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.
Another up-and-down week for Alabama puts them on the edge of snagging a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Alabama had a significant opportunity to strengthen its résumé Wednesday night against No. 5 Florida, the same night it celebrated Senior Night. The Crimson Tide led at times in the second half, but a 13-3 run by the Gators, led by Australian big man Alex Condon, put them in control for the second half. Alabama attempted a last-minute comeback but ran out of time, falling 99-94 at home.
For its final regular-season game Saturday, Alabama traveled to Auburn to face the top-ranked Tigers, with both teams looking to avoid a second straight loss before the postseason. Auburn was coming off a loss to Texas A&M earlier in the week.
Alabama jumped out to an 18-10 lead, with much of the credit going to Grant Nelson. Nelson, who has struggled as of late, played with noticeable tenacity and had a career-defining moment in the first half. After dunking on Dylan Cardwell, he threw up the 'Crimson Crane’ to the dismay of the Auburn crowd.
In the second half, Alabama held an eight-point lead with just over 11 minutes remaining, but Auburn rallied, taking the lead before the game was tied at 79 at the end of regulation.
In overtime, the teams traded leads before a missed 3-pointer by Tahaad Pettiford gave Alabama a chance to call a timeout and set up the final possession with the game tied at 91.
Labaron Philon brought the ball up the floor before handing it off to Mark Sears, who drove into the paint and sank a floater as the buzzer sounded. Alabama’s bench stormed the court as the Crimson Tide knocked off the No. 1 Tigers, evening the season series at 1-1.
Alabama’s win over Auburn helped them avoid a disastrous end to the regular season, which could have seen them lose five of their final seven games. The Crimson Tide are set as the No. 3 seed in this week’s SEC Tournament, ahead of Selection Sunday this coming weekend.
Let’s take a closer look at Alabama’s résumé and its position in the NCAA Tournament landscape
Alabama's resume
Record: 24-7, 13-5 SEC
Associated Press rank: 5 (+1)
Net rank: 6
RPI: 2
SOS: 2
KenPom: 6
Quadrant records
Quad 1: 11-7
Quad 2: 7-0
Quad 3: 4-0
Quad 4: 2-0
Bracketology
ESPN: Joe Lunardi has Alabama as a No. 2 seed against No. 15 seed Wofford in the Lexington regional. The winner of that game would go on to play the winner of No. 7 seed Louisville against No. 10 seed Drake.
CBS: Jerry Palm has Alabama as a No. 2 seed against No. 15 seed Robert Morris in the Lexington regional. The winner of that game would go on to play the winner of No. 7 seed BYU against No. 10 seed Aransas.
Bracket Matrix: The Bracket Matrix, which averages projections from more than 80 analysts and sites, currently projects Alabama as the No. 5 overall team, dropping a spot from last week but still a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
This week's games
No. 3 Alabama vs. Game 8 winner (Friday, 25 minutes after Game 11)
What to know: Alabama is set to play the winner of Game 8, which will feature No. 6 Kentucky against the winner of the No. 14 Oklahoma against No. 11 Georgia matchup. Alabama plays Friday and is a combined 4-0 against these three teams this season.
If the Crimson Tide wins its opening quarterfinal matchup, they will play No. 16 LSU, No. 10 Mississippi State, No. 7 Missouri or No. 2 Florida. The latter two would be revenge games for Alabama, which lost to each team earlier this season
Race for the SEC Title
1. **Auburn Tigers** 27-4 (15-3 SEC)
2. **Florida Gators** 27-4 (14-4 SEC)
3. **Alabama Crimson Tide** 24-7 (13-5 SEC)
4. **Tennessee Volunteers** 25-6 (12-6 SEC)
5. **Texas A&M Aggies** 22-9 (11-7 SEC)
6. **Kentucky Wildcats** 21-10 (10-8 SEC)
7. **Ole Miss Rebels** 21-10 (10-8 SEC)
8. **Missouri Tigers** 21-10 (10-8 SEC)
9. **Arkansas Razorbacks** 19-12 (8-10 SEC)
10. **Mississippi State Bulldogs** 20-11 (8-10 SEC)
11. **Georgia Bulldogs** 20-11 (8-10 SEC)
12. **Vanderbilt Commodores** 20-11 (8-10 SEC)
13. **Oklahoma Sooners** 19-12 (6-12 SEC)
14. **Texas Longhorns** 17-14 (6-12 SEC)
15. **LSU Tigers** 14-17 (3-15 SEC)
16. **South Carolina Gamecocks** 12-19 (2-16 SEC)
Auburn had already clinched the SEC title entering this week, and its No. 1 seed helps the Tigers avoid both Tennessee and Alabama in the tournament—two of the three teams they lost to during conference play.
Tennessee arguably got the toughest draw as the No. 4 seed, with Texas A&M ranked No. 17 in KenPom, and both Vanderbilt and Texas considered underrated. Vanderbilt has some strong wins on its résumé, while superstar freshman Tre Johnson leads Texas.
