Alabama basketball has reached new heights under head coach Nate Oats with a couple of SEC titles, a No. 1 overall seed in the 2023 Tournament and the program’s first-ever Final Four appearance in 2024. With a stacked roster going into the 2024-25 season, the expectations have never been higher in Tuscaloosa.
The Crimson Tide debuted at No. 2 in the preseason AP Poll and received 14 of 60 first-place votes. However, CBS Sports College Basketball expert Jon Rothstein has Alabama as the top team in the country going into the year.
Rothstein is highly complimentary of the Tide saying,
“All-American Guard and National Player of the Year candidate Mark Sears is back to lead a strong nucleus of players who had a major hand in last year’s trip to the Final Four. Rutgers transfer Cliff Omoruyi should stabilize the middle for Alabama. Who should be significantly better defensively than it was a year ago.”
The Crimson Tide season will tip off on Nov. 4 against UNC Asheville from Coleman Coliseum. Alabama enters the contest as a 24.5-point favorite.
ROTHSTEIN 45.
1. Alabama pic.twitter.com/aEnPvHFOlf
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) November 3, 2024
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.