Bama Central

Alabama Basketball Doesn't Have to Look Far For Motivation: All Things CW

The polls have company in naming the Crimson Tide the best team in college basketball, but they're about the one ones.

Christopher Walsh

In this story:

The All Things CW notes column by Christopher Walsh appears in five parts each week, with the latest on the Alabama Crimson Tide. This is ...

Take 2

With the Super Bowl in the rearview mirror, the college basketball season is ready to take center stage for both conference championships and then the betting bonanza known as March Madness. 

Alabama fans won't necessarily want to hear this, but there were a lot of folks across the country who looked up on Monday and thought "Wait, Alabama's No. 1? When did that happen?"

It's ok, people are busy. Some still think Nate Oats is still under a pile of snow in Buffalo. 

In addition to the polls, the bracketologists have jumped on board with having the Crimson Tide on the top line. On Tuesday, the Sports Illustrated Bracket Watch had Alabama as the No. 1 overall seed for the first time.

But note the headline on the story: "The Battle for the No. 1 Overall Seed Heats Up."

That's not exactly a ringing endorsement. Writer Kevin Sweeney noted that the "margins are tight" and a win at Tennessee this week would be its second "elite" road victory, making "Alabama’s résumé hard to top."

Factor in the NCAA's NET rankings and KenPom, neither of which has the Crimson Tide at No. 1, and there's enough second-guessing going around. 

So in which camp are the oddsmakers? 

The latter. 

SI SportsBook has Alabama fourth among NCAA Tournament favorites, behind Houston, Purdue and UConn (which is the flavor of the week among those looking for a more traditional basketball power). 

At least it has the Crimson Tide as the clear favorite to win the Southeastern Conference. 

SportsBetting.ag, also has Houston at the top at 7-1, but just by a small margin. Alabama is tied for having the second-best odds with Purdue at 8-1, while UCLA (12-1) and Kansas (14-1) round out the top five.

Additionally, the oddsmakers have posted odds for which conference will take home the title:


National Championship Winning Conference

  • AAC 3-1
  • Big 12 3-1
  • Big Ten 4-1
  • Pac-12 4-1
  • SEC 4-1
  • Field 6-1

The ACC 9-1. What different times we live in. 

See Also: 

With Alabama Basketball No. 1, Nate Oats Should Lean on Nick Saban Even More

Alabama Basketball Ranked No. 1 for Second Time in Program History

Published
Christopher Walsh
CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of BamaCentral, which first published in 2018. He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004, and is the author of 26 books including Decade of Dominance, 100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Nick Saban vs. College Football, and Bama Dynasty: The Crimson Tide's Road to College Football Immortality. He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.

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