Alabama Basketball: Crimson Tide NCAA Bracketology – Feb. 25

NCAA Tournament Selection Sunday is just over two weeks away on Mar. 13. Nothing will stop Nate Oats from having Alabama Basketball in back-to-back NCAA Tournaments for the first time since the Crimson Tide 2005 and 2006 seasons.

No bracketologist sources are needed to know the Crimson Tide is a ‘lock’ for the Big Dance. Because of its strength of schedule, along with NCAA NET and RPI rankings, the now 18-10 Crimson Tide would make the NCAA Tournament field at 18-14.

Alabama basketball fans can have rare February confidence about the Tide’s probability of a solid seed in the 5-7 range.

Based on high-profile Bracketoligists, Joe Lunardi, Jerry Palm and Eric Prisbell (Prisbell not updated as recently as Lunardi and Palm) currently Alabama is a solid 5-seed. Also not as current, but worth reviewing is the Bracket Matrix.

All seven of the projected SEC, NCAA Tournament teams are listed below, starting with the highest projected team, the Auburn Tigers.

Big Dance Bracketology – Feb. 25

• Auburn Tigers – 1-seed from all four sources
• Kentucky Wildcats – 2-seed from all four sources
• Tennessee Vols – 3-seed by Lunardi and the Bracket Matrix; No. 4 seed by Palm and Prisbell
• Alabama Crimson Tide – 4-seed by Palm and 5-seed by the other three sources
• Arkansas Razorbacks – 6-seed by all sources
• LSU Bengal Tigers – 6-seed by Lunardi, Prisbell and Bracket Matrix; 7-seed Palm
• Florida Gators – 12-seed by Palm and Prisbell; outside the bubble by the others

Though the prediction will change daily, Joe Lunardi has the Crimson Tide in the Midwest Bracket opening with North Texas. Jerry Palm has the Tide in the West Bracket opening with Towson.

Alabama Basketball NCAA Tournament Seeding Scenarios

Note: These predictions are not based on any algorithm and are only guesses of how seeding will evolve based on NCAA Tournament history.

Predicted Regular Season and SEC Tournament Finishes

20-12; 2-1 in regular season; 0-1 in SEC Tournament; NCAA 5-seed
19-13; 1-2 in regular season; 0-1 in SEC Tournament; NCAA, lowest 6-seed
18-14; 0-3 in regular season; 0-1 in SEC Tournament; NCAA 7-seed
21-12; 2-1 in regular season; 1-1 in SEC Tournament; NCAA 5-seed
20-13; 1-2 in regular season; 1-1 in SEC Tournament; NCAA Tournament highest 6-seed
19-14; 0-3 in regular season; 1-1 in SEC Tournament; NCAA Tournament 7-seed
22-12; 2-1 in regular season; 2-1 in SEC Tournament; NCAA highest 4-seed
21-13; 1-2 in regular season; 2-1 in SEC Tournament; NCAA Tournament lowest 5-seed
20-14; 0-3 in regular season; 2-1 in SEC Tournament; NCAA 6-seed

Finishing strongly enough to climb to an NCAA Tournament 4-seed would likely require some help from losses by currently projected 4-seeds.

Next up for the Crimson Tide is South Carolina in Tuscaloosa on Saturday. The Gamecocks have won four straight.