Alabama Basketball: Tournament bid or not, Avery Johnson a success in year one
Alabama basketball and Avery Johnson should be considered a success in year one, regardless of whether or not the Crimson Tide head to the Big Dance.
Depending on who’s version of Bracketology you call your March Madness bible, the Crimson Tide are in the Tournament field but there is still a chance that they could have their bid stolen if things happen to fall the wrong way for them.
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Cbssports.com has Alabama currently sitting as a No.8 seed in the Midwest while ESPN.com has the Crimson Tide as a No.12 seed facing the Cincinnati Bearcats in a 12 vs 12 play in game.
Their position could change due to their loss but, it should not change dramatically since their strength of schedule ranks 15th and overall RPI is ranked 32nd in the country.
Even Mississipi State head coach Ben Howland felt the Crimson Tide should be in the tournament field despite his Bulldogs defeating them in Tuscaloosa on Saturday. He was quoted in a piece by Charlie Potter for 247sports as saying :
"“They’re a really good team, I mean look at their RPI, (Johnson)’s done a tremendous job with this team, and they’re a team, I still believe, will get to the NCAA Tournament now. Look at how they play, I mean getting a road win at Florida, getting another great road win at LSU, I mean beating Texas A&M at home. Those are quality wins. They’re deserving. They played a great non-conference schedule. They have, I think, four wins over top-25 opponents. That’s what I think, and I think that at the end of the day, I wouldn’t want to be playing them now. I hate playing a good team coming off a loss. I don’t even know who they play next, but I wouldn’t wanna be them because I know they’ll come back and play great.”"
Coming into this season not many expected the Crimson Tide to be in the mix for an NCAA Tournament bid. Fans may have expected them to be markedly improved but seeing them in the fray for a tournament bid would have been hard to fathom with all of the talent the team lost from last season.
Fortunately for Alabama basketball, first year head coach Avery Johnson is an excellent mentor and is proving that he is more than capable of getting the attention of college kids and having them respond. Then again, being able to show kids an NBA championship ring would give him credibility in the locker room with his players.
That credibility has Johnson getting the best out of his players in his first season. Senior guard Retin Obasohan is enjoying his best season averaging 16.9 points on 46.7% shooting from the floor. Shannon Hale‘s 11.2 points per contest has also been a nice contribution to the Crimson Tide’s cause.
Avery Johnson has developed a solid 8 to 9 man rotation to play with while people on the outside looking in were wondering where he was going to get his production from.
If everyone was completely honest with themselves, Avery Johnson has actually done a good job to not only earn SEC Coach of the Year, but also be in the conversation for “National Coach of the Year”.
The Alabama Crimson Tide are going to have a huge opportunity before them when they take on the Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington. A road win for them would surely book their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
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Regardless of what the result is on Tuesday, for Alabama to be in this position at this point of the season is impressive. It is a testament to the coaching acumen of Avery Johnson and what he is building at Alabama.