Alabama men’s basketball coach Nate Oats quoted Nick Saban after his team rose to No. 1 in both major college basketball polls Monday.

“It’s nice to be 1,″ Oats said Monday on The Next Round. “It really doesn’t mean anything, though. It doesn’t help you win an SEC championship. It’s recognition, that’s it. Coach Saban says it’s rat poison. We’ve got to keep our guys locked in.”

Alabama’s No. 1 ranking in the Associated Press poll is the program’s first since 2002, while it’s top ranking in the coaches poll is a program best.

“It’s great recognition for our guys,” Oats said. “They’ve worked hard. They’ve put themselves in a good spot where people in the country recognize that we’re one of the better teams, one of the better programs in the country right now.”

With six games remaining in the regular season plus the SEC tournament, Alabama has positioned itself for the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament.

“Theoretically you can get the easiest path to the Final Four,” Oats said. “Making a run in the tournament, having the No. 1 overall seed definitely helps with that. There’s meaning to that.

“[But] the AP and coaches polls are a recognition deal. It’s nice to use in recruiting, it’s nice to use with your fan base. The fans should be proud of the team we’ve put on the floor, they should proud of our guys … but as far as being rated No. 1, being able to beat Tennessee — nothing.”

Alabama plays in Knoxville on Wednesday night against the Volunteers, which fell to No. 10 in the AP poll and No. 11 in the coaches poll after two buzzer-beater losses to Vanderbilt and Missouri last week.

“We’re probably going to get the best version of Tennessee that anybody has gotten all year after those two losses they’ve gotten now,” Oats said.

Mike Rodak is an Alabama beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @mikerodak.