Is Alabama In or Out of the 2021 NCAA Baseball Tournament?
It may end up being like a Chuck Norris moment.
At least that's what Alabama baseball hopes.
Those who have seen the movie Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story are familiar with the reference. A major ruling about whether the championship match will be played is appealed, with the tournament committee voting thumbs up or down in dramatic, and humorous fashion. The famous actor/martial arts expert has the final vote.
The Crimson Tide may need a decisive thumbs up from someone Monday.
After finishing 2-2 in the SEC Tournament, all against ranked opponents, Alabama finds itself squarely on the bubble for 2021 NCAA Baseball Tournament, with the selection show set for 11 a.m. CT on ESPN.
The field of 64 features 16 regionals, with four teams playing in a double-elimination format beginning Friday.
Alabama is 31-24 overall. Its RPI is No. 32 nationally, and strength of schedule second, behind only Arkansas, which won the SEC Tournament and many believe will be the top-seeded team in the NCAA Tournament.
The Crimson Tide boasts eight wins over top-30 RPI opponents, and has enjoyed 18 comeback wins this season.
The 16 regional sites, which include seven SEC schools, were announced Sunday.
- Austin, Texas: Texas (42-15)
- Columbia, South Carolina: South Carolina (33-21)
- Eugene, Oregon: Oregon (37-14)
- Fayetteville, Arkansas: Arkansas (46-10)
- Fort Worth, Texas: TCU (40-17)
- Gainesville, Florida: Florida (38-20)
- Greenville, North Carolina: East Carolina (41-15)
- Knoxville, Tennessee: Tennessee (45-16)
- Lubbock, Texas: Texas Tech (36-15)
- Nashville, Tennessee: Vanderbilt (40-15)
- Oxford, Mississippi: Ole Miss (41-19)
- Ruston, Louisiana: Louisiana Tech (40-18)
- South Bend, Indiana: Notre Dame (30-11)
- Stanford, California: Stanford (33-14)
- Starkville, Mississippi: Mississippi St. (40-15)
- Tucson, Arizona: Arizona (40-15)
The team to watch there on Monday is the one Alabama beat in its first game of the SEC Tournament, South Carolina. The Gamecocks could be seeded second in their own regional as Old Dominion, which has a top-10 RPI but did not make a bid to host, has the necessary resume to be a regional top seed.
Fairfield is also a team to watch as it went 37-3 in the MAAC only to lose in its conference tournament championship. Its RPI is No. 2, but the Stags aren't ranked in any of the major polls.
In terms of conference RPI, the SEC is clearly tops in the nation, which one has to think can only help Alabama's chances. The two other league schools thought to be on the bubble are LSU and Georgia. The chances of the selection committee having seven SEC teams host and shutting out the rest of the conference are pretty slim.
But did Alabama do enough in Hoover?
The two biggest college baseball websites don't agree on the answer.
Baseball America: In
As of Sunday night, it had Alabama listed among the last four in, along with LSU, Fairfield and Campbell. The first four out were Georgia, Louisville, Ball State, Michigan.
It projected the Crimson Tide heading to No. 5 Texas, with Nebraska and McNeese State. Alabama was seeded third in the region.
D1Baseball : Out
The projections changed a couple of times while this article was being pieced together, but as of midnight it projected the last five teams in as Fairfield, Pittsburgh, LSU, UCSB and North Carolina.
The first five out were Ball State, Georgia, Alabama, Kansas State and San Diego.
Of note, Georgia (31-25) was listed 41st in RPI, plus the Bulldogs bowed out of the SEC Tournament a round earlier than Alabama.
Checking among other websites, looking for a projection tiebreaker if you will, College Sports Madness had Alabama solidly in, heading to the Lubbock Regional and eighth-seeded Texas Tech with Oregon State and NJIT. It didn't have the Crimson Tide among the last four in.
Alabama would be more than happy with that, or any thumbs up that would allow its season to continue.
