NCAA Basketball: Reevaluating preseason top 25 power rankings of 2022-23 season

20. Alabama (31-5, 1-seed, Sweet Sixteen)

We finally have found a team exceeding their preseason expectations, with Nate Oats having his best season in Tuscaloosa since taking over in 2019. The Crimson Tide brought in a talented recruiting class highlighted by Brandon Miller, who earned First Team All-American honors as one of the nation’s best players. The Crimson Tide navigated that off-court issue surrounding Miller and another player and have been the SEC’s best team this year.

Alabama’s fine regular season included a quadruple overtime win over North Carolina and a stunning road win against #1 Houston back in December. They’ve dropped a few games with tough performances, including rough play against Connecticut and Oklahoma, but the Crimson Tide more than held their own this season. They won their first 12 SEC games and won the regular season title for the second time in three years. Alabama blitzed through the SEC Tournament as well as their first two games as the #1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The story is not yet written on these Crimson Tide, as they’ll face San Diego State in the Sweet Sixteen later this week. However, it’s already clear that they’ve succeeded this season and are performing much better than a fringe Top 25 team. Miller is not the only player having a standout season as Ohio transfer Mark Sears has been excellent and a slew of young pieces have contributed at a high level for Alabama. The only question left is how far this team will go in the Big Dance, with two of the biggest threats in their region already upset in the earlier rounds.