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Preseason College Basketball Rankings: #21 Alabama Crimson Tide – Last Word On Sports
The Alabama Crimson Tide was the number one overall seed in last season’s NCAA Tournament. They were a popular championship pick, and rightfully so, but they got upset by eventual national runner-up San Diego State in the Sweet Sixteen. The Crimson Tide lost a ton from that team. Last season, they lost seven of their top nine minutes getters, including Brandon Miller, one of the country’s best players—and only one starter returns. But the newcomers look good and should still compete in the SEC.
Previous teams in my rankings can be seen here.
The Crimson Tide’s ranking is based on how great the transfers they got are and how great of a coach Nate Oats is. But first, we need to talk about the returners. Mark Sears was the Tide’s second-leading scorer last year. After transferring from Ohio, he played well in his first season in Tuscaloosa. Sears did a little bit of everything for the team last year, both on offense and defense. He will be counted on to do the same thing this year. Rylan Griffen played a decent amount as a true freshman but was deep on their bench. Nick Pringle didn’t get many minutes last year but did play in almost all of their games. Both of those players are in store for much bigger roles this season.
Oats brought in yet another top-20 recruiting class, headlined by Jarin Stevenson. He is a tall, lanky power forward who was the 2023 North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year. He comes from a family of basketball players: his dad, Jaord Stevenson, scored over 4,000 career points while playing at Richmond before playing internationally for over a decade. His mom, Nicole (Walker) Stevenson, won three ACC championships while playing at UNC from 1995 to 1998. Stevenson should have a significant role off the bench.
Some of the best players in the transfer portal chose to head to Tuscaloosa. Grant Nelson had an amazing season at North Dakota State. He averaged 17.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game for the Bisons. Those numbers were fourth in the Summit League in scoring, and he was by far the leader in rebounding.
Aaron Estrada came into his own in the last two years at Hofstra. He had two amazing seasons for the Pride, winning back-to-back CAA Player of the Year awards. Estrada was one of only two CAA players to average more than 20 points per game last season. He was also fifth in assists and was one of the best rebounding guards in the conference.
Latrell Wrightsell Jr. took a big step forward at Cal State Fullerton. His stats were significantly better, scoring 10 more points per game and nearly two more rebounds per game, and his shooting percentages had huge increases. He finished fifth in the Big West in scoring average and was the Titans’ best player.
PF – Grant Nelson (17.9 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.8 SPG, 1.7 BPG at North Dakota State)
PF – Nick Pringle (3.5 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 0.2 APG, 0.2 SPG, 0.4 BPG)
G – Latrell Wrightsell Jr. (16.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.1 BPG at Cal State Fullerton)
SG – Aaron Estrada (20.2 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 4.3 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.2 BPG at Hofstra)
PG – Mark Sears (12.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.1 BPG)
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