Following a 26-7 overall record and a 16-2 SEC mark in 2020-21, Alabama made the Sweet Sixteen. Last year, coach Nate Oats’ team still made the Tournament, but it wasn’t the same. Bama posted a 19-14 record and had a lackluster 9-9 SEC mark. Specifically, Jahvon Quinerly’s injury during that 1st-round NCAA Tournament loss to Notre Dame was the finishing blow for the Tide. Although Alabama is not a top-tier program, it has become a regular College Basketball odds contender. And that is expected to continue this season.
2022-23 Alabama Crimson Tide
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Alabama Crimson Tide National Championship Odds at SBG | +2600 |
Alabama Crimson Tide SBG Odds Overview
Overall, the Alabama Crimson Tide are 10-2 straight up, 5-6-1 against the spread, and 7-5 over/under the total. Alabama has national rankings of 16th for scoring offense, 225th for field goal percentage, 171st for 3-point field goal percentage, 168th for free throw percentage, and 1st for offensive rebounding. While on defense, Alabama has national rankings of 262nd for scoring defense, 34th for field goal percentage permitted, 39th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 248th for defensive rebounding.
Late on, Alabama is struggling at the sportsbook payout window, with only one cover in its previous seven games. Forward Brandon Miller leads the Crimson Tide with 19.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Still, many gamblers believe that Oats will likely take this program to the next level and perhaps the Tide’s first-ever Final Four.
2022-23 Alabama Crimson Tide Preview
Big NCAABB betting expectations exist for 5-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American Brandon Miller. But he is a freshman, and there is always that adjustment period, even for the most talented players coming out of high school. Ball-handling duties will likely be split between 5-star true freshman Jaden Bradley and Mark Sears. Specifically, Spears was a 2022 First-Team All-MAC transfer from Ohio.
Meanwhile, sophomore swingman Nimari Burnett should bring a ton of versatility to the Tide this season. After Burnett tore his ACL last October, Bama missed that 2-way play last season. Burnett is a 38 percent 3-point shooter and can bring top-level defense to Alabama’s rotation. That 2-way play will be invaluable to the Tide. Also, Bennett is a top-level leader, taking on a leadership role with the team last season, even while being out with his injury.
Noah Clowney is another highly touted recruit for Oats. To show, Clowney is a 4-star freshman from South Carolina. Initially, he wasn’t considered part of the Tide’s immediate plans this season. But that changed this preseason.
From 2007 through 2020, Alabama basketball operated in obscurity with just two NCAA appearances. Their teams were above average but bland and failed to capture the imagination of the fans. However, Alabama fans didn’t care then, as the football program was stamping the country with a dynasty. But when the hated arch-rival Auburn Tigers made the 2019 Final Four, Crimson Tide fans were shocked. Correlate, they discovered they’d like their basketball program to accomplish something like that.
Nate Oats is a native of Watertown, Wisconsin, where he went to college at Maranatha Baptist. Initially, he started his coaching career there before becoming an assistant at the University of Buffalo. Oats became the head coach at Buffalo and produced three Big Dance appearances in four years. Thus, he was the hottest brand on the coaching carousel, and desperate Alabama hired him. By year two of his reign, Bama was in the Sweet Sixteen.