and consternation, but on the court, his play has not dipped. Miller averaged 19.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists this season. He put up 23 points and 12 rebounds in the SEC title game.

Alabama will be the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament's South Region. Conveniently for the Crimson Tide, the first round will be played in Birmingham, Ala.

Houston, Purdue, and Kansas are the other top seeds in March Madness. They finished No. 2-4 in the AP Top 25, respectively.

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