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Alabama Basketball: 5 reasons why the Tide can go dancing in 2018-19

By Dakota Cox

TUSCALOOSA, AL - JANUARY 17: Tyler Ulis (3) of the Kentucky Wildcats attempts to steal the ball from Retin Obasohan (32) of the Alabama Crimson Tide during the game at Coleman Coliseum on January 17, 2015 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The Kentucky Wildcats defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide 70-48. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)
TUSCALOOSA, AL - JANUARY 17: Tyler Ulis (3) of the Kentucky Wildcats attempts to steal the ball from Retin Obasohan (32) of the Alabama Crimson Tide during the game at Coleman Coliseum on January 17, 2015 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The Kentucky Wildcats defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide 70-48. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images) /
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ST LOUIS, MO – MARCH 09: The Auburn Tigers mascot performs in the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the quarterfinals round of the 2018 SEC Basketball Tournament at Scottrade Center on March 9, 2018 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
ST LOUIS, MO – MARCH 09: The Auburn Tigers mascot performs in the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the quarterfinals round of the 2018 SEC Basketball Tournament at Scottrade Center on March 9, 2018 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Reason Four: Schedule

There’s usually a strategy behind scheduling. Teams land on a spectrum. On one side, you have cupcakes games that you have to win. On the other side, you’re the cupcake and you have little to no chance to win. Borderline tournament teams have to find their place on the spectrum in terms of scheduling.

You need wins, but they need to be quality wins. Alabama shouldn’t play Duke, but they can’t make it far by playing cupcakes every game. This season, they found their sweet spot.

One of the main reasons the Tide made it to the postseason last year was their scheduling. They proved themselves in some big games. They beat Oklahoma, Memphis, Mercer, and Rhode Island, and they competed against UCF, Arizona, and Minnesota. Their strength in non-conference scheduling, paired with upset wins against Auburn, Texas A&M, Tennessee, and Florida, helped them through losses to teams that they should have beaten.

Alabama’s schedule this year lands more heavily in their favor. They play SF Austin, Murray State, Penn State, Arizona, and Baylor outside of the conference. These will be winnable games, but they will have to work for them.

Related Story. Breaking down Tide's non-conference schedule. light

The whole thought process behind scheduling is essentially finding teams that will bend you without breaking you. These teams will definitely bend the Tide, but they should come out of most of them. Add in the fact that they will have chances against Auburn, Kentucky, and Tennessee, and ‘Bama will be in perfect position to win the right amount of games against the right level of competition.

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