And you thought you’d have to wait for the NCAA Tournament appointment in Alabama.
Just four minutes into the famously tight elimination show, the Crimson Tide name has flipped to become the No. 6 seed, but that speed comes with anticipation. If the Alabama players were happy to see his name on CBS, the coaches groaned.
Instead of going to the cinema to crack down on the first opponent, they’ll have to redouble their efforts until Wednesday. Perhaps they can spin it around to give this struggling Alabama team more time to focus on themselves before scouting, but when it’s sudden death, it’s better to have Sunday night, Monday, and Tuesday to find faults.
Instead, Alabama (19-13) will consider the possibility of Notre Dame or Rutgers this Friday in San Diego.
Either way, they’ll end up with a team with an outstanding win, similar to Alabama’s victory over Gonzaga, which took first place overall. Notre Dame defeated No. 5 Kentucky and Rutgers famously beat the then No. 5 No. 1 Purdue with buzzer in December. The Scarlet Knights are 6-6 in Quad 1 games while the Irish are 2-8, with their only other major win coming from Miami, Alabama, 96-64.
The seeding was fair and in line with projections that saw Alabama average 6.30 seeds in the BracketMatrix.com Prediction Review. In all major outlets, Tide was #6 but didn’t make it to San Diego.
Finding the right mental space will be a challenge for Alabama until Friday. This is the Crimson Tide team that lost three games in a row after winning five out of six, ending February.
Just a year ago, this Alabama-based program was a March darling, finishing second after winning the SEC championships. It was upset in the Sweet 16 by the UCLA team, which Nate Oates says is a model for how to navigate what looks like a hopeless situation.
This Bruin team lost the last three games to unranked opponents before Oregon State eliminated them from the Pac-12 tournament in the first round. This sent them to Dayton as one of the last teams on the field and they needed extra time to beat Michigan State.
Well, UCLA was seeded at number 11 in 2021, like the one Alabama faces in San Diego. These Bruins beat BYU 6-seeded en route to an unlikely Final Four berth, ending only on an overtime buzzer from the then undefeated Gonzaga.
He thinks the situation after losing a 15-point lead to Vanderbilt was probably as bleak as UCLA exited the Pac-12 last March. This UCLA team didn’t have the same drastic moves as this Alabama team, as seen in the West Region grid.
Two of Alabama’s most disappointing losses came from the No. 9 seed in Memphis and the No. 10 seed for Davidson. Two of his best victories came against 4th-placed Arkansas and 1st-placed Gonzaga overall.
It’s still a team that can beat anyone or lose to anyone on any given night. What was unsuccessful in January, February and early March is completely unsustainable at the moment. He hasn’t won more than three games in a row since conference play began, and continuing this inconsistency, this inconsistency will end this streak much less than last year.
This is one of those crossroads for the Alabama 3rd grade program led by Nate Oates. The 2020-21 season was announced and the high pre-season ratings were to continue the party with the No. 3 recruit class signed for the 2022 cycle.
It was a disappointing attempt at a sequel with a bright future on the horizon, but we’ll see how much struggle this band puts up to close the gap.
Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.