The Alabama basketball win on Saturday night was a 'taking care of business win' in Tuscaloosa. Credit to Lamont Paris for his South Carolina team putting up a hard fight, but the Gamecocks did have the firepower to stay with the Crimson Tide.
Alabama was not perfect. Nate Oats had complaints about the Tide's second-half defense on Meechie Johnson, and Oats said Alabama must still figure out substitution patterns for Aiden Sherrell. Hopefully, Taylor Bol Bowen will be able to play on Wednesday night against Arkansas. The Hogs will come to Tuscaloosa as winners of their last seven games.
John Calipari's team is No. 2 in the SEC standings at 9-3, one game behind Florida's 10-2. Without considering tiebreakers, Alabama is tied at No. 3 with Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee. The four 8-4 teams, along with Florida and Arkansas, are the current contenders for an SEC Tournament double-bye.
At 7-5, Texas A&M, Missouri, and Texas are not eliminated in the double-bye race, but they are long shots. Given Alabama's injury history this season, playing no more than three games in Nashville could be beneficial for NCAA Tournament preparation.
Remaining Games - Alabama Basketball and other top SEC teams
- Alabama Crimson Tide - Arkansas, at LSU, Mississippi State, at Tennessee, at Georgia, Auburn
- Arkansas Razorbacks - at Alabama, Missouri, Texas A&M, at Florida, Texas, at Missouri
- Kentucky Wildcats - Georgia, at Auburn, at South Carolina, Vanderbilt, at Texas A&M, Florida
- Vanderbilt Commodores - at Missouri, Tennessee, Georgia, at Kentucky, at Ole Miss, at Tennessee
- Tennessee Vols - Oklahoma, at Vanderbilt, ay Missouri, Alabama, at South Carolina, Vanderbilt
The Alabama Crimson Tide's six-game, regular-season finish is far from easy. But the Crimson Tide should win in Baton Rouge and Athens, plus beat Mississippi State and Auburn at home. Alabama is currently favored by ESPN Analytics and Bart Torvik's model in five of the six games. Take down the Hogs on Wednesday night, and the Crimson Tide should later gain an SEC Tournament double-bye.
Among the other double-bye contenders, Kentucky and Vanderbilt appear to have the most difficult paths, followed by Arkansas.