"Without him, I don't think they're a top 20 team": Analyst weighs in on importance of Labaron Philon's return to Nate Oats' Alabama 

Alabama guard Labaron Philon surprised many when he announced he would be returning to Tuscaloosa for his sophomore season on Wednesday. Philon tested the NBA draft waters this offseason but was still widely expected to keep his name in the draft pool.

Yea Alabama, the university's NIL collective, was the first to break the news of Philon's return in the last hour of the NBA's withdrawal deadline at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Analysts Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander of CBS Sports reacted to Philon's decision on the Thursday morning episode of the "Eye on College Basketball" podcast.

"I really think that Labaron Philon should have stayed in college," Norlander said (Timestamp: 2:10). "I'm just going to mention Alabama because without him, I don’t think they’re a top-20 team, and I thought he had such a tremendous chance to return to college and be a real big pop guy as a sophomore. But he’s gone.

"He made this decision public, you know, 10 days ago or whatever — I’m just going to mention him ... I do think this now gets Bama firmly into the top-25 conversation."

Norlander later added that Philon's decision to return to school was one of the most impactful decisions of the offseason in terms of "shock value." He also praised the Crimson Tide for retaining sophomore guard Aden Holloway and keeping that backcourt pairing together.

Alabama sees major rankings boost after Labaron Philon's big return

In the CBS Sports' updated Top 25 and 1 rankings, Alabama jumped from No. 24 to No. 14 following Labaron Philon's decision to run it back with the Crimson Tide. Gary Parrish explained in his article that Nat Oats' program surge in the rankings was not only due to Philon, but also for retaining other major pieces.

"This ranking is based on the Crimson Tide returning three of the top five scorers - specifically Latrell Wrightsell Jr., Aden Holloway and Philon," Parrish wrote. "That core will be joined by a recruiting class highlighted by Miami transfer Jalil Bethea, Florida State transfer Tayor Bol Bowen and Bucknell transfer Noah Williamson."

Philon, who started in 29 games last season, averaged 10.6 points, 3.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game. He had a high chance of getting drafted, with ESPN projecting him to be a second-round pick at No. 33 overall in the upcoming NBA draft.