Alabama Basketball: No Selection Sunday drama as 2-seed Tide awaits NCAA opponent

Alabama Basketball: It will be a drama-free Selection Sunday for the Crimson Tide no matter the outcome of the SEC Championship game.

Alabama basketball fans have not seen a Selection Sunday like this one in a long time. Over the last 20 NCAA Tournaments, the Crimson Tide failed to get a bid, 13 Times. Two 9-seed and two 10-seed bids were sweated out on Selection Sunday.

The only real comfort before the Big Dance fields were announced came in 2002 and 2005 when the Crimson Tide ended up as a 2-seed and a 5-seed. The 8-seed that came in 2004 was not really shaky but Tide fans never take any NCAA Tournament selection for granted.

Whatever happens in the SEC Tournament Championship against LSU, the Crimson Tide will be a 2-seed. Crimson Tide fans can look forward to learning which No. 15 seed Nate Oats’ team will play in the First Round. A quick guess of potential 15-seeds includes Mt. Saint Mary’s, Morehead State, Liberty, Drexel, Cleveland State, Abeline Christian, Oral Roberts and Iona.  There is no team to worry about among that group. According to Ken Pomeroy, Liberty and Abilene Christian are about equal to Vanderbilt.

It is never wise to take a double-digit seed lightly. In its NCAA Tournament history, the Crimson Tide has lost to 11-seeds, three times. They were: Lamar in 1983, a 23-point Tide loss; South Alabama in 1989 by two points; Loyola-Marymount in 1990, also by two points.

Getting blown out by Lamar was the low point of Alabama Basketball ‘Big Dance’ history until the 2005 Tournament. In 2005, the Crimson Tide opened with 12-seed, Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Bruce Pearl was the opposing coach and his guys took down the Tide, 83-73.

Make no mistake the Alabama Basketball 21-21 NCAA Tournament record has highs and lows. The Crimson Tide has advanced to the Sweet 16, seven times, plus once into the Elite Eight.

Getting to the Sweet 16 is much easier for a 2-seed than a 5-seed and higher. Even as a 2-seed, placement in which NCAA region is very important. Almost all the top Bracketologists have the Crimson Tide in the same Region of either 1-seed Illinois or 1-seed Michigan. The Wolverines and the Illini are very good, but not being in the same Region as Gonzaga would be a win for the Tide.

Should the Crimson Tide lose to LSU Sunday afternoon, the Tide will still be a 2-seed, though it might slip from the No. 5 overall seed to the No. 6 overall. A win over LSU will not push the Crimson Tide to a 1-seed.