17. Alabama (23-9)
Down the stretch, Alabama put themselves in a great position with their play in February and early March. The Crimson Tide won nine of their last ten regular season games, including great wins over Arkansas, Tennessee, and Texas A&M, as well as their sweep of rival Auburn. Compared to some of the other teams in their league, they entered the SEC Tournament with momentum and won’t be sweating out Selection Sunday.
As it turns out momentum doesn’t mean that much in conference tournament season. Despite earning that double-bye and entering the quarterfinals as heavy favorites, the Crimson Tide fell 80-79 against Ole Miss in a shocking result. Alabama struggled early against a team they beat last month by 19 points despite a 28-point performance from Labaron Philon Jr.
The faithful in Tuscaloosa can’t be pleased with that showing at the SEC Tournament but it’s not panic time. Alabama ended the season on a really great note and despite this loss still look like a potential contender. Nate Oats has led this team to the second weekend of four of the last five NCAA Tournaments and Alabama has the offense talent to repeat that feat. A lot of next week will depend on what their defense can do.