Led by Auburn and Alabama, 16 in-state men’s basketball teams contending for conference championships

The 2024-2025 season has been a banner year for the state of Alabama’s men’s basketball programs.

16 in-state teams sit in the top four of their respective conference standings, the most prominent of which are Alabama (18-3, 7-1) and Auburn (19-2, 7-0). The Iron Bowl rivals stand alone atop the SEC, boasting a combined conference record of 14-1.

The Tigers are yet to lose a league game, while the Crimson Tide’s only defeat came at the hands of fifth-place Ole Miss. AU leads UA by one game in the SEC standings; the pair will meet in Tuscaloosa on February 15th in one of the most anticipated clashes of the college basketball season.

Barring an unexpected collapse, this season will mark the second consecutive year and only the third year since 1986 that both Alabama and Auburn finish top four in the SEC.

Updated SEC basketball standings after the midweek action (tiebreakers not included):

• Auburn 7-0
• Alabama 7-1
• Missouri 5-2
• Florida 5-2
• Texas A&M 5-3
• Ole Miss 5-3
• Vanderbilt 4-3
• Kentucky 4-3
• Tennessee 4-4
• Mississippi State 4-4
• Texas 3-5
• Georgia…

— Blake Lovell (@theblakelovell) January 30, 2025

Coming off a league title and an NCAA Tournament berth, UAB (13-8, 6-2) is enjoying another strong season, currently sitting in third place in the American Athletic Conference. Andy Kennedy’s squad has only suffered two conference losses, both of which came against AAC leaders Memphis and North Texas.

The Blazers boast All-American candidate Yaxel Lendeborg, who averages 17.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game.

Career-high 28 point game for Yaxel Lendeborg. https://t.co/agAOsYA3Tx pic.twitter.com/Ii1NT4I5mO

— BirminghamSports (@BirminghamSport) January 30, 2025

Troy (13-7, 6-3) and South Alabama (14-7, 6-3) are ensnared in a three-way tie for second place in the Sun Belt; if the result holds, it will mark the first time ever both schools simultaneously finish top four in the SBC. The Trojans are enjoying yet another successful season. Under head coach Scott Cross, Troy has won 20 games in three consecutive years, the first time the program has accomplished the feat in its DI history.

The Jaguars, on the other hand, suffered through an unimpressive 2023-2024 campaign, but they’ve emphatically rebounded under seventh-year head coach Richie Riley. USA has racked up wins over conference powerhouses Arkansas State and James Madison. Earlier this month, they beat Troy on two last-second free throws.

ICE IN HIS VEINS 🥶#BurnTheBoats🔥🚤 | @BarryDunning6 pic.twitter.com/AbCP7k8bmr

— South Alabama Men’s Basketball 🏀 (@SouthAlabamaMBB) January 18, 2025

In its second season in Conference USA, Jacksonville State (13-7, 5-2) is poised to make a run at only the second conference title in program history. The Gamecocks are locked in a three-way tie for first place with Middle Tennessee and UTEP and hold the tiebreaker over the latter. JSU is led by guard Jaron Pierre Jr., the nation’s seventh-leading scorer. The former Wichita State transfer averages 21.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game.

⏪ ICYMI ⏪

Jaron Pierre Jr. takes flight and lands himself at number five on last night's #SCTop10 ✈️#StayCocky 🐔 | #FearTheBeak 👌 pic.twitter.com/cCSXyz8gka

— Jax State Basketball (@JaxStateMBB) December 3, 2024

In the wake of the greatest season in program history, Bucky McMillan’s Samford squad (17-5, 7-2) has once again proven itself to be the class of the Southern Conference. The Bulldogs are tied for first place with UNC Greensboro, a team they emphatically defeated in Birmingham on January 11th. The March 1st rematch in Greensboro could potentially decide the conference champion.

The game that made it 28 straight at home and put us atop the SoCon 🏀🐶#BuckyBall | #AllForSAMford pic.twitter.com/uB2evSmOSa

— Samford Men's Basketball (@SamfordMBB) January 12, 2025

North Alabama (14-8, 6-3) is in the midst of a monumental campaign. The Lions, who made the jump to Division I less than a decade ago, have posted just two winning seasons during their time in the Atlantic Sun Conference; this season, they’re poised to not only record their third winning season but to outright contend for the league title.

Tony Pujol’s group is tied for fourth in the conference but holds the tiebreaker over third-place Lipscomb and is pegged by Ken Pomeroy’s computer rankings as the second-best team in the league.

Postgame celly 🔥 pic.twitter.com/UVqcNor8i9

— North Alabama Men's Basketball (@UNA_Basketball) January 24, 2025

Alabama State (8-12, 4-3) is on the hunt for its first Southwestern Athletic Conference championship since 2009. The Hornets field the most efficient offense in the SWAC, headlined by sophomore guard Amarr Knox, who averages 14.6 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. ASU is tied with three other teams for fourth place and looks forward to crucial upcoming games against fellow contenders Bethune-Cookman and Southern.

At the Division II level, Miles (15-3, 12-1), UAH (18-1, 13-0), and Montevallo (12-7, 8-5) boast a combined record of 45-11. The former is first in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and has recorded wins over Tuskegee, Clark Atlanta, and NAIA powerhouse Talladega, while the latter two are in the process of duking it out for Gulf South Conference supremacy. UAH blew out Montevallo on January 9th in Huntsville. The Chargers, currently undefeated in conference play and riding an 18-game winning streak, were ranked #4 nationally in the most recent NABC DII Coaches’ Poll. Their only loss came in the season opener against #2 Nova Southeastern.

Huntingdon (16-3, 5-1), the state’s sole Division III team, sits tied for second place in the Collegiate Conference of the South. The Hawks face a crucial slate of games in the first week of February, as they’ll take on Belhaven and Maryville (TN), respectively the first-place and second-place teams in the CCS. Maryville handed Huntingdon its only conference loss on January 18th.

At the NAIA level, Mobile (15-4, 8-2), Stillman (12-8, 10-3), and Talladega (15-7, 9-5), three programs that put up winning records last season, are continuing their successes. Mobile is first in the west division of the Southern States Athletic Conference, while Stillman and Talladega are neck and neck in the east division of the HBCU Athletic Conference. Talladega swept the season series against Stillman, but Stillman still holds a 1.5-game lead over Talladega.

Charles Vaughan is a contributing writer for Yellowhammer News.