Busting Brackets
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Projecting Alabama Basketball’s path to a 2021 National Championship

By Matthew Travis

Alabama celebrates their 80 to 79 win against LSU as they raise the championship trophy after the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament Championship game at Bridgestone Arena Sunday, March 14, 2021 in Nashville, Tenn.Nas Sec Lsu Ala 053
Alabama celebrates their 80 to 79 win against LSU as they raise the championship trophy after the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament Championship game at Bridgestone Arena Sunday, March 14, 2021 in Nashville, Tenn.Nas Sec Lsu Ala 053 /
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Gonzaga Bulldogs Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Gonzaga Bulldogs Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Alabama in Final Four

The Final Four would likely be an incredibly difficult game for the Crimson Tide, with the most likely opponent being the undefeated Gonzaga Bulldogs, who are the overall one seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The other potential matchups in the Final Four are Iowa, Kansas, Virginia, and Creighton. In all honesty of those five, the only three I could really see even having a shot at the Final Four are Gonzaga, Iowa, and Kansas. Virginia is coming off a COVID pause and hasn’t practiced in some time, Creighton lost their most recent game by 25, and the other 11 teams in that region don’t stand much of a threat.

With that in mind, we will focus on three teams, Gonzaga, Iowa, and Kansas.

Gonzaga has been absolutely amazing this season and they are the first team to enter the NCAA Tournament as a one-seed without a loss since Kentucky did so in 2014-15. The bad news for the Zags is that Kentucky didn’t win the tournament that year, and there hasn’t been an undefeated champion since 1975-76 when Indiana went 32-0 and won the National Championship.

Gonzaga sits atop the NET Rankings, they’re 26-0 on the season, 14-0 against quadrant one and two opponents, and have won their games by an average of 23. In addition to that, Gonzaga has already beaten Iowa this season and for that reason, I believe they will get to the Final Four.

Iowa has had a great season, coming in at sixth in the NET Rankings, they’re 21-8 on the season, 13-8 against quadrant one and two opponents, and are 8-2 over their past 10 games. Ultimately I believe Iowa’s season will come to an end when they hit the roadblock that is Gonzaga.

As for Kansas, they’re ranked 11th in the NET Rankings, are 19-8 on the season, 9-8 against quadrant one and two opponents, and are 8-2 over their last 10, including a win over Baylor, giving them one of their two losses this season. Unfortunately for the Jayhawks, they had a COVID problem and couldn’t finish the Big 12 Tournament, and because of this we haven’t seen them play in some time and might look like a different team in the Tournament.

Overall, Gonzaga is the likely team Alabama would face should the Tide reach the Final Four. The Zags have an amazing roster headed by Jalen Suggs, Corey Kispert, and Drew Timme. Ultimately I think Gonzaga would be a very, very difficult team to beat, but if anyone can do it I think it would be the Crimson Tide.

Alabama has one of the best defenses in the nation, and when hot, their offense is right up there as well. However, I don’t think Alabama beats Gonzaga as the Zags are just too hot right now and would be extremely difficult to overcome.

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