What the experts think about Alabama MBB ahead of the 2024-25 season

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama men's basketball team begins its highly anticipated 2024-25 season on Monday by hosting UNC-Asheville at Coleman Coliseum (8 p.m. CT, ESPNU).

The Crimson Tide return five players from last year's Final Four team, but added both the No. 2 recruiting class and No. 7 transfer class, according to 247Sports. The result is one of the best squads in all of college basketball.

As a result, Alabama begins the 2024-25 season ranked No. 2 in the country, according to the AP, the program's highest preseason ranking ever. The overall talent coupled with the acumen of head coach Nate Oats has led to big, big expectations for the Tide this winter.

Here's a rundown of what various prognosticators think about Alabama ahead of the 2024-25 season:

REMARKABLE TEAM RECOGNITION

– Alabama was selected as the SEC winner by a panel of SEC members and national media. After 1991 and 2003, it is the third time that the Tide have been voted to win the league in the preseason.

– The Crimson Tide also begin the season ranked No. 4 nationally by KenPom, behind only No. 1 Houston, No. 2 Duke and No. 3 Auburn. KenPom projects Alabama to have the No. 1 offense and No. 30 defense.

– In CBS Sports' Bracketology Predictions for the 2025 NCAA Tournament, Jerry Palm has Alabama listed as the No. 1 overall seed. The Tide were also the No. 1 overall seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

“If the Crimson Tide live up to this prediction, it will be the second time in three years that they have been the top seed in the tournament,” Palm wrote. “A second straight Final Four wouldn’t be a surprise, regardless of whether they’re the top seed or not.”

– In another CBS Sports college basketball panel, six out of seven writers predicted Alabama would reach the Final Four. Three even took the Tide to the championship game, with one, Cameron Salerno, believing they would win the whole thing that season.

“It is rare that a team that features the best player in the country (hello, Mark Sears) also has arguably the deepest roster in the country,” Salerno wrote. “Nate Oats is building something special in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide reached their first Final Four in program history last season, and this squad will be even better (and more complete).”

“Sears is the ultimate X-factor, but it's hard not to be excited about the additions of Chris Youngblood, Aden Holloway, Clifford Omoruyi, Derrion Reid, Labaron Philon and more. Alabama will take down the nets in six months.”

– ESPN's Joe Lundari has Alabama as the No. 1 prospect in his preseason predictions. He has the Tide as the No. 1 seed in the South Region, which would mean stops in Lexington and Atlanta on the way to the Final Four.

— ESPN writers Myron Medcalf and Jeff Borzello named Alabama, Kansas and UConn as Tier I national title favorites: “These teams are head and shoulders above the rest,” they wrote. “Kansas and Alabama have the deepest rosters in America, while UConn can get the benefit of the doubt after winning back-to-back national championships.”

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

– Mark Sears was voted the SEC Preseason Player of the Year by the league's coaches. He joins Erwin Dudley (2003) as the only other players in program history to be named SEC Preseason Player of the Year.

– Sears was also selected by the coaches to the Preseason All-SEC First Team and to both the Bob Cousy Award Watch List, which recognizes the best point guard in the country, and the Naismith Trophy Watch List, which recognizes the best overall player in the game recognized by the country.

– Grant Nelson was also named to the Naismith Trophy Watch List. Alabama was one of eight schools to have multiple players named to the 50-player list. Nelson was also named to the Karl Malone Award Watch List, which recognizes the best power forward in the country, and was voted to the Preseason All-SEC Second Team by the coaches.

– Clifford Omoruyi has been named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award watch list, which recognizes the best center in the country. Omoruyi was a finalist for the same award in 2023 while playing for Rutgers. He is also the first Alabama player to be named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award watch list since Charles Bediako in 2022.

– Sears, Omoruyi and Nelson were all named to ESPN's preseason Top 100 Players list. Sears checked at No. 3, behind only Duke's Cooper Flagg and North Carolina's RJ Davis. Omoruyi checked in at No. 36 and Nelson was listed at No. 43.

“Sears had a breakout season in Tuscaloosa last season, going from averaging 12.5 points in a complementary role to 21.5 points (43.6% from 3) as one of the best guards in college basketball,” Borzello and Medcalf wrote.

“He somehow took his game to a new level in the NCAA Tournament, scoring 30 points in the first round against Charleston and 26 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists in the second round against Grand Canyon.”

Of Omoruyi, ESPN wrote: “At Rutgers, Omoruyi (10.4 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 2.9 BPG) earned a spot on the Big Ten's All-Defensive team after anchoring a Rutgers defense that was in ranked fifth in adjusted efficiency. His new roster ranked 111th.” The 6-11 center's arrival in Tuscaloosa is why the Tide will start 30th in adjusted defensive efficiency in KenPom's preseason forecast.

On Nelson: “Nelson was a star at North Dakota State in 2022-23 but accepted a lesser role when he transferred to Alabama last season. However, his ability to put up big numbers is still there, as evidenced by his NCAA Tournament performances: 24 points and 12 rebounds against North Carolina, 19 and 15 against UConn.

– Derrion Reid, a 5-star freshman forward for the Crimson Tide, was ranked the No. 10 freshman in college basketball by CBS Sports this season. Salerno wrote that Reid “may be placed too low on this list because it underestimates how important a role he will play in one of the top contenders to win the national title.”

“Alabama's scoring defense ranked near the bottom in the country last season and the additions of Reid and Rutgers transfer Cliff Omoruyi will help improve this team,” Salerno continued. “Reid can do a little bit of everything on both sides.”

– Labaron Philon, a 4-star freshman guard who signed with Reid as part of Alabama's 2024 recruiting class, was also recognized by Salerno as another rookie to keep an eye on this season.

Cody Goodwin covers the Alabama Crimson Tide for 247Sports. Follow him on Twitter at @codygoodwin.