USA TODAY Sports’ March Madness prediction for Alabama basketball

Alabama basketball heads into the month of February looking up at several teams in the SEC standings after a 4-3 start in conference play.

The Crimson Tide (14-6 overall) are approaching the midway point of their SEC regular-season schedule with two home losses — to Tennessee and Texas — and a tough slate that continues this weekend with a trip to Gainesville to face the defending national champion Florida Gators on Sunday.

Advertisement

Alabama, currently seventh in the SEC standings, is coming off a 90-64 win over Missouri on Tuesday that included a banner night from Latrell Wrightsell Jr., who scored 21 points on seven 3-pointers in 29 minutes.

Wrightsell matched his career-high in points while with Alabama. Labaron Philon scored 18 points, Aiden Sherrell added 16, and Charles Bediako had 14. The Tide held Missouri to its fewest points in conference play.

Florida (15-6, 6-2) will present a much stronger challenge for Alabama, which hasn’t beaten the Gators in the last four head-to-head matchups. The Gators are coming off a 95-48 rout of South Carolina in Columbia on Wednesday.

Tipoff for Alabama-Florida is noon CT Sunday. The game will be televised on ABC.

Advertisement

In the meantime, here’s a look at where Alabama lands in USA TODAY Sports’ latest NCAA Tournament projections.

Where is Alabama basketball in March Madness, NCAA Tournament projections ?

USA TODAY Sports’ analysts Paul Myerberg, Erick Smith and Eddie Timanus currently see Alabama as a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament and playing a first-round game in Buffalo, New York.

If March Madness started today, the experts see the Crimson Tide facing No. 11 seed Miami (Ohio) in the tournament’s West Region. Awaiting Alabama in a potential second-round matchup could be projected No. 3 seeds such as Texas Tech, BYU, Michigan State, or Houston.

Advertisement

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has Nate Oats’ team as a No. 5 seed in his latest March Madness projections with a potential first-round matchup against Tulsa.

Alabama was a No. 2 seed in last year’s NCAA Tournament and defeated No. 15 seed Robert Morris, 7th-seeded Saint Mary’s and 6th-seeded BYU before its season ended with a loss to top-seeded Duke in the Elite Eight.

The Crimson Tide are ranked No. 23 in this week’s  USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 poll. Under Oats, Alabama has made five straight NCAA Tournament appearances. A sixth would tie Wimp Sanderson’s 1982-87 stretch for the most consecutive tournament appearances in program history.

Which SEC basketball teams will make the NCAA Tournament, March Madness?