Alabama Basketball: Nate Oats gives Bracketology new meaning

Nate Oats has done many things for Alabama Basketball. Not immediately, but quickly, he rejuvenated the Crimson Tide Roundball program. There was no March Madness in 2020 and even if there had been an NCAA Tournament that COVID-affected season, the Crimson Tide, at 16-15 would not have been selected. But since, Oats has had the Tide zooming upward.

For Tide Hoops, everything changed in the 2020-21 season. When Oats arrived in Tuscaloosa in 2019, he began talking about Alabama Basketball and Final Fours. Crimson Tide fans loved his boldness, but more than a few of us were skeptical.

At that point, Alabama Basketball had been to 21 NCAA Tournaments. The Tide had made it to eight Sweet Sixteens and one Elite Eight, but the Tide had also lost more Big Dance games than it had won.

In the 2001-2002 season, Mark Gottfried had the Tide in the Big Dance as a 2-seed. Alabama lost in the second round to Kent State by 13 points. In the 17 seasons that followed, Alabama made the NCAA Tournament just six times. In the six Big Dance opportunities, the Crimson Tide was a 10-seed; 6-seed; 5-seed; 10-seed; 9-seed, and a 9-seed. With few exceptions, every February and early March was life in an NCAA Bubble Zone for the Crimson Tide.

Moving Past Alabama Basketball NCAA Tournament Frustration

Thanks to Nate Oats, the view of those frustrating days have been lost in a Crimson Tide rear-view mirror. Not only is the Crimson Tide not a bubble team again this season, it is being widely discussed as a 1-seed. Both Jerry Palm and Joe Lunardi currently have Alabama as a 1-seed. Other sources have the Tide as a 100% lock to make the Big Dance and it is only mid-January.

Alabama has made it as high as a 2-seed, three times in its NCAA Tournament history. In the majority of NCAA Tournament seasons for the Tide, the seed range has been from six to ten.

There are plenty of games yet to play and none of them come with a guaranteed win. But for the first time in so long that it feels almost like ever, Alabama Basketball is playing for seeding.

An SEC Regular Season Championship and, or an SEC Tournament Championship are lofty goals. But Alabama is playing for more – much more. As Brandon Miller recently said,

"Our mission is to win a national championship. I try not to get too focused on all that other stuff."

“All that other stuff” Miller was talking about was the lavish praise he is earning, as his performance warrants mention as the possible National Player of the Year.

Keep talking Final Fours Nate Oats. This Alabama Basketball team is special and it should have bold ambition.