The Alabama Crimson Tide has 10 regular season games left and the overused word 'daunting' is the perfect description. After Georgia Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa, and Arkansas in Fayetteville, Alabama Basketball plays an SEC 'Murderers Row' to finish the regular season.
It is often said college basketball's National Championship is the hardest college championship to win because it takes six (or maybe seven) straight wins in the NCAA Tournament. The flip side is for the 68 teams who advance after conference tournaments, there is a complete restart. What happened in the regular season no longer matters. High seeds normally get Big Dance first and second-round opponents with only small chances to win,
Still, a six-game run is a grind. The Alabama Crimson Tide will be grind-prepared because it is about to go through a longer and arguably harder one. Alabama gets a midweek break after the Georgia game and will return to action on Sat. Feb. 8. on the SEC road against Arkansas. From the following Tuesday (Feb. 11) through Mar. 8 every team Alabama plays is currently projected as an NCAA Tournament team.
Alabama Crimson Tide Murderers' Row
- Tues. Feb. 11 at Texas (14-7) - The Longhorns are currently projected as an 11-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
- Sat. Feb. 15 vs. Auburn (19-1) in Tuscaloosa - The Aubies are currently projected as the top 1-seed.
- Wed. Feb. 19 at Missouri (16-4) - The other Tigers are currently projected as a 6-seed.
- Sat. Feb. 22 vs. Kentucky (15-5) in Tuscaloosa - The Wildcats are projected as a 4-seed.
- Tues. Feb, 25 vs. Mississippi State (16-5) in Tuscaloosa - The Bulldogs are projected as a 4-seed.
- Sat. Mar. 1 at Tennessee (17-4) - Though slumping in recent games, the Vols are projected as a 2-seed.
- Wed. Mar. 5 vs. Florida (18-2) in Tuscaloosa - The Gators are projected as a 2-seed.
- Sat. Mar. 8 at Auburn (19-1) - If the Crimson Tide beats Auburn in Tuscaloosa, this season-closer could be for the SEC Regular Season Championship.
Some well-informed Alabama Crimson Tide followers are predicting three Alabama losses in the eight-game run. Winning them all, plus beating Georgia and Arkansas would give Alabama a 14-game winning streak. One loss might oddly relieve some pressure to win. Two losses would still be a strong performance. Three losses would be disappointing for a team with the roster talent to win every game. Whatever happens will be great fun and a prelude to two tournaments.
Note: NCAA Tournament seeding projections provided by Bracket Matrix