Alabama Basketball: Tide getting some love as serious NCAA Tourney threat

Alabama Basketball: Crimson Tide could challenge the two teams believed to have the best chance to win the NCAA Tournament.

Despite two losses in its last five games, Alabama Basketball is riding high. The Big Ten can claim to be college basketball’s best conference this season. The Crimson Tide was little acknowledged in the preseason and that was before Kentucky did a belly flop on its regular season. The result is the SEC’s reputation, though still good, is blemished.

There is little debate Nate Oats’ team is the class of the SEC. It will return to the NCAA Tournament field for only the second time in nine seasons. Alabama basketball fans are engaged in bracket watches this year, rather than customary bubble watches.

For the first time in a long while, national media is tuned in on Crimson Tide basketball. Nate Oats joined ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt Monday night. The first part of the segment can be seen in the tweet below.

Nate Oats is a confident guy. As much as his offensive scheme is discussed, perhaps more important is he has quickly built an Alabama basketball team that appears equally confident. While talking to Van Pelt, Oats talked about not being undefeated in SEC play.

"I’m a little irritated we’re not 13-0 to be honest with you, because I feel like we shouldn’t have lost that one."

That is Nate Oats. He believes his team should win every game. No Crimson Tide basketball coach has had so much swagger since Wimp Sanderson. Wimp’s team had some bad NCAA losses but they feared no one. It is looking like Oats has instilled such necessary obstinance into this season’s Crimson Tide.

Seeding will greatly affect how far the Tide goes in the Big Dance. The high seeds don’t have to win six challenging games. There are no guaranteed wins but for the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, the path to the Sweet Sixteen is relatively easy.

Based on Joe Lunardi’s Feb. 16 bracket, a 2-seed Crimson Tide would open with Sam Houston State, followed by the winner of Rutgers and Seton Hall. Win those two and likely next would be West Virginia or Virginia Tech. The Crimson Tide should be able to handle any of those five teams.

The final bracket will be different on Selection Sunday. The Tide could slip to a No. 3 or lower seed, but it could also become No.1 seed. Whomever the opponents in the final Big Dance Bracket, the Crimson Tide is capable of winning a game against any team.

Most college basketball experts predict Gonzaga and Baylor will end up playing for the National Championship. The Bulldogs and the Bears have earned their way to currently undefeated seasons. Both are very good. If the Crimson Tide was matched against either one in an NBA-style series of games, the Tide would likely come up short. Beating them in one game is possible and it is not just Alabama basketball fans who think so.

Si.com listed 14 teams with the best chance to take down either of college basketball’s “Goliaths.” The team given the best chance was the Alabama Crimson Tide.

"Over-reliance on threes can be a slippery slope, but since Alabama pairs that approach with smothering defense and a tempo that few teams can match, it can beat anybody on the right night."

Nate Oats knows such optimism can be the ‘rat poison’ Nick Saban warns his teams against. One game at a time is the mantra and the Big Dance is at least a half dozen games away.