Alabama basketball gets a lucky NCAA Tournament draw

Things could have been a lot worse for Alabama basketball

At this point in the season, teams are just happy to be in the NCAA Tournament. After winning the SEC Tournament, Alabama basketball knew that they would be dancing. They just didn’t know who they would face.

Anything can happen in March, and it is pointless to hope that your team plays a certain opponent in the NCAA Tournament. Instead, you simply hope that you can avoid the toughest region. With that in mind, Alabama basketball should feel lucky with their path to the Final Four.

As the best two-seed in the tournament, Alabama drew Michigan on the other side of the region. Michigan is a quality team, but it helps that the Tide can avoid teams like Gonzaga, Illinois and Baylor. Michigan faces a tough road to the Elite Eight, so they might not even win enough games to play the Tide.

However, there is a lot of basketball between now and the Elite Eight. Alabama must first get past a few other teams. Their path starts with Iona.

According to KenPom, the Gaels are the worst team out of all 15-seeds. That being said, they have one of the most experienced coaches in college basketball. This is not an ideal drawing, but Alabama is still heavily favored.

They would then play either UConn or Maryland in the Round of 32. Both of these teams deserve to be here, but Alabama avoided more difficult opponents like UNC, Clemson and Florida. Also, the three-seed in this region is Texas. The Longhorns just won the Big 12 Tournament, so they have momentum. However, this is better than facing off against Cade Cunningham and Oklahoma State.

In college basketball, the first four games are viewed as different than the Final Four. Once you get to the end, there is no luck involved. Alabama basketball would simply have to prove that they are the best team in college basketball if they wanted to win the title. Still, the path to the Final Four matters more than it should. We have seen teams in the past be eliminated early due to an unfavorable matchup, and Alabama basketball doesn’t seem to have that worry. They could still be upset, but they should be heavily favored in each game before the Elite Eight.

Alabama has already dominated all of the SEC, and they have all sorts of momentum and belief heading into the NCAA Tournament. Thankfully, their path to the Final Four is easier than it could have been.