Andy Katz over has an early pre-season top 25 for the 2011-2012 basketball season. His top five includes Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio State, Texas, and Uconn at 1-5 respectively, as well as fellow SEC foes Vanderbilt at #11, and Florida at #23. However, the big news concerning us is having the up-and-coming Crimson Tide at #20. Per Katz:

The run to the NIT title game was no fluke. Alabama finished 12-4 in conference play and has the core of its team back with Tony Mitchell leading the charge for coach Anthony Grant. Arkansas brings in a top recruiting class and Mike Anderson will have the Hogs in the mix, but the SEC West has to run through Tuscaloosa for the foreseeable future.

With the players we have returning, along with a few quality newcomers, its fairly obvious that Bama is being regarded as a team that make a serious national splash next year.