The Initial USA Men's Basketball Coaches Poll was released today and the Alabama Crimson Tide was ranked No. 25 in the nation. Alabama was one of three SEC schools to make the poll with Kentucky being ranked ninth and Tennessee being ranked 14th.

Alabama was unranked in the initial Associated Press Poll but was in the "others receiving votes" category putting them in the 29th position.

The Crimson Tide enter Nate Oats' second year with high expectations, Alabama is seen as one of the top teams in the SEC talent-wise. The Crimson Tide returns extensive minutes from last year's team and has supplemented that with a plethora of new talent.

Alabama boasts John Petty III, Herb Jones and Jaden Shackelford as returning members of the team, all three received All-Conference honors last season in some capacity. Petty was one of the best 3-point shooters in the conference last season, Jones was a versatile defender and Shackelford was strong offensively for a freshman.

Alabama received clearance for Jahvon Quinerly from the NCAA, he is viewed as a talented point guard ready to fill in for the departed Kira Lewis. Quinerly was a 5-star prospect in the class of 2018.

Oats hit the recruiting trail hard and brought in the talented graduate-transfer Jordan Bruner to help bolster the paint defensively and stretch the floor offensively. He secured talented freshman Josh Primo and Keon Ambrose-Hylton from Canada to provide depth and scoring on the floor.

This year's basketball season starts on Nov. 25 when the Tide takes on Jacksonville State. The Crimson Tide will look to climb the rankings and compete for an SEC Championship.

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