Who Should Alabama Want to Face in the SEC Tournament Quarterfinal? Just a Minute

Welcome to BamaCentral’s "Just a Minute," a video series featuring BamaCentral's Alabama beat writers. Multiple times a week, the writers will group up to provide their take on a topic concerning the Crimson Tide or the landscape of college sports.

Watch the above video as BamaCentral staff writer Hunter De Siver discusses Alabama basketball's potential opponents in the SEC Tournament quarterfinal.

For the next two days, No. 5 Alabama men's basketball will shift into what we are: the viewers.

The Crimson Tide was placed as the 3-seed in the SEC Tournament following guard Mark Sears' game-winning buzzer-beater against No. 1 Auburn last Saturday. Alabama received a double-bye in the SEC Tournament following Missouri's loss to Oklahoma last Wednesday, meaning the head coach Nate Oats and company won't play until Friday.

6-seed Kentucky will face the winner of 14-seed Oklahoma vs. 11-seed Georgia and then whoever comes out on top of that game will go head-to-head with the Crimson Tide. Alabama has gone head-to-head with each of these teams this season and is a combined 4-0 against them. The question is, who should UA want to play the most in the quarterfinal?

Then-No. 4 Alabama took down then-No. 17 Kentucky 96-83 at home on Feb. 22 to avoid an unprecedented three-game losing streak. This victory gave the Crimson Tide the season sweep as it defeated the Wildcats 102-97 on the road in January. The Crimson Tide was down 30-18 after yet another slow start, but after a massive run, Alabama took the lead and never looked back. The Tide's guard trio of Mark Sears (30 points), Aden Holloway (19) and Chris Youngblood (14) led Alabama in this offensive outburst as they scored a combined 63 of the team's 96 total points.

The then-No. 4 Crimson Tide dominated Georgia 90-69 at home on Feb. 1. For one of the first times this season, Alabama displayed dominance and superiority on both sides of the floor from practically start to finish. Forward Grant Nelson had himself quite the game as he scored 16 points on 5-for-9 shooting, along with 10 rebounds and five blocks in 26 minutes of action. Fellow Alabama forward Aiden Sherrell tallied eight points with 12 minutes remaining in the first half against Georgia––his most points in a game this season. He finished the game with 12 points, seven rebounds and a block, skyrocketing his chances of seeing more time on the floor this season.

Then-No. 5 Alabama dominated previously undefeated No. 12 Oklahoma 107-79 at home in the SEC opener on Jan. 4. This was the Sooners' first-ever SEC game as a member of the conference and Alabama handed them their first loss in more ways than one. The Tide finished the game with 22 offensive rebounds, seven more than the previous season-high. Guards Labaron Philon, Mark Sears and Aden Holloway plus forwards Grant Nelson and Derrion Reid and center Clifford Omoruyi each tallied double-figures with Sears and Nelson logging double-doubles via assists and rebounds respectively.

The Wildcats are currently ranked as the No. 15 team in the country and have qualified for the NCAA Tournament. Georgia and Oklahoma are both desperate for a spot in the 68-team field and are on the outside of the bracket unless they perform extremely well in the SEC Tournament.

In other words, Alabama would rather play Georgia and Oklahoma. However, they've each shown a ton of improvement over the last few games as the Bulldogs have won their last four, including a 5-point win over then-No. 3 Florida, and the Sooners are 3-2 with a 12-point win over then-No. 15 Missouri and lost to then-No. 17 Kentucky and Ole Miss by a combined four points.

In conclusion, based on how Alabama has performed against these teams combined with their recent stretches, the Crimson Tide would want to face Oklahoma the most in the SEC Tournament quarterfinal.

Oklahoma and Georgia will play each other tonight at 8:30 p.m. CT, and if the Sooners win, they'll face Kentucky on Thursday at 8:30 p.m.

2025 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament Bracket | SEC

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