Over 100 coaches candidly picked Alabama Basketball as nation's No. 2 top team

CBS Sports does an annual Candid Coaches survey. Responses are anonymous allowing the coaches to provide what CBS calls "unfiltered opinions." Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander spent a month gathering comments from over 100, Division One men's coaches. The group included head coaches, assistants, and big and small programs.

The survey results list just nine teams named as the answer to the question "Who will be the best team this season?" Two teams dominated the results. They are the Kansas Jayhawks at 35.6% and the Alabama Crimson Tide at 27.9%. Houston was next at 13.5%, followed by Duke at 9.6% and UConn at 7.7%. Below UConn, four more teams are categorized as 'others receiving votes'; Arizona, Baylor, Gonzaga, and North Carolina.

Alabama Basketball will get a chance to prove its pecking order position in November and December. On Nov. 26 in Las Vegas, the Crimson Tide play Houston. On Dec. 4, Alabama travels to Chapel Hill to take on the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Based on the survey results, the separation between the Crimson Tide and other traditional powers is significant. That 63.5% of the responders picked Kansas and Alabama as college basketball's best team is also noteworthy. It indicates if the label 'blue blood' still matters, the Alabama Crimson Tide should be included.

Parrish and Norlander shared comments from three coaches about the Alabama Crimson Tide.

• "That machine is rolling. [This] year will be their year to cut the nets."

• "They have the resources to build great rosters -- and a coach (Nate Oats) who understands how to maximize them. They got their first Final Four. A championship is next. Just a matter of time."

• "[They] return [almost] everyone of note and added really good players to the mix."

Alabama Basketball and the 2024-25 Season

The candid coach comments don't mean the Crimson Tide will sprint through a barely blemished 2024-25 regular season. The schedule is purposely tough and losses will happen. Alabama might lose to Houston and North Carolina early in the season, but the Crimson Tide is a legit national title favorite.