Holding onto an NCAA mid-level seed is a priority for Alabama Basketball, with less than three weeks before the first conference tournaments. Seeding in the SEC Tournament is important as well, but not as much as the Big Dance.
Currently, the Crimson Tide is tied with Texas A&M, LSU, South Carolina and Vanderbilt for the sixth seed in the SEC Tournament. Eight SEC teams are within 2.5 games of separation with each other. Much will change on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday.
In Big Dance Bracketology the highest-profile predictors have not ramped up to weekly updates of the full bracket. That will happen in a couple of weeks. Taking a look at where the Crimson Tide and other teams are currently projected, four sources are used for comparison. The main three are Jerry Palm for CBS, Joe Lunardi for ESPN and Eric Prisbell for On3. The fourth source is the Bracket Matrix. The latest published Matrix averages out the seed projections from over 100 Bracketologists.
The projections below were compiled before the games of Feb. 8.
Seven SEC teams are projected in the 68 team field by at least one of the four sources.
Alabama Basketball Seeding Projections
- Jerry Palm; 7-seed
- Joe Lunardi; 6-seed
- Eric Prisbell; 6-seed
- Bracket Matrix has the Tide average at 5.81, making the Tide the second-highest 6-seed.
Seed Projections For Other SEC Teams
- All four sources have the Auburn Tigers as a 1-seed
- All four sources have the Kentucky Wildcats as a 2-seed
- All four sources have the Tennessee Vols as a 5-seed
- Palm, Prisbell and the Bracket Matrix have LSU as a 6-seed. Lunardi has the Bengal Tigers as a 7-seed.
- Lunardi has the Arkansas Razorbacks as a 7-seed. Palm and the Bracket Matrix have the Hogs as an 8-seed. Prisbell has Eric Musselman’s team as a 9-seed.
- The Bracket Matrix does not have the Florida Gators in the Big Dance field. Lunardi has them as one of his last four in and a 12-seed. Palm and Prisbell also have the Gators as a 12-seed.
- Only one source, Jerry Palm has the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the 68 team field, as a 12-seed. Lunardi has Ben Howland’s team in his first four out.
Some Other Crimson Tide Hoops’ Opponents
- Gonzaga is a consensus 1-seed
- Baylor Bears are either a 2-seed or a 3-seed
- Houston Cougars are either a 3-seed or 4-seed
- Davidson is either an 8-seed, a 9-seed, or an 11-seed
- Miami and Iona are either 11-seeds or 12-seeds
There is a long way to go and much uncertainty. One thing is certain – the SEC will be strongly represented in the SEC Tournament.