NCAA Basketball: Way-too-early top 25 power rankings for 2023-24 season
523. . . . Crimson Tide . 8. team
2022-23 season record: 31-6 (16-2 SEC)
Expected losses: Brandon Miller, Noah Clowney, Noah Gurley, Nimari Burnett, Dominick Welch, Jahvon Quinerly
The Crimson Tide was viewed as the best team in NCAA Basketball, thanks to the stellar season from Brandon Miller. The freshman’s campaign ended in a dud against San Diego State and he’ll be off to the NBA Draft as a top-3 projected draft pick. Another freshman gone is starting forward Noah Clowney, a freshman whose measurables and projections outweigh his limited stats this year.
There’s still plenty of talent left over for the Tide, even if Quinerly doesn’t come back for a 6th-year. The starting guard duo of Mark Sears and Jaden Bradley will be back and without Miller around, both of them will be able to score more. Freshman Rylan Griffen averaged 5.7 ppg in under 16 mpg off the bench as the backup wing but will be a breakout candidate to watch.
Starting center Charles Bediako is back as well, along with Nick Pringle in the frontcourt. The former JUCO transfer had 19 points in the NCAA Tournament win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christie and with more minutes is a player to watch as well. Alabama also has a trio of top-100 frontcourt commits joining the fold, led by Kris Parker and Mouhamed Dioubate.
Due to the transfer rules, Wichita State guard Jaykwon Walton may have to sit out next season. But if he’s able to play, that’s just another double-digit scorer that can have a huge impact on Alabama. They might not be the best team next season but don’t expect too much of a drop-off.