Alabama Basketball: Five Reasons Tide Postseason Is NIT And Not NCAA
By Ronald Evans
Alabama Basketball missed out on the Big Dance for Five Reasons. Let’s go in-depth with each one.
A few days ago we considered what March Madness means to Alabama basketball fans March Madness Crimson Tide Style – unlike the ubiquitous SEC Network promo, March Madness for Tide fans rarely “means more.”
Here we go again. Another season, another trip into the NIT zone, where all fans dare to tread. As we said a couple of weeks ago, dreaming of the Big Dance Bubble Hopes or Bubble Dreams is emotionally risky for Alabama basketball fans.
Where did Alabama basketball come up short again this season? The Alabama basketball program is trending up with Avery Johnson’s enthusiasm and his ability to recruit top-level players. The 2017-18 recruiting class is ranked as high as the fifth best in the nation Help Is On The Way.
On the court this season the Tide showed improvement, particularly in two SEC Tournament victories and a gallant effort against a superior Kentucky Wildcat team.
Alabama players, Braxton Key, Dazon Ingram and Riley Norris each became better players in the second half of the 2016-17 season. Voted to the SEC All-Freshmen Team, Braxton Key has the potential to be All-Conference again next season.
Dazon Ingram’s game has matured into a consistent offensive threat. Ingram is the best three-point shooter on the team and he should look to take more shots outside the arc. Riley Norris made great improvement taking the ball to the basket.
While still inconsistent, Armond Davis and Dont’a Hall showed better offensive skills from mid-season forward. Hall’s free-throw shooting was much improved late in the year.
That’s a lot of positives for a team ‘Nittin’ rather than ‘Dancin’.
There are reasons why Alabama basketball came up short of the NCAA Tournament. Let’s take a look at them.