The way-too-early preseason rankings for Alabama did not change much after Amari Allen delayed his NBA aspirations for another season. Allen's return was a big boost for the Crimson Tide. His decision was inconsequential in Alabama's rankings, likely because most experts anticipated his decision.
Currently, Bart Torvik's rankings have the Crimson Tide at No. 19; the fourth-highest-ranked SEC team. ESPN's Jeff Barzello has Alabama at No. 15 and also the SEC's fourth-highest-ranked team. CBS Sports' Mike Parrish, along with Jon Rothstein and Andy Katz, all have the Crimson Tide as the SEC's sixth-best team. Katz has Alabama at No. 16 nationally; Parrish has Bama at No. 19, and Rothstein has the Tide at No. 22.
In early June, Aaron Torres ranked Alabama at No. 12 nationally and labelled the Crimson Tide as college basketball's "most underrated team." Torres included Aden Holloway as a full participant after a plea deal offered him a chance to have all charges dropped. It was before Collins Onyejiaka was cleared for basketball activity. With Onyejiaka and the reclassification of Anderson Diaz, Nate Oats has the deepest roster talent in his coaching career.
Diaz was a consensus 5-star in the 2027 class. After moving to the 2026 class, Diaz is a highly-ranked 4-star. The Crimson Tide's 2026 class is No. 5 nationally, as ranked by the 247Sports Composite. The class has four top-50 players, two of whom are ranked as 5-stars by 247. Alabama's four recruits and four transfers give Nate Oats college basketball's No. 5 lineup of incoming talent.
What Anderson Diaz brings to Alabama
Diaz is a do-everything point guard. Though smaller than Labaron Philon, Diaz compares in ability to get to the rim and finish. Diaz also has superb ball-handling and play-making skills. The only part of his game needing significant improvement is three-point shooting. Last season for Overtime Elite, Diaz shot 30% from outside the arc. However, in seven games against EYBL opponents, the percentage exploded to 43%.
Assuming Aden Holloway completes his second-chance program and has his remaining two charges dismissed, Alabama is not expected to depend on Diaz for many minutes. Holloway and Amari Allen are slated to handle primary on-ball roles.
Still, Diaz has the most traditional point guard skills of any Alabama player. He is a perfect fit for Nate Oats' style of play. With Diaz and Holloway at 6'1", playing both at the same time could weaken Alabama's defensive performance. An early backup role for Diaz does not exclude his potential for a key role later. By late February and March, Diaz could become a game-changer in a Crimson Tide championship run.
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