The Extra Point: Evaluating Alabama's SEC Tournament Path
It's March.
For some, that just means it's the third month of the calendar year, but for college basketball teams and fans, it means the most exciting sports weeks that will happen all year are finally here.
The Alabama men's basketball team (26-5) secured an SEC regular season championship to begin the month and will now seek to lay claim to bigger titles as they enter into the SEC Tournament as the No. 1 seed.
After losing their last game of the year to the No. 2 seed Texas A&M Aggies, the Crimson Tide will try to rebound and win the SEC Tournament, proving they deserve a No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Let's take a look at their path:
For their first game on Friday at 12 p.m. CT, Alabama will face the winner of the #8-#9 game between Mississippi State and Florida. The Crimson Tide went undefeated against those teams beating the Bulldogs twice and the Gators once but struggled at home against Mississippi State in the second meeting.
Alabama will look to build confidence in that game and try to regain some of their shooting and intensity before moving deeper into the bracket.
The semifinal game will likely either be against the No. 4 seed Missouri Tigers or No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers. Alabama blew out Missouri in Columbia in their lone meeting this season but lost to Tennessee on the road in a game where the offense could get nothing going. However, Tennessee guard Zakai Ziegler is out for the season after tearing his ACL, which will make it more difficult for Tennessee to win in March.
Finally, in the championship game, the most probable opponents will either be the Kentucky Wildcats or the Texas A&M Aggies. Both of those teams have been extremely hot of late and Alabama is fortunate not to have see either of them until the championship.
With all of their dreams still intact, the Alabama men's basketball team will try to win a second SEC Tournament Championship in three years and enter into the NCAA Tournament with momentum on their side.
Watch the video at the top of the page where BamaCentral's Clay Miller and Katie Windham discuss Alabama's path in the SEC Tournament.
See Also:
Brandon Miller Named SEC Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year by League Coaches
Full SEC Tournament Bracket is Set, Who 1-Seed Alabama Will Face in First Game
Alabama Basketball: Key Focuses Heading into the SEC Tournament
