Is Alabama Basketball Losing Its Grip as the Nation’s Fastest Offense Among KenPom’s Elite?

Alright, folks, the curtain just lifted on the first KenPom rankings for the 2025-26 college basketball season, and Alabama’s Crimson Tide is making waves once again. Coming off a thrilling Elite Eight run last March, Coach Nate Oats and his squad are kicking off the new campaign ranked No. 23 by Ken Pomeroy — a nod to their grit and speed on the court. Even with key shooters like Chris Youngblood and Mark Sears moving on to the pros, Alabama’s still holding strong, ranked 16th offensively and maintaining a lightning-fast tempo that’s the envy of the SEC. The upcoming nonconference schedule? Packed with high-stakes matchups that’ll no doubt test this team’s mettle early on. Rival Auburn’s tumble to No. 31 only adds spice to this already-hot rivalry. Trust me, if you’re keeping tabs on college hoops, you’ll want to stay tuned as Alabama aims to climb even higher in these early projections. LEARN MORE

The first set of KenPom rankings for the 2025-26 season have arrived for Alabama basketball.

After reaching the Elite Eight in March, Nate Oats and company will start the new year ranked No. 23, according to Ken Pomeroy.

Among ranked SEC teams, Alabama still stands in the top five behind national champion and No. 2 Florida, No. 4 Kentucky, No. 9 Tennessee and No. 19 Vanderbilt. After finishing the 2025 season as the fourth-ranked team in the country, rival and Final Four contender Auburn, who started the year ranked ahead of Alabama, dropped to No. 31.

KenPom still expects Alabama to start the season as the fastest team in the nation, projecting an adjusted tempo of 76.3. The next-fastest teams in the SEC were Texas A&M (73.3) and Kentucky (73.1), which ranked No. 31 and No. 35, respectively, in tempo.

With the loss of sharpshooters like Chris Youngblood and Mark Sears, who are navigating their pro careers now, Alabama’s offense took a hit after finishing the 2024-25 season fourth overall. Ahead of exhibition play, beginning with a matchup against Florida State in Birmingham on Oct. 16, Alabama’s offense is ranked 16th with a rating of 117.1. Alabama’s defense dropped from No. 28, where it ended the 2024-25 season, to No. 34 before FSU.

With another nonconference gauntlet prepared by Oats, Alabama has numerous chances to move up early in the season with matchups against No. 16 St. John’s on Nov. 8, No. 3 Purdue on Nov. 13, No. 6 Illinois on Nov. 19, No. 8 Gonzaga in the Players Era Festival and No. 15 Arizona in the C.M. Newton Classic.

Here’s a look at KenPom’s full top 25.