16. Alabama
Following up a Final Four season with a run to the Elite Eight is more excellent work from Nate Oats who has transformed Alabama into an elite program. Just a few years ago this was squarely a football school where basketball barely made noise. Now with Mark Sears and Grant Nelson and a few other key pieces leaving town, Oats and his staff have busied themselves again and landed some very nice pieces from the portal.
The four transfers are less than some of the other teams on this list but it’s all about the talent that’s coming to Tuscaloosa. Freshman guard Jalil Bethea didn’t produce great numbers at Miami but he’s a 5-star prospect who just might blossom in a much better situation at Alabama. Also fleeing the ACC is Taylor Bol Bowen, a former Florida State forward who was also highly regarded and showed promise on some disappointing Seminoles teams.
The strength of his class isn’t just the young prospects; the Crimson Tide also landed a pair of impact players from the mid-major level, much like they did in recent years with Sears and Nelson. Noah Williams is a 7-foot center who put phenomenal numbers at Bucknell and will hope to smoothly transition into the SEC. Keiteen Bristow is a recent addition by way of Tarleton State, who had a nice scoring season as a true freshman.
Even with prominent pieces leaving town it’s hard to bet against Oats and what’s he done over the last half decade at Alabama. We do not know what these new pieces will bring when playing together but you can expect to see the Crimson Tide playing prominent games in March and perhaps April again next season.