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The Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team has lost some major pieces since they last were on the court. Brandon Miller was selected with the second pick in the NBA draft on Thursday, and the Crimson Tide had some players enter the NCAA transfer portal, completely reshaping the roster.
However, coach Nate Oats is no stranger to fielding dominant rosters and being a threat to contend for the national championship each season. How will this Alabama team look as some stars say their goodbyes to college and get drafted?
Can Alabama continue being a force in men's basketball in the 2023-24 season?
The Alabama Crimson Tide was one of the top programs last season as they finished as the top-ranked program with a 31-6 (16-2 Southeastern Conference) record. However, they lost in the NCAA Tournament regional remifinals to the San Diego State Aztecs.
They added two prolific guards in the NCAA transfer portal in Hofstra's Aaron Estrada and Cal State Fullerton's Latrell Wrightsell Jr. Estrada is one of the top scorers from a year ago as he averaged 20.2 points per game for the Pride.
Besides the players, Oats has lost a pair of assistant coaches as Charlie Henry (Georgia Southern) and Bryan Hodgson (Arkansas State) took head coaching positions.
Without Brandon Miller and Noah Clowney, the frontcourt for the Crimson Tide has a lot of questions. The recruiting of some talented wing players is going to be critical to see. Center Grant Nelson has transferred from North Dakota State to fill some of the minutes, but expecting him to replicate Clowney or Miller's impact is out of the realm of reality.
The only issue has been that Oats has a 6-6 record during March Madness, including being 4-3 since joining Alabama before the 2019-2020 season. This team has the ability to gel but is lacking that star player to really make it feel like a force to be reckoned with that can replace the production from forward Brandon Miller.
Alabama should take a step back from being the top-ranked program in college basketball for the first time. The Tide are still going to be a strong program and should be a force in the Southeastern Conference, but the success of this program will be determined by how they do in March Madness.
