Alabama basketball is too volatile for the Final Four

We need more stability from Alabama basketball.

This season, Alabama basketball hasn’t lived up to the standard set from last year. Still, the Crimson Tide are firmly in the NCAA Tournament with games still to be played. That is progress by every standard you can imagine.

Last year, Alabama basketball lost in the Sweet 16. They had hopes of reaching the Final Four, and they expected to improve this season. While the roster has more depth than it did last year, there are red flags that will keep the Crimson Tide from making a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

When you look at the postseason for college basketball, you’re looking at more than simply being the better team. Upsets happen in every round, so you have to be able to withstand a lot. You might get cold at the worst time, but you still have to survive and advance. The best way to do this is to have a high floor due to fundamentally sound players. To put it bluntly, Alabama basketball lacks that.

Alabama has some of the biggest wins of the year, and it’s why they’ll be in the NCAA Tournament. However, they’ve lost unceremoniously as well. They were upset by the Georgia Bulldogs. They lost to Iona in the non-conference slate. In the final home game of the regular season, Alabama lost to Texas A&M, one of the worst teams in the SEC.

There will be plenty of teams better than these opponents in the NCAA Tournament, and Alabama has to get past them in the early rounds to even worry about the top-ranked teams. With how they’ve played against bottom-tier SEC teams, this is a major concern.

Now, I don’t believe that it’s impossible for Alabama basketball to go on a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. They still have a solid roster with a high ceiling. However, they’ll need everything to fall into place, and that’s too much to ask for.