Alabama Basketball is 2-0 in SEC play. The wins were no surprise despite coming against teams that combined had won 23 games before playing the Crimson Tide. All those wins count for something. But they did not change the fact that Alabama is a much better team than Oklahoma and South Carolina.
The winning margins, 28 points at home and 20 points on the road suggest something special about the Alabama Crimson Tide. There is more, much more.
The talent level of this Alabama basketball team is crazy high. Two well-respected college basketball experts agree. On Wednesday night, Jon Rothstein tweeted that in no certain order, the best rosters in college basketball are Alabama, Duke, and Auburn. Jeff Goodman called Alabama the "Deepest Team in America" and explained "Really is insane that Nate Oats' bench is this talented:
Aden Holloway, Chris Youngblood, Derrion Reid, Mouhamed Dioubate, and Aiden Sherrell."
Another tweet from Goodman perfectly explained the first half of the South Carolina game,
When Alabama is shooting the ball like this, no one will beat the Crimson Tide.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) January 9, 2025
No. One.
This team has the highest ceiling in the country.
Make no mistake Rothstein and Goodman know college hoops. Nothing either one of them said about Alabama is wrong.
Of course we must remember that it is early January. More than another month of intense play will transpire before predictions of potential championship runs are credible. Alabama Basketball is currently far from a finished product. Nate Oats knows that better than anyone. What happened in the South Carolina game was an example.
With 17:16 to go in the second-half against South Carolina, Aden Holloway caressed a short banker high off the glass to put the Crimson Tide up 51-35. With a quick rebound and hustle, the Gamecocks beat Alabama up the court for a layup. Nate Oats called time out and sprinted on the court to explode on Derrion Reid for not getting back on defense. Less than 30 seconds earlier Oats had subbed all five starters, but the defense of the backups drew Oats' ire. His tirade continued on the bench. No doubt Oats got their attention.
Drubbing Oklahoma by 28 points and besting South Carolina on the road, 88-68 is not good enough for Nate Oats. Nate Oats is coaching for late February, March, and April. Alabama put on an offensive clinic in the first half against South Carolina. Oats demands something similar in defensive play; for two halves of every game. Alabama Basketball has the talent to provide what Oats wants. If that talent delivers on both ends of the court, April could be another exciting month for the Crimson Tide.
Alabama Crimson Tide at South Carolina box score