Alabama Basketball Gearing Up for the ‘Big Dance’
By Tyler Dalton
Can Alabama Basketball can make the NCAA tournament in Avery Johnson’s first season?
ICYMI: Alabama Football special teams coach Bobby Williams moving to off field position.
Kevin Bacon didn’t walk through the door but Avery Johnson has given many fans reason to break out their best moves this season. Picked to finish near the bottom of the SEC, Alabama is currently 15-9 (6-6) and riding a four-game winning streak. After a historic win in Gainsville Saturday night, Johnson and Alabama look to ride the bubble all the way to the NCAA Tournament.
Talking tournament play was crazy entering this season, still talking about it after the early season-ending injury to freshman Dazon Ingram would have landed you in Bryce Hospital. Here we are, straight jacket and all, looking at Alabama’s 34th ranked RPI and 12th strength of schedule ranking. Senior Retin Obasohan has led the way (16.0 PPG) in helping the Tide take down four RPI top 50 teams this year. So let’s embrace the crazy and actually break down Alabama’s remaining schedule and chances of getting a little footloose.
Let’s take a look at our current resume. Alabama has an impressive three wins against the RPI top-25, only seven other schools in the nation have more. The selection committee also looks at your non-conference schedule. Alabama ranks 19th in the country in this regard. The Tide boasts impressive wins over Wichita State and Notre Dame on a neutral site and a true road win over Clemson. Even Alabama’s non-conference losses don’t hurt as much. Dayton, Xavier and Oregon (without Shannon Hale) are all in the RPI top-12. The only bad loss is Auburn, sitting at 144.
“Wow, Tyler, with all of your fun facts Alabama is surely going to make it in right!?” – a fellow reader or a supportive relative. Well, not really. See the funny thing about college basketball, and really sports altogether, there are quite a few teams in our exact position. Such as opening your conference schedule playing lackluster and heating up towards the end. Alabama will have to separate themselves from the pack and the best way to do this is win more games. The Tide closes with at LSU tonight, Mississippi State (2/20), at Kentucky (2/23), Auburn (2/27), Arkansas (3/2) and at Georgia (3/5).
The way the committee probably sees it, with 15 wins right now, Alabama needs to hit 19 before entering conference tournament play. Assuming Alabama doesn’t lose in the opening round, at a minimum, Johnson and the Tide finish with 20 wins during their “bridge year” and with their resume, should be in the tournament. If Alabama wants to be a tournament team, they have to win the games they’re favored in. Thankfully, the home schedule is beautiful. The highest RPI rated team left for Alabama in Tuscaloosa is Arkansas (118). If Alabama somehow wins in Baton Rouge tonight or more than likely, wins in Athens, that’s 19 wins for Alabama.
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Players like Jimmie Taylor and Riley Norris have stepped up big time lately and the Tide will need more from them and everyone else such as Arthur Edwards and Justin Coleman to make this final push. At this stage, no one is overlooking anyone. Teams are either fighting for a higher seed, trying to move past the bubble or playing spoiler for someone else. Avery Johnson at this point is playing with house money. Every win tacked on for this remaining season becomes a more and more impressive feat for the team he inherited. A tournament appearance? Better for recruiting, experience for him, a national spotlight and experience for the players and everyone returning next season. Tournament or not, this season has already been a big win for the program. A little ‘March Madness’ would be fitting to close out this rollercoaster of a season.