What’s at Stake for Alabama Basketball in the Season’s Final Week

Many Alabama basketball fans had hoped March would arrive differently than it had in four of Anthony Grant's first five seasons. Unfortunately, a sub-par conference record has left the Crimson Tide on the outside of the NCAA Tournament once again barring an SEC Tournament run that would leave even the 1985 Villanova Wildcats' collective jaws on the floor.

While much of the optimism has been tempered, Alabama fans should keep an eye on a few things during this final week of the regular season because there are opportunities to build momentum heading into the offseason.

Let's start with the elephant in the room. In his six years at Alabama, Grant's record against the RPI top 50 has abysmal (11-61), but what's worse is that it hasn't shown signs of reversing itself. In the past three seasons including 2014-15, Alabama has just three wins in 41 tries against the top 50. The program could take a big step towards easing those concerns with two games against that group this week - vs Ole Miss (RPI 47) and at Texas A&M (RPI 37).

Winning these games would also be the Crimson Tide's only shot at grabbing the 7-seed in the SEC Tournament, which means avoiding a potential matchup with undefeated Kentucky until Sunday's championship game. Vanderbilt holds the tiebreaker and an identical 7-9 conference record entering the week, but a home game with the second-worst team in the conference, Mississippi State, all but assures the Commodores of finishing no worse than 8-10.

That brings us to the realization that the NCAA Tournament is unlikely. Sure that's true, but there's still a strong possibility for postseason play. While the NIT isn't ideal, it's an opportunity for additional practice and game experience. It might even mean an additional home game. Before the loss at Vanderbilt, the NIT Bracket Project (yes, that's a thing) listed Alabama as a 3-seed hosting UMass. A win or two this week could solidify a home game in the NIT, which would be a decent consolation prize.

These probably aren't the stakes most envisioned when Alabama finished its non-conference schedule with a 10-3 record, but it's the hand that's being dealt now. Whether positive or negative, the finish to this season will impact this team's transition into the offseason.