The calendar has flipped to March and there are less than two weeks from the start of the 2023 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
In Tuscaloosa, Nate Oats’ Alabama Crimson Tide basketball team is seeking its first No. 1 seed in school history. The Crimson Tide, which won the regular-season SEC championship, are looking to bounce back after a first-round exit to Notre Dame last season.
There is no legal Alabama sports betting yet, but interest in college sports in the state is off the charts.
With March Madness upon us, BetAlabama.com utilized Sports-Reference.com and NCAA.com to determine the average finish of the Alabama Crimson Tide since the tournament expanded to a 64-team field in 1985.
Alabama’s average finish was determined by weighing the six rounds of the tournament on a 1-6 scale.
Average Alabama Crimson Tide Finish
Alabama Through the Years
Alabama’s tournament history started off hot with Winfrey “Wimp” Sanderson’s clubs making the Sweet 16 four times in its first five appearances.
Since then, in a dozen appearances, Alabama has surpassed the second round twice. The Crimson Tide made the program’s only Elite 8 run in 2004 under head coach Mark Gottfried before losing to eventual national-champion Connecticut. Then, Oats and company got to the Sweet 16 in 2021 as a No. 2 seed before being upset by No. 11 UCLA in the regional semifinals.
Overall, in 17 appearances with a 64-team bracket, Alabama has averaged a second-round finish. Before expansion, Alabama made the NCAA Tournament five times, losing in the Round of 32 in 1975 and making the Sweet 16 in 1976 and 1982.
BetAlabama.com recently took a look at seedings for the Crimson Tide and Auburn. Alabama likely will be a No. 1 seed in March for the first time in program history.
Will Alabama’s fortunes change during this year’s March Madness?
Alabama is a popular bet for a deep March run. According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Alabama has the third-best odds (behind Houston and Kansas) to win the 2023 NCAA Tournament at +900 and to make a run to the Final Four (+220).
