NCAA Basketball: Way-too-early top 25 power rankings for 2022-23 season

2021-22 season record: 19-14 (9-9 in SEC)

Alabama truly had the highest of highs (wins over Houston and Gonzaga) and the lowest of lows (losses to Missouri and Georgia) last season. There were rumored chemistry issues and a lack of defense that proved to be its overall downfall, especially once Jahvon Quinerly went down in the Round of 64 loss to Notre Dame.

Among the main rotation players, only Keon Ellis has no eligibility left. But there’s no question that multiple guys will be leaving one way or another, including Jaden Shackelford, JD Davison, and Quinerly. Of the group, Shackelford, who already entered the transfer portal last offseason, could either go pro and stay in the portal this time around. The freshman Davison is a projected first-round pick and Quinerly could follow his brother Jaden out the door as well.

But the Crimson Tide does have some quality talent coming in, including five-star combo guard Jaden Bradley and five-star wing Brandon Miller. Four-star forward Noah Clowney and JUCO transfer Nick Pringle (Dodge City) should add depth in the frontcourt, while center and former five-star recruit Charles Bediako could be in for a breakout campaign.

This is a team with a ton of moving pieces and there’s some concern about how good they’ll be defensively after a letdown on that end of the court. But I wouldn’t be surprised if they end up in the top-10 of October’s edition once the backcourt pieces figure themselves out.