3. Alabama
We’re just going to have to get used to Alabama games being very volatile due to the style that Nate Oats wants to play. The Crimson Tide want to play a lot of possessions and shoot a lot of 3s. This is going to lead to some games that they lose (or win) by a margin that is not representative of the gap between the two teams. Case in point – the blowout loss to Arizona over the weekend.
4. Tennessee
The Vols are on a bit of a slide, but I still believe. This team has a legitimate top-10 point guard in Ja’Kobi Gillespie and a top-10 draft pick in Nate Ament. Those two pieces are enough to win you some games, but they are going to need more from the supporting cast in order to be real contenders.
5. Arkansas
A big game from Trevon Brazile powered the Razorbacks to a huge non-conference win against Texas Tech. Brazile’s senior year breakout, coupled with a strong freshman class, has John Calipari with a team that could very easily make it back to the Sweet Sixteen for the second straight season.
