Alabama men’s basketball is officially part of the March Madness bracket for the fifth consecutive season.
The Crimson Tide earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the selection committee announced Sunday. Alabama will play No. 15 seed Robert Morris in Cleveland in the round of 64 as part of the East region on Friday.
The Crimson Tide will aim to start a new winning streak in the postseason. Alabama is fresh off a loss to Florida in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament after beating Kentucky in the quarterfinals.
Alabama returns to the NCAA Tournament after reaching the Final Four a season ago. What will it take for the Crimson Tide to reach the Final Four again? Here’s a look at the path, and the teams, that stands in the way.
Round of 64: Robert Morris
The No. 15-seeded Colonials (26-8) are ranked No. 139 overall in KenPom. Their adjusted offensive efficiency and defensive efficiency are similar, but the defense has a slight edge. Robert Morris ranks 171st in offense and 134th in defense.
The Colonials enter the matchup on a 10-game win streak. A couple of stats of note: Robert Morris is one of the better teams in the country in offensive rebounding, forcing turnovers and blocking shots, per KenPom.
The Colonials rank 33rd nationally in offensive rebounding percentage, No. 58 in block percentage and No. 83rd in turnover percentage.
Round of 32: Saint Mary’s or Vanderbilt
No. 7 seed Saint Mary’s brings an elite defense and a solid offense. The Gaels rank No. 22 in KenPom overall with the No. 56 offense and No. 8 overall defense. Their defense is better at defending two-point shots better than beyond the arc, but their perimeter defense is still good too.
As for No. 10 seed Vanderbilt, the Commodores rank No. 49 in KenPom. They are No. 30 in offense and No. 83 in defense. Alabama beat Vanderbilt 103-87 back on Jan. 21.
Sweet 16: BYU, VCU, Wisconsin or Montana
No. 6 seed BYU: Ranked No. 24 on KenPom, No. 11 offense, No. 68 defense. Sixth in the country in two-point percentage.
No. 11 seed VCU: Ranked No. 30 on KenPom, No. 41 offense, No. 23 defense. Fourth in the country in defending two-point shots, seventh at blocking shots, 23rd in three-point defense.
No. 3 seed Wisconsin: Ranked No. 13 on KenPom, No. 13 offense, No. 27 defense. The offense doesn’t turn the ball over much, ranked 17th best in turnover percentage. Meanwhile, defense one of the worst at turning you over. Best team in the country at the free-throw line.
No. 14 seed Montana: Ranked No. 157 on KenPom, No. 98 offense, No. 250 defense. 17th in two-point percentage. Bad in most defensive statistical categories.
Elite Eight: Duke, American, Mount St. Mary’s, Mississippi State, Baylor, Oregon, Liberty, Arizona or Akron
No. 1 seed Duke: Ranked No. 1 on KenPom, No. 3 offense, No. 4 defense. Elite in all sorts of ways analytically. Top 20 in both two-point and three-point percentage. Also 17th in free throws. Offense also doesn’t turn the ball over much. Defense elite in limiting two-point shots. Three-point defense also good.
No. 16 seed American: Ranked No. 237 on KenPom, No. 252 offense, No. 205 defense. Defense is good at limiting offensive rebounds.
No. 16 seed Mount St. Mary’s: Ranked No. 250 on KenPom, No. 292 offense, No. 176 defense. In the top 100 in both two-point and three-point defense. The offense turns the ball over at a high clip.
No. 8 seed Mississippi State: Ranked No. 32 on KenPom, No. 23 offense, No. 47 defense. A top 20 defense at blocking shots, grabbing steals. Top 75 defense at forcing turnovers. Alabama beat the Bulldogs twice this season by a combined score of 199-157.
No. 9 seed Baylor: Ranked No. 29 on KenPom, No. 16 offense, No. 58 defense. A top 25 offensive rebounding team. Also one of the better teams at not turning the ball over. The defense struggles to defend beyond the arc.
No. 5 seed Oregon: Ranked No. 31 on KenPom, No. 39 on offense, No. 31 on defense. Offense and defense both good, but neither is remarkable. Beat Alabama on Nov. 30 83-81 in a neutral site game.
No. 12 seed Liberty: Ranked No. 62 on KenPom, No. 80 on offense, No. 48 on defense. Struggle to rebound offensively as one of the worst teams in the country on the offensive glass. But the Liberty three-point defense is third-best in the nation. Two-point defense is No. 62.
No. 4 seed Arizona: Ranked No. 14 on KenPom, No. 12 on offense and No. 33 on defense. One of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country, ranked No. 19. Also a top-20 free-throw shooting team. Defense is solid in multiple categories.
