Bama is Just Like That

Alabama has the best sports program, period

I have let it be known several times that I am very big Alabama fan, and nothing has reaffirmed my fandom more than Alabama’s win over Clemson in the Elite 8. On the back of a standout performance from Mark Sears, Jarin Stevenson, and Nick Pringle, Alabama is going to their first ever Final Four. I expect many more Final Four Appearances to come under Nate Oats.

Alabama is the first ever team to make it to both the CFP playoffs and the Final Four in the same year, and both programs have bright futures ahead of them. While no one can really know how well Kalen DeBoer will do as Alabama’s new head coach, I believe he has what it takes to follow in the footsteps of Nick Saban, Bear Bryant, Wallace Wade, and Frank Thomas by winning multiple national championships while he is at Alabama.

Nate Oats just signed a long term extension to be Alabama’s men’s basketball coach and many expect Alabama to get a new stadium as well. With several highly ranked recruits coming in, and many players still having eligibility on the current squad, Alabama has the potential to be great next year as well.

While I don’t expect Alabama to beat UConn and advance to the championship, I think they have a better chance than the odds may suggest. UConn has shot just 28% from 3 during this year’s tournament including a 3/22 game against Northwestern and a 3/17 showing against Illinois. Not only is their shooting inefficient, but they have a very small volume with only 25 made threes. Alabama on the other hand has 48 made threes shooting at a very efficient 41% from the arch. Alabama does a very good job at baiting other teams into their way of playing. When the Tide’s 3’s are falling, their opponents often try to match it. Both North Carolina and Clemson were baited into this despite playing pretty well in the paint all game. Both teams lost after they missed their threes late in the game because they are not used to shooting at such a high volume. It is this kind of baiting that makes Alabama’s style of play so dangerous, especially for a team like UConn who doesn’t shoot 3’s that much and has not been very good at it. This, all coupled with the fact that Alabama is expected to get their best 3 pt shooter, Latrell Wrightsell Jr, back from injury, leads me to believe Alabama might actually have a pretty good chance of knocking off Uconn.

Athletic Director Greg Byrne has proven that he can get a slam dunk hire in basketball, and I believe Kalen DeBoer kind of mirrors the Nate Oats hire in some ways. Both guys have methodically worked their ways up from level to level in college sports, both have explosive systems in which their offenses work, and both have previous postseason success, but couldn’t get all the way over the hump because they never had access to top tier talent. However, at Alabama, both Nate Oats and Kalen DeBoer have the tools to win championships.

Alabama has a tough road ahead of them in the 2024 football season. In week 3, they have a tough road trip to the improving Wisconsin Badgers. After that, they start conference play with a home matchup with Georgia. The Tide gets kind of a break with Vandy and South Carolina, but then has to play at Tennessee, home against Mizzou, at LSU, a break with Mercer, and then at Oklahoma, and a home game against arch-rival Auburn. Luckily, this year Alabama doesn’t need to be near perfect to make the playoffs with the new 12-team format.

I believe the O-line will be much improved with a new system and time for development of Bama’s young corps. This will lead to better play from Jalen Milroe who struggled with avoiding pressure. The RB corps is stacked with the return of Jam Miller and Justice Haynes. The receiving corps is loaded with Kendrick Law, Kobe Prentice, incoming freshmen Ryan Williams, and UW transfer Germie Bernard. The D-line should be good with many players returning from a solid 2023 unit, the LB corps is probably the best in the country with Deontae Lawson and Jihaad Campbell leading the way. The DB corps looks pretty different but should still be one of the best with the return of Malachi Moore alongside incoming transfers Domani Jackson and Keon Sabb. Alabama is locked and loaded to navigate a tough 2024 schedule.

Alabama is one of the best programs in both college football and basketball. Both teams have both the talent and the coaches to be successful for years to come, and the SEC as well as the rest of the country better look out.