In one week, Alabama basketball gets going for real, even if the Tide already had one early taste of the season in the Alabama vs. Auburn “Feud” exhibition game.
Nate Oats, as usual, has stacked the schedule with no shortage of stress tests. Beyond the Players Era Tournament, Alabama will see Seton Hall, Miami, Houston, St.
John’s, and Iowa before the nonconference stretch is done.
The preseason SEC poll didn’t put Alabama among the league’s top four. The Crimson Tide landed at No. 5, behind Florida, Texas, Arkansas, and Tennessee. Florida’s returning core has the Gators looking like a real national title contender, while Texas, Arkansas, and Tennessee all brought in rosters heavy on fresh talent.
But the outside view of Alabama is all over the map. Some evaluators think the Tide are being slept on hard.
Aaron Torres called them “college basketball’s most underrated team.” Evan Miyakawa has Alabama as the SEC’s second-best team, and Ken Pomeroy’s model says the same, with the Tide sitting No. 9 nationally.
Others see it very differently. CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford labeled Alabama “overrated” and pegged the Tide eighth in the SEC. The Field of 68 also slotted Alabama eighth in the conference.
A big reason for the divide is the turnover. Alabama has nine new players, and that kind of change always takes time to settle.
At the same time, the Tide may have assembled their deepest roster of quality players under Oats. The offseason goal was to get bigger and stronger, and that box was checked.
Jaxson Richardson and Tarris Bouie bring defensive toughness, while freshmen Cole Cloer and Qayden Samuels have already flashed their scoring ability in exhibition play.
Miyakawa’s numbers point to both the upside and the uncertainty. His projection gives Alabama a ceiling of No. 3 and a floor of No. 44, matching his view of the Tide as the SEC’s No. 2 team. Texas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Arkansas are all close in the rankings, with ceilings in the 5-7 range, but their floors sit in the 60s.
One of the most striking pieces of the KenPom projection is Alabama’s defensive outlook. The model has the Crimson Tide at No. 28 in Defensive Efficiency. Last season, Alabama finished at No. 61 in that category.
In Other News...
Former Alabama Assistant Just Addressed Those Power Four Rumors
Charles Huff has been a familiar name in coaching circles for a while, and his current success at Memphis has naturally put him on the radar as Power Four openings start to circulate. The former Alabama assistant spent time at Marshall and Southern Miss before landing the Tigers job, and his name has recently been floated in connection with Baylor, Maryland and NC State as those programs sort through their next steps.
Huff addressed the chatter in a press conference and made it clear he has not been contacted about any of those vacancies. He also pointed out what usually happens in coaching search season, noting that movement tends to come after the year is over, which keeps the focus on the stretch run for now even as the rumor mill keeps turning. [Read more 🡒]
Alabamas Playoff Push Now Rests On These Overlooked Difference-Makers
With Alabama heading into a critical matchup against LSU, the stakes around the final month of the regular season are suddenly hard to miss. The Crimson Tides College Football Playoff hopes could be shaped as much by the players who have been easiest to overlook as by the stars everyone already knows, and that has put a fresh spotlight on the supporting cast around the roster.
Among the names drawing attention are the cornerbacks lined up opposite Zabien Brown, pass rusher Yhonzae Pierre, running back Daniel Hill, offensive lineman Racin Delgatty and quarterback Keelon Russell. Their production, roles and health will matter in different ways as Alabama tries to keep its season on track, and the margin for error only gets smaller from here. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Heads Into LSU Week With One Encouraging Trend Under DeBoer
After eight straight games, Alabama finally gets a bye week to catch its breath, and the timing could not be much better with injuries piling up and a big LSU showdown looming on the other side. Team captain Ryan Coleman-Williams is trending toward playing in the next game, which gives the Tide at least a little optimism as Kalen DeBoer and his staff try to get a battered roster closer to full strength.
The encouraging part for Alabama is what has happened coming out of bye weeks under DeBoer. The Tide have won all four of those games and done so by comfortable margins, a useful trend to lean on as they head into a matchup that should carry real College Football Playoff weight. LSU, coached by Lane Kiffin, will bring plenty of attention and pressure with it, and Alabama's ability to reset this week could matter as much as anything else in what comes next. [Read more 🡒]