Alabama softball coach Patrick Murphy congratulates men's basketball team on No. 1 ranking

Alabama men’s basketball climbed to No. 1 in the AP poll and coaches’ poll this week, marking the program’s first stay atop the sport since the 2002-03 season. While the football team has made that spot in the rankings look normal for many years, having the honor is still a major accomplishment for any team.

Despite head coach Nate Oats’ best efforts to keep his team focused on the schedule ahead and off the mid-season accolades, another coach who knows a thing or two about No. 1 rankings is singing his praises. Alabama softball coach Patrick Murphy said he is taking it upon himself to be their biggest cheerleader.

“I’m sure Nate’s underplaying it tremendously,” Murphy said during his media availability. “But I’m going to do the opposite and just make a big ass deal out of it. Because it is.”

Alabama basketball will get its first chance to defend the No. 1 ranking against Top 10 opponent Tennessee on Wednesday night on the road. They follow that matchup with a home game against Georgia in Tuscaloosa over the weekend before seeing how the voters feel next Monday.

Meanwhile, Alabama softball will face its fair share of challenges on the schedule with four Top 25 matchups scheduled across three days in the TaxAct Clearwater Invitational.

More on Alabama’s No. 1 ranking

Alabama ranked No. 1 in both polls when they came out Monday morning, marking a major accomplishment for the program under head coach Nate Oats. However, the mid-season praise is not going to be enough to satisfy the coach or his team on its own.

Nate Oats joined the Paul Finebaum Show on Tuesday to discuss his thoughts on being called the best team in the country.

“Our goal wasn’t to be No. 1 in February,” said Oats. “Our goal was to be No. 1 at the end of March.”

Alabama still has a ways to go before finishing the season with a national championship trophy and a spot at the end of CBS’ One Shining Moment montage, but the style of play and impressive results over the last several months have made them a favorite to end up there eventually.

Alabama has already won the SEC regular season and tournament titles in the same season under Nate Oats once in 2021. One of the key players from that run – point guard Jahvon Quinerly – will get an opportunity to achieve the feat twice.