Never before in an Alabama Crimson Tide June has ...

For many Alabama Crimson Tide fans, this June is like none before. The difference is Alabama Basketball is getting as much notice and perhaps even as much attention as Alabama Football.

Something similar might have occurred in June 1956, but that is only conjecture. In the 1955 Alabama Football season, Ears Whitworth's team was 0-10. In the 1955-56 season, Alabama Basketball was 21-3 under Johnny Dee. It was Dee's fourth and final season in Tuscaloosa and Crimson Tide Hoops must have been a more enjoyable topic to discuss than Alabama Football.

This June does not compare to 1956, because Alabama Football and Alabama Basketball are expected to have successful seasons. One difference this June is rather stunning. Nate Oats' team is projected as having better odds to win the 2024-25 National Championship than Alabama Football.

Some recent college basketball betting odds can be seen in the tweet below. Don't miss that the current, back-to-back, defending National Champion, UConn Huskies are not the No. 1 favorite for 2024-25. The No. 1 favorite is the Alabama Crimson Tide.

There is considerable national championship pedigree among the teams listed as the top favorites. Alabama not only does not have such an accomplishment, but the Crimson Tide has made only one Final Four ever and never played in an NCAA Tournament Final Game.

What Nate Oats has quickly accomplished in Tuscaloosa is so remarkable that calling the Crimson Tide a 'flash in the pan' or a potential 'one-hit wonder' does not seem fit. Recently, in a Field of 68 video, a question was posed about the top college basketball programs for the next decade. Alabama and Nate Oats were prominent in the conversation.

The complete video can be seen below. The Cliff Notes are, that there was close to agreement college basketball's three best coaches now are Dan Hurley, Nate Oats, and Scott Drew. There was shared doubt that the coaches who in the next three to five years follow Kelvin Sampson at Houston, Pat Few at Gonzaga, and Tom Izzo at Michigan State would prevent the programs from slipping.

While the two commentators did not exactly agree on each team, their lists of top teams for the next decade were short. Those teams are U Conn, Kansas, Alabama, Baylor, Duke, and North Carolina.

Alabama basketball fans can enjoy the broad enthusiasm for the Crimson Tide. Of course, June predictions do not provide an ascending path to next April. But man, it is so much fun to be an Alabama basketball fan. Thank you, Nate Oats.