Bama Central

Where Alabama Stands in Bracketology, NET, KenPom Entering SEC Tournament

A look at Crimson Tide's spot in ESPN's Joe Lunardi's Bracketology, KenPom ratings and NET rankings on Day 1 of the SEC Tournament.
Hunter De Siver|
Mar 7, 2026; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats reacts from the sideline during the first half against the Auburn Tigers at Coleman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: David Leong-Imagn Images
Mar 7, 2026; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats reacts from the sideline during the first half against the Auburn Tigers at Coleman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: David Leong-Imagn Images | David Leong-Imagn Images

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Alabama Crimson Tide

Alabama basketball has shifted gears into the postseason.

The Crimson Tide's 13-5 record (23-8 overall) against the conference earned it the No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament. The first round begins on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. CT, but Alabama will not be playing until the quarterfinals on Friday against either 7-seed Georgia, 10-seed Texas or 15-seed Ole Miss.

Head coach Nate Oats and company ended the regular season as the No. 15 team in the AP Top 25, and while this renowned poll utilizes numerous factors to determine its weekly list, there are a few more ranking systems that include the Crimson Tide ahead of the SEC Tournament and NCAA Tournament. Perhaps three of the most notable are KenPom ratings, ESPN's Joe Lunardi's Bracketology and NET rankings.

Two days before its first matchup in the SEC Tournament, Lunardi believes that the Crimson Tide will be the 3-seed in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament, and UA would face 14-seed Troy in an intrastate first-round battle.

Lunardi's East Region

  • 1-seed Duke vs. 16-seed Howard/Eastern Washington
  • 8-seed Utah State vs. 9-seed Iowa
  • 5-seed Vanderbilt vs. 12-seed High Point
  • 4-seed Kansas vs. 13-seed Hofstra
  • 6-seed North Carolina vs. 11-seed UCF/Indiana
  • 3-seed Alabama vs. 14-seed Troy
  • 7-seed Villanova vs. 10-seed Santa Clara
  • 2-seed Michigan State vs. 15-seed UMBC

Like Bracketology, KenPom's ratings are fluid and can change very quickly, as they're designed to be purely predictive. The purpose of this system is to show how strong a team would be if it played tonight, independent of injuries or emotional factors. Alabama enters the SEC Tournament at No. 15, with an offensive ranking of No. 3, a defensive ranking of No. 66 and the Crimson Tide is No. 4 in the nation in adjusted tempo.

KenPom

(Rank, Team, Offensive Rating, Defensive Rating)

  1. Duke, 5th, 1st
  2. Michigan, 4th, 2nd
  3. Arizona, 7th, 3rd
  4. Florida, 8th, 4th
  5. Illinois, 1st, 26th
  6. Houston, 17th, 6th
  7. Iowa State, 26th, 7th
  8. Purdue, 2nd, 39th
  9. Michigan State, 27th, 8th
  10. UConn, 28th, 11th
  11. Gonzaga, 30th, 9th
  12. Nebraska, 54th, 5th
  13. Vanderbilt, 15th, 27th
  14. Louisville, 14th, 30th
  15. Alabama, 3rd, 66th
  16. Tennessee, 36th, 15th
  17. Texas Tech, 11th, 33rd
  18. Arkansas, 6th, 44th
  19. Kansas, 53rd, 10th
  20. Virginia, 34th, 16th
  21. St. John's, 51st, 14th
  22. Saint Mary's, 44th, 21st
  23. Wisconsin, 16th, 54th
  24. Iowa, 32nd, 28th
  25. BYU, 9th, 72nd

The NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings reward teams for beating quality opponents, especially on the road. It measures efficiency based on strength of opponent and location across all games played. It also uses a quadrant system based on the aforementioned factors along with opponent NET rankings:

  • Quadrant 1: Home 1-30, Neutral 1-50, Away 1-75
  • Quadrant 2: Home 31-75, Neutral 51-100, Away 76-135
  • Quadrant 3: Home 76-160, Neutral 101-200, Away 135-240
  • Quadrant 4: Home 161-353, Neutral 201-353, Away 241-353

Alabama has a NET ranking of 17th, as it is 7-7 against quad 1 teams, 9-1 against quad 2 teams, 5-0 against quad 3 teams and 2-0 against quad 4 teams.

NET Rankings

(Rank, Team, Record in Quads 1-4)

  1. Duke: 15-2 Q1, 5-0 Q2, 2-0 Q3, 7-0 Q4
  2. Michigan: 14-2 Q1, 7-0 Q2, 6-0, Q3, 2-0 Q4
  3. Arizona: 14-2 Q1, 7-0, Q2, 1-0 Q3, 7-0, Q4
  4. Florida: 11-5 Q1, 6-1, Q2, 3-0 Q3, 5-0 Q4
  5. Illinois: 7-7 Q1, 6-0 Q2, 6-0 Q3, 5-0 Q4
  6. Gonzaga: 7-2 Q1, 4-0 Q2, 11-1 Q3, 8-0 Q4
  7. Houston: 8-5 Q1, 9-0 Q2, 4-0 Q3, 5-0 Q4
  8. Iowa State: 7-6 Q1, 9-0 Q2, 2-0 Q3, 7-0 Q4
  9. UConn: 7-2 Q1, 9-1 Q2, 6-1 Q3, 5-0 Q4
  10. Purdue: 8-8 Q1, 5-0 Q2, 7-0 Q3, 3-0 Q4
  11. Michigan State: 9-6 Q1, 4-0 Q2, 8-0 Q3, 4-0 Q4
  12. Nebraska: 9-5 Q1, 5-0 Q2, 6-0 Q3, 6-0 Q4
  13. Louisville: 7-9 Q1, 4-0 Q2, 4-0 Q3, 7-0 Q4
  14. Virginia: 6-3 Q1, 9-1 Q2, 5-0 Q3, 7-0 Q4
  15. Texas Tech: 7-8 Q1, 5-1 Q2, 7-0 Q3, 3-0 Q4
  16. Vanderbilt: 8-6 Q1, 7-1 Q2, 3-0 Q3, 6-0 Q4
  17. Alabama: 7-7 Q1, 9-1 Q2, 5-0 Q3, 2-0 Q4
  18. Arkansas: 6-8 Q1, 7-0 Q2, 4-0 Q3, 6-0 Q4
  19. Kansas: 8-8 Q1, 7-1 Q2, 4-0 Q3, 3-0 Q4
  20. Tennessee: 5-9 Q1, 6-1 Q2, 3-0 Q3, 7-0 Q4
  21. St. John's: 4-5 Q1, 9-0 Q2, 9-1 Q3, 3-0 Q4
  22. Saint Mary's: 1-4 Q1, 8-1 Q2, 10-0 Q3, 7-0 Q4
  23. North Carolina: 6-7 Q1, 5-0, 8-0, 5-0
  24. BYU: 7-9 Q1, 6-1 Q2, 4-0 Q3, 5-0 Q4
  25. Iowa: 4-9 Q1, 5-0 Q2, 5-2 Q3, 6-0 Q4

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Hunter De Siver
HUNTER DE SIVER

Hunter De Siver is the lead basketball writer for BamaCentral and has covered Crimson Tide football since 2024. He previously distributed stories about the NFL and NBA for On SI and was a staff writer for Missouri Tigers On SI and Cowbell Corner. Before that, Hunter generated articles highlighting Crimson Tide products in the NFL and NBA for BamaCentral as an intern in 2022 and 2023. Hunter is a graduate from the University of Alabama, earning a degree in sports media in 2023.

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