NCAA Basketball: Baylor rises, Kentucky falls in latest 2023-24 WTE power rankings
By Joey Loose
24. Alabama
Alabama won the SEC regular season title last year and was the #1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, but was toppled in the Sweet Sixteen. Brandon Miller was one of the nation’s best players last season, but the star freshman is off to bigger things and into the NBA Draft process. He’s not the only Crimson Tide starter who won’t be back next season and Nate Oats’ squad will look a bit different.
The good news is that guards Mark Sears and Jahvon Quinerly are both back this season for the Crimson Tide; it’ll be an experienced and talented backcourt in Tuscaloosa. Unfortunately, the Crimson Tide recently lost center Charles Bediako to the NBA Draft process and will be depending on some younger pieces to fill the hole at the back of the lineup. Alabama did land one of the jewels of the Transfer Portal in former Hofstra star Aaron Estrada.
All things considered, it’s very impressive that Alabama has been a national championship contender in two of the last three seasons, but this looks like a year where they’ll take a slight step back. There’s no major freshman star like Brandon Miller, and the Crimson Tide are leaning heavily on new pieces like Estrada. Alabama lost a number of pieces but will still be a force in a tough SEC, it’s just hard right now to know just what to expect in Tuscaloosa.