NCAA Basketball: Gonzaga, Houston lead in updated way-too-early top 25 ranking
By Joey Loose
17. Alabama
An NCAA Tournament team again last season, Nate Oats has really turned this Alabama program around in the three years he’s been in Tuscaloosa. An SEC champion and Sweet Sixteen team in 2021, Oats has turned a slow and middling defensive team into one of the nation’s fastest-pace and most explosive offensive units, and there could be more fireworks in store next season.
First and foremost, Alabama added Mark Sears, who averaged nearly 20 points a game at Ohio last year and was one of the crown jewels of the Transfer Portal. When he returns from injury, Jahvon Quinerly (13.8 points per game last season), should be the leader of this squad. There are some holes to fill, losing Jaden Shackelford and others from last year’s team, but the Crimson Tide also add a pair of talented freshmen, with Brandon Miller and Jaden Bradley both ranked in the Top 25 among incoming freshmen.
There’s talent and depth on this roster and you can bet that Oats is going to get the most of them on offense. The key will come on the defensive side of the ball, as that was elite when the Crimson Tide were in the Sweet Sixteen two seasons ago. There’s some great potential on this roster, it’s all going to boil down to how it comes together and how effective Quinerly plays, especially coming off an ACL injury.