Crimson Corner: Alabama Basketball Bracketology - February 23, 2022

The Crimson Tide is projected as 5-seeds by most major bracketology experts heading into the final three games of the regular season.

With just three games left in the regular season, Alabama basketball is all but guaranteed a spot in this year's NCAA Tournament.

While the Crimson Tide still has home games vs South Carolina and Texas A&M before a road trip to LSU puts a cap on the regular season, things are looking solid for Alabama. According to TeamRankings.com, Alabama's odds of making it to March Madness are 100 percent thanks to the impressive amount of high-profile wins that the team has been able to bring in thus far.

The TeamRankings odds breakdown continues, giving the Crimson Tide a 5.5 percent chance of receiving an automatic qualifier, aka winning the SEC Tournament. Due to that percentage, Alabama has a 94.5 percent chance of receiving an at-large bid.

Alabama's most likely seeding as of right now is a 6-seed at 24 percent. Its odds to make the Final Four are 4.9 percent, and the percentage of chance to win the national title is 0.6 percent.

While the odds are certainly stacked against the Crimson Tide for winning it all, simply making it to the tournament would be quite an accomplishment for the program. The last time that Alabama made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances was in 2005 and 2006, the end of a run that saw the Crimson Tide appear in March Madness for five-straight seasons.

According to ESPN's Joe Lunardi, Alabama is projected to be a 5-seed in the West Region, a bracket led a 1-seed Gonzaga. Back in December, the Crimson Tide traveled to face the Bulldogs in Seattle, where Alabama prevailed 91-82. While Gonzaga has no doubt improved as a team since the last time the two programs faced each other, Alabama would no doubt play that game with confidence should it face Gonzaga in the Sweet Sixteen.

Before that would take place, though, Lunardi has the Crimson Tide facing some relatively tough opponents. In the First Round, Alabama would have to face 12-seed North Texas. Should the Crimson Tide prevail, it would then have to play the winner of UCLA and South Dakota State. While Alabama downed SDSU earlier this season 104-88, the Bruins were the team to oust the Crimson Tide in last year's Sweet Sixteen.

Here's a look at Lunardi's latest bracketology:

ESPN.com

Sports Illustrated also has Alabama listed as a 5-seed, but this time in the Midwest Region. Auburn is the top-seeded team in this bracket, according to SI. The Tigers have certainly given the Crimson Tide trouble this season, having beaten them not once but twice. There is also a potential for the two teams to place once again in the SEC Tournament depending on the seeding and if Alabama advances. A rivalry matchup in the NCAA Tournament does sound intriguing, though.

In the First Round, SI has Alabama also facing North Texas. In the Second Round, though, it would face either Iowa or Toledo — two teams that are quite good and could present their own sets of unique challenges.

Here's a look at SI's latest bracketology:

SI.com

Regardless of what Alabama accomplishes over the final stretch of the regular season, the Crimson Tide appears to be all but guaranteed a spot in this year's March Madness. That being said, its final three games will highly determine its seeding in the SEC Tournament, which could give it an even higher chance at a 5-seed or maybe even a 4-seed.

Alabama fans shouldn't breathe a sigh of relief just yet, but should take some amount of solace in knowing that it will be heading to the tournament in back-to-back seasons for the first time in over a decade-and-a-half.