The Alabama Crimson Tide are SEC Champions again, winning the SEC Tournament in Nashville in dominating fashion via an 82-63 victory over Texas A&M in the championship game on Sunday. This marks Alabama’s second double SEC Title (regular season and tournament) in three seasons and allowed the Crimson Tide to secure the #1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Of course, Alabama still has a lot of work left to do in order to accomplish everything they are capable of this season, but it has already been a historic year for the Crimson Tide.
Alabama has already set a program record for wins in a season and this team at this point is pretty widely regarded as the most talented bunch to ever take the court in Crimson and White. The draw on Selection Sunday was as friendly as Alabama could have realistically asked for, and the Tide now have the chance to go where no Alabama team has ever gone before: the Final Four.
We’ll get into the full bracket and Alabama’s path later in the week, but let’s acknowledge what this team has already accomplished. They were picked by most as a middle of the road SEC team in the pre-season, and not only exceeded expectations, but blew them out of the water. Nate Oats has won 90 games and 4 SEC titles (2 regular season, 2 tournament) in just four years as Alabama’s head coach.
Just a few years ago, the Avery Johnson era ended with Alabama losing in the first round of the NIT at home to Norfolk State. Today, they are the #1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Yes, there is still so much left to do and so much further to go. But it’s okay to take a moment and acknowledge just how far this program has come.
