Jay Bilas believes this could be Alabama basketball’s year
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (BVM) – The Alabama Crimson Tide men’s basketball team is the No. 1-ranked team in the nation according to the AP. It’s the first time the program has held the No. 1 ranking since the 2002-03 season. This Alabama team is turning out to be special and could be the one that finally gives the Crimson Tide their first-ever Final Four appearance.
ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas was on BVM Sports’ From 3 podcast and seems to think Alabama has a good chance of making it.
“Best chance they’ve had in a few years,” Bilas said. “I mean Nate Oats had a great team a few years ago that Herb Jones was the best player but they missed some free throws in the second half toward overtime with UCLA. I thought they were a Final Four team that year or at least a Final Four caliber team.”
That loss was in the Sweet Sixteen, in overtime to a UCLA team that would go on to play in the Final Four. Now two years later, Alabama is looking to make another run in the tournament. The team is undefeated in the SEC and just won on the road against Auburn.
It’s just the second time in program history that the Crimson Tide are ranked No. 1 in the nation and this is the latest in the season they have ever been ranked this high. They moved up after Purdue was upset on the road against Northwestern and jumped Houston in the rankings.
“This year they may be the best team,” Bilas said. “They have tremendous talent across the board and really good depth. I think they’re scoring about half their points from their freshman class which is five-star.”
The team is averaging more than 80 points per game which is top 10 in the country and their 44.4 rebounds per game are second best in the nation. Alabama is shooting 44% from the field and 35% from three while holding teams to about 68 points a game. The combination of solid defense and rebounding with a capable offense is the reason the Crimson Tide look like a Final Four team this year. Leading the way for the Crimson Tide is star freshman Brandon Miller.
“They’ve got the best freshman in the country, I think, in Brandon Miller so they’re legit,” Bilas said.
Miller is averaging 18.8 points and 8.2 rebounds. He’ll likely be a first–round pick in the NBA Draft but for now, he’s focused on taking Alabama to its first Final Four. The farthest the Crimson Tide have ever made it in March Madness was the Elite Eight in 2004 when they lost to eventual National Champions UConn.
