Alabama Basketball: Comparing Crimson Tide to 10 top-ranked teams
By Ronald Evans
How good is Alabama Basketball? Let’s compare the Tide to the top 10 MBB teams based on ranking averages.
For Alabama Basketball, winning against the best SEC teams, may or may not be indicative of being a top team, nationally With all the excitement around Alabama Basketball, it remains hard to tell how the Tide measures up against the nation’s top teams.
Using the latest NCAA NET rankings as a guide, the best team the Tide has beaten is the now six-loss, Tennessee Volunteers, ranked No. 17. The worst of the Crimson Tide’s five losses was to No. 76, 15-4, Western Kentucky.
With the creation of the NCAA NET, came the best tool for comparing teams; the Quadrant records. Broken into four categories and scaled to reflect home, road and neutral game locations, the quadrants allow teams, having not played each other and with few common opponents, to be fairly evaluated.
Choosing the top teams at any point of a season requires more than the NET ranking. The Selection Committee also evaluates the Pomeroy, Sagarin and ESPN BPI rankings. Using three of the four rankings (not including the BPI) the average ranking of ten top teams in college basketball was calculated. The Alabama Crimson Tide’s Quadrant record is compared to those ten teams.
Note: The numbered rankings below exclude the AP and Coaches Polls in which the Crimson Tide is No. 6 and No. 7. If the Crimson Tide was included in the list of ten top teams, based on the other ranking averages, it would be at No. 9.
No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs (22-0)
- Quad One: 7-0
- Quad Two: 5-0
- Quad Three: 4-0
- Quad Four: 6-0
No. 2 Baylor Bears (17-0)
- Quad One: 6-0
- Quad Two: 2-0
- Quad Three: 5-0
- Quad Four: 4-0
No. 3 Michigan Wolverines (16-1)
- Quad One: 6-1
- Quad Two: 4-0
- Quad Three: 4-0
- Quad Four: 2-0
No. 4 Iowa Hawkeyes (17-6)
- Quad One: 4-5
- Quad Two: 6-1
- Quad Three: 2-0
- Quad Four: 5-0
No. 5 Illinois Fighting Illini (16-5)
- Quad One: 7-5
- Quad Two: 4-0
- Quad Three: 3-0
- Quad Four: 2-0
No. 6 Houston Cougars (17-3)
- Quad One: 2-1
- Quad Two: 4-1
- Quad Three: 8-1
- Quad Four: 3-0
No. 7 Ohio State Buckeyes (18-5)
- Quad One: 8-4
- Quad Two: 3-1
- Quad Three: 4-0
- Quad Four: 3-0
No. 8 Virginia Cavaliers (15-5)
- Quad One: 3-4
- Quad Two: 5-0
- Quad Three: 4-1
- Quad Four: 3-0
No. 9 Villanova Wildcats (14-3)
- Quad One: 2-3
- Quad Two: 4-0
- Quad Three: 7-0
- Quad Four: 1-0
No. 10 Florida State Seminoles (13-3)
- Quad One: 3-2
- Quad Two: 5-0
- Quad Three: 2-1
- Quad Four: 3-0
The excellent source for the data is Warren Nolan.
Alabama Crimson Tide (18-5)
- Quad One: 7-3
- Quad Two: 5-1
- Quad Three: 5-1
- Quad Four: 1-0
How Alabama Basketball Compares
Most Quadrant One Wins
Eight Quad 1 Wins – Ohio State
Seven Quad 1 Wins – Gonzaga, Illinois and Alabama
Six Quad 1 Wins – Baylor and Michigan
Four Quad 1 Wins – Iowa
Three Quad 1 Wins – Virginia and Florida State
Two Quad 1 Wins – Houston and Villanova
Most Quadrant One and Two Wins
Twelve Quad 1 and Quad 2 Wins – Gonzaga and Alabama
Eleven Quad 1 and Quad 2 Wins – Illinois and Ohio State
Ten Quad 1 and Quad 2 Wins – Michigan and Iowa
Eight Quad 1 and Quad 2 Wins – Baylor, Virginia and Florida State
Six Quad 1 and Quad 2 Wins – Houston and Villanova
Fewest Quad Three and Quad Four Losses
Only four of the eleven teams have a Quad 3 loss, each with one: Alabama; Houston; Virginia; Florida State. None of the teams have a Quad 4 loss.
The Alabama Basketball record compares favorably to teams projected as NCAA Tournament 1-seeds and 2-seeds. If the Tide wins out in the regular season and gets to the SEC Championship game, it has a chance for a 1-seed. A 2-seed would probably remain secure with two losses between now and Selection Sunday. Those losses would have to come from this group of teams; Arkansas, Tennessee, LSU, Florida or Missouri. Even a loss to Quad 2 teams Ole Miss, Kentucky, Auburn, Mississippi State and Georgia would not be resume killers. Losing to South Carolina, Vanderbilt or Texas A&M would be a severe blow knocking the Tide to a 3-seed.
Next. Nate Oats worth every penny. dark
All of the above must be ignored by the Alabama basketball team. Beating Arkansas Wednesday night is all that matters.