The college basketball offseason is here, and we decided to have some fun over the next few months, ranking ALL 364 teams in D1. Number 241 is Alabama State basketball.
Before you say we’re crazy – or that all of this is up for debate, let’s go over the very intricate process of how we came to this conclusion. We took a very statistical approach – with the help of Chat GPT – taking into consideration everything from March Madness wins and finishes, to AP Poll appearances, to conference players of the year. And then, a good friend of ours, Scott Blanchard, took our approach to the MAX.
Click here to visit the FIRST article, which explains how the formula works!
Here’s the breakdown of Alabama State basketball!
NCAA Tournament Success
- Championships: 0
- Finals appearances: 0
- Final Fours: 0
- Elite Eights: 0
- Sweet 16s: 0
- NCAA wins: 1
- Bids: 5
Consistency Over Time
- Wins per season: 13.8
- Bids per season: 0.11
- AP Polls: 0
Player Quality & Talent
- All-Americans: 0
- NBA players drafted & played: 2
- Conference Players of the Year: 7
Conference & Other Success
- Conference regular season titles: 4
- Conference tournament titles: 5
- NIT titles: 0
- Other tournament titles: 0
Overall scoop on Alabama State basketball
For 44 seasons, Alabama State has been in Division I and in the SWAC. And they’ve definitely had their fair share of winning moments compared to the competition.
The Hornets were hot right out of the gates, with back-to-back 22-6 seasons to start DI. They cooled down a bit, but under head coach Rob Spivery, they made the NCAA Tournament thanks to winning the SWAC tourney in 2001 and 2004.
Lewis Jackson took over in 2005 and had success quickly, guiding the Hornets back to the big dance in 2009 and 2011. Jackson’s tenure ended sourly, with Mo Williams as the successor. While Williams only stayed two years, it arguably helped Alabama State because Tony Madlock has raised the level back to being a SWAC contender. In 2025, they got the auto bid to March Madness and knocked off fellow 16-seed St. Francis (PA) in the First Four.
However, Madlock is now an assistant with Memphis, as Chris Wright is set to lead the program next season.
Amidst all of the coaching changes, Alabama State always seems to find a way back to being one of the better teams in the SWAC. Their first four NCAA Tournament appearances came in an 11-year stretch, and with one very recent one, there’s some momentum to try and build off of.