Welcome to Tournament Tuesday, a weekly look at where Alabama basketball stands in the NCAA tournament picture. Each week, Tide Illustrated will break down the Crimson Tide’s resume while looking at where it is projected in this year’s 68-team bracket.
While Alabama stumbled in the midweek against Missouri, a strong bounce-back effort against Kentucky on Saturday has the Crimson Tide holding steady in their current NCAA tournament position.
The Tigers came out strong on Wednesday night, jumping to a 12-0 lead. Despite a strong effort from Alabama, including 35 points from Mark Sears, the Crimson Tide couldn't overcome their slow start and fell 110-98 for their second straight loss.
With Kentucky in town on Saturday night, it seemed like another repeat performance as the Wildcats jumped to an early 30-18 lead in the first half. However, a 30-point game from Mark Sears, a double-double from Cliff Omoruyi and 19 points off the bench from Aden Holloway helped fuel a comeback. The Crimson Tide rallied to secure a 96-83 victory in front of the home crowd.
Alabama will now shift gears, preparing for its final four games of the season, all against AP Top 25 teams.
Let’s take a closer look at Alabama’s résumé and its position in the NCAA Tournament landscape.
Alabama's resume
Record: 22-5, 11-3 SEC
Associated Press rank: 6 (-2)
Net rank: 6
RPI: 2
SOS: 2
KenPom: 6
Quadrant records
Quad 1: 9-5
Quad 2: 7-0
Quad 3: 4-0
Quad 4: 2-0
Bracketology
ESPN: Joe Lunardi has Alabama as a No. 1 seed against No. 16 seed Bryant in the Lexington regional. The winner of that game would go on to play the winner of No. 8 seed Oregon against No. 9 seed Baylor.
CBS: Jerry Palm has Alabama as a No. 1 seed against No. 16 seed Bryant in the Lexington regional. The winner of that game would go on to play the winner of No. 8 seed Illinois against No. 9 seed Baylor.
Bracket Matrix: The Bracket Matrix, which averages projections from more than 80 analysts and sites, currently projects Alabama as the No. 4 overall team, dropping a spot from last week but still a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
This week's games
No. 6 Alabama vs. No. 24 Mississippi State (Tuesday at 8:00 p.m.)
Mississippi State record: 19-8, 7-7 SEC
NET: 28 (Quad 1 game)
What to know: Alabama will look to complete its second season sweep in as many games when Mississippi State travels to Coleman Coliseum on Tuesday night.
The last time these teams faced off in late January, Alabama survived a great game with the No. 13 Bulldogs 88-84 in Starkville behind Chris Youngblood’s 23 points and a strong effort on the glass. Mississippi State’s Josh Hubbard scored 38 in the loss, keeping the game tight, but Alabama had its best shooting performance of the season, going 15-for-31 from deep to outlast the Bulldogs.
Mississippi State has struggled to find consistency in SEC play and enters Tuesday’s matchup coming off a 93-87 road loss to Oklahoma on Saturday night.
No. 6 Alabama @ No. 5 Tennessee (Saturday at 3:00 p.m.)
Tennessee record: 22-5, 9-5 SEC
NET: 17 (Quad 1 game)
What to know: Alabama will begin arguably its most brutal three-game stretch of the regular season Saturday when it travels to Knoxville, Tennessee, for a matchup with the top-five Volunteers.
Tennessee is a strong defensive team with a solid offense. Zakai Zeigler is an excellent floor general, leading the SEC with 7.5 assists per game, Chaz Lanier is a sharpshooter, hitting 41.4% of his shots from deep this season and Igor Milicic Jr. contributes in several areas, among other strong players on the Volunteers.
Race for the SEC Title
No. 1 Auburn Tigers 25-2 (13-1 SEC)
No. 2 Florida Gators 24-3 (11-3 SEC)
No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide 22-5 (11-3 SEC)
No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers 22-5 (9-5 SEC)
No. 5 Texas A&M Aggies 20-7 (9-5 SEC)
No. 6 Missouri Tigers 20-7 (9-5 SEC)
No. 7 Ole Miss Rebels 19-8 (8-6 SEC)
No. 8 Kentucky Wildcats 19-8 (7-7 SEC)
No. 9 Mississippi State Bulldogs 18-9 (7-7 SEC)
No. 10 Vanderbilt Commodores 16-11 (6-8 SEC)
No. 11 Arkansas Razorbacks 16-11 (5-9 SEC)
No. 12 Texas Longhorns 16-11 (5-9 SEC)
No. 13 Georgia Bulldogs 17-10 (4-10 SEC)
No. 14 Oklahoma Sooners 16-11 (4-10 SEC)
No. 15 LSU Tigers 14-13 (3-11 SEC)
No. 16 South Carolina Gamecocks 11-16 (1-13 SEC)
Auburn's win over Alabama two weeks ago, combined with the Crimson Tide's loss to Missouri last week, has put the Tigers in the driver's seat for the SEC title as the season winds down.
According to ESPN's BPI, Auburn currently holds a 98.2% chance to claim the SEC regular-season title. Meanwhile, Alabama and Florida will meet next week in a matchup that will likely determine second place.
