Alabama basketball enters the SEC Tournament aiming to secure a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament. Currently ranked fifth overall by Joe Lunardi, the Crimson Tide’s chances largely depend on how they, along with Florida and Tennessee, perform in the SEC Tournament. Many analysts believe that whichever of these teams advances the furthest will claim the final No. 1 seed.
Meanwhile, Auburn, Duke, and Houston are widely considered locks for top seeds, leaving just one remaining spot. There has been ongoing debate about whether Duke or Auburn should be the No. 1 overall seed, especially if Auburn suffers an early exit in Nashville, further compounding its two-game losing streak at the end of the regular season.
Although Duke secured a head-to-head victory over Auburn in December, Auburn’s overall resume appears stronger, given the SEC’s superior strength compared to the ACC this season.
Just how much better is the SEC? Alabama head coach Nate Oats highlighted a compelling statistic during his media session on Tuesday:
“We’ve had more top 25 wins in our last seven games than any ACC school did the entire season.”
For context, Alabama’s final seven regular-season matchups were all against AP Top 25 teams, and the Tide won three, including a road victory over No. 1 Auburn. Oats’ claim holds up, too—Duke, despite winning 28 games, only managed two victories over currently ranked AP Top 25 teams (Auburn and Louisville). The Blue Devils also lost to Kentucky and Kansas in non-conference play, as well as to Clemson—one of just two ranked ACC teams.
Alabama’s mentality heading into the SEC Tournament
John Calipari might have said that the SEC Tournament doesn’t matter, but don’t tell Oats and the Crimson Tide that. According to Mo Dioubate, Alabama has one goal in mind this week in Nashville:
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Oats thrives in high-stakes environments like this. Two years ago, despite already securing a No. 1 seed before the SEC Tournament, Alabama still played with intensity, winning three games in three days to claim both the tournament title and the regular season championship.
Having already won this tournament twice during his tenure at Alabama, Oats values its significance, and his team will undoubtedly give their all in pursuit of another title.
