The Alabama Crimson Tide have secured the No. 1 spot in the final AP Top 25 before March Madness, edging out the Houston Cougars who were without their star guard Marcus Sasser in their American Athletic Conference final. The Crimson Tide, who won the SEC Tournament title and the regular season crown, earned 48 of 61 first-place votes to jump ahead of the Cougars. This is the second time Alabama has held the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25, their first time being last month. "We set goals over the summer: regular season, (league) tournament, obviously a national championship," said Crimson Tide guard Jaden Shackelford. "We've checked off all those boxes so far. We want to keep that going." The Cougars, who are the overall No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament, have been led by Sasser all season long. He averaged 14.3 points, 4.3 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game this season. The NCAA tournament is set to begin on Thursday, with the top-ranked Crimson Tide taking on the Iona Gaels in the first round. The Cougars will face the Cleveland State Vikings.