The Alabama basketball team has made history, it is number one in the AP poll for this first time since the 2002-03 season, according to Jeff Goodman of Stadium. The Nate Oats-led Alabama Crimson Tide sit at 22-3, 12-0 in SEC play, and stars Brandon Miller and Mark Sears do the heavy-lifting for the team.

According to popular college basketball analytics site Kenpom, Alabama basketball is the second-best team in the country behind Houston. Alabama did beat Houston on the road 71-65 on Dec. 10. The Crimson Tide are 13th in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency and 5th in adjusted defensive efficiency.

Alabama basketball's first loss of the season came to UConn at the Phil Knight 85 Invitational in November. The Huskies went on to win the PK85 tournament and are ranked 20th in the most-recent AP poll. The next loss came to Gonzaga on Dec. 17, the Bulldogs are currently the 13th-ranked team in the country. The most-recent loss came in blowout fashion against Oklahoma in the SEC/Big 12 challenge on Jan. 28.

Alabama has a big test coming up on Wednesday when it plays no. 10 Tennessee on the road.

The Crimson Tide move up as a result of Purdue losing to Northwestern on the road on Sunday. Purdue had spent much of the year as the top-ranked team, but the loss drops them down to third in the country.

Coach Nate Oats is in his fourth year at Alabama, and eighth season overall as a head coach. He spent four years coaching the Buffalo Bulls before going to Alabama. Oats signed an extension with Alabama through 2028-2029 in early February.

Freshman forward Brandon Miller is averaging 18.8 points and 8.2 rebounds this season, leading the team in both categories as the clear star of the team. Junior guard Mark Sears averaged 14 points and 3.8 rebounds, and is also a big part of the team's success.

Oats and the Crimson Tide have continued performing at a high level despite the arrest of Darius Miles, who was charged with murder on Jan. 16.

The Crimson Tide have shown this potential all season, and now they are the number one team in the country.