Although Alabama is the ultimate football factory, it has taken a liking to its college basketball program. Coach Nate Oats has transformed the Crimson Tide into a national power. Last season, Alabama Basketball was the top College Basketball odds dog in the SEC, with lottery pick Brandon Miller leading. The Crimson Tide took home the regular season and conference tournament championship. Overall, Alabama was 31-6 record and 16-2 at their spot atop the conference standings. They’ll look to replicate last year’s success with just three returners from last year’s squad in this year’s lineup.
2023-24 Alabama Crimson Tide Basketball Preview
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2023-24 Alabama Crimson Tide Basketball Outlook
Namely, Nate Oats seems to be finding his stride heading into his fifth sportsbook season on the Alabama sideline. He’s led the Crimson Tide to three consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including a No. 1 seed in the South region in this past year’s field.
Alabama fell in the Sweet 16 to San Diego State, but Coach Oats set quite the tone across the SEC landscape. To illuminate, he’s won two regular season and conference tournament titles in the conference. Additionally, Oats is coming off a 30+ win season.
While this upcoming season will have its challenges, Alabama will look to Grant Nelson (North Dakota State) out of the transfer portal to keep things going as a top team in the SEC. Nelson is a wiry 6-foot-11 stretch-forward who’s slowly climbing up 2024 NBA Draft boards. And then Mark Sears, Rylen Griffen, and Nick Pringle are the lone returners from a season ago. With several new faces out of the transfer portal and from their 2023 recruiting class, the Crimson Tide still has a chance to field a competitive squad this year.
Certainly, Sears is one important returning piece in the Alabama backcourt who will be looked upon to quarterback in the point guard role. He fared solidly in his debut season with the Crimson Tide and returns after testing the NBA Draft waters.
The Crimson Tide are coming off a historic NCAABB betting season under Nate Oats. Still, they have some unfinished business after earning a No. 1 seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Alabama will need to replace a ton of their production from a season ago with a lot of roster turnover. Also, early injuries have already hampered things a bit in the playmaking department.
Overall, the Crimson Tide was one of the top-scoring offenses in college basketball this past season. To show, they produced 81.8 points per contest as a team, with Brandon Miller as the catalyst. Coach Oats looks to continue his fast-paced offense. Yet things could look a lot different for the Crimson Tide, with a different team in the mix in 2023-24.
The Crimson Tide will need Aaron Estrada and Mark Sears to find balance with Grant Nelson, Rylan Griffen, and Mohamed Wague all in the fold. Even then, given the versatility they like to play with, Coach Oats could tinker with the starting rotation for a while. Subsequently, he can find his best fit.
At the onset, with a few different question marks, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Alabama struggle a bit early. Still, gamblers should not panic. Bama should still peak at the right time this season. And then find themselves on the right side of the “bubble” in the NCAA Tournament.