Feb 25, 2025; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama guard Chris Youngblood (8) starts a drive along the baseline as he is guarded by Mississippi State forward Keshawn Murphy (3) at Coleman Coliseum. Alabama defeated Mississippi State 111-73. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— The No. 7 Alabama men’s basketball team is one of a few remaining squads who still have at least some chance at being a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Owing partly to last Saturday’s loss against new No. 4 Tennessee, that will be an uphill climb.
Count head coach Nate Oats and senior guard Chris Youngblood among the ranks of those who believe that if the team executes in the last two regular season games and the SEC Tournament in Nashville thereafter, it’ll take care of itself.
“You gotta take it game by game,” Youngblood said. “If you don’t take it game by game, it’s not gonna take care of itself and you won’t get a No. 1 seed.”
The Crimson Tide (23-6) still stands to earn a double bye in the SEC Tournament with a home win over No. 5 Florida on Wednesday night. Winning the conference tournament, which would be the program’s third such triumph since the turn of the decade, bodes well for seeding regardless of the league.
Oats said his recent message to the players briefly touched on the possibility of being one of the top four overall seeds but has not been a large part of it overall. The 2022-23 Crimson Tide were the NCAA Tournament’s top overall seed after winning both the SEC regular season and tournament.
“If we do what we’re supposed to over the next week and a half, that one-seed will take care of itself,” he said. “If we don’t, and we’re a two-seed, we’re gonna have the same mindset going into the tournament as if we were a one-seed. Whoever gets put in front of us, let’s make a run.”
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has Alabama as a No. 2 seed in his latest bracketology, placing the team in Raleigh, N.C. Last Saturday’s 79-76 loss at Tennessee knocked the Crimson Tide off the top line in Lunardi’s estimation.
“One seeds are one seeds for a reason. They’re playing good basketball. We need to be playing our best basketball come March. That’s really the goal,” Oats said. He added his feelings that his team is close to that.
He blamed himself for the end result of the previous game, where Alabama squandered a multi-possession lead inside of a minute to go. Looking to the future, Oats emphasized that if the defeat jolts the program into getting over that line of playing its best, it may be a net positive.
“If those [last] 30 seconds spur the coaching staff, the players on to be a much better situational basketball team end-of game, end-of-half… If that spurs us on to win some games in the NCAA Tournament, it may be the best thing to happen to us.”
Should the Crimson Tide win out through to Selection Sunday, including Wednesday’s Senior Night game against the Gators and this Saturday’s rematch against No. 1 Auburn, a No. 1 seed would not be a question. The strength of schedule plays in Alabama’s favor but results down the stretch matter too. It’s hard to do much better at any point than defeating two top five ranked teams back-to-back and then win a league title.
Auburn was able to officially lock up the SEC regular season title last weekend with a win and got help from the Alabama loss. The Tigers, one of the best teams in the country all season long, are by many measures in pole position to be the top overall seed in this season’s field of 68.
Youngblood, who averages over 10 points per game this season despite only having two against the Volunteers, realizes the gravity of the calendar and where things stand. The “results” part of the phrase “results business” is about to have one-and-done implications, sooner rather than later.
“Just take it game by game, practice by practice,” he said, “because it’s getting to the end of the season.”
