2020–21 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team

2020–21 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball
SEC regular season & tournament champions
NCAA tournament, Sweet Sixteen
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 5
APNo. 5
Record26–7 (16–2 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaColeman Coliseum
Seasons
2020–21 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 5 Alabama† 16 – 2   .889 26 – 7   .788
No. 10 Arkansas 13 – 4   .765 25 – 7   .781
LSU 11 – 6   .647 19 – 10   .655
Tennessee 10 – 7   .588 18 – 9   .667
Florida 9 – 7   .563 15 – 10   .600
Ole Miss 10 – 8   .556 16 – 12   .571
Missouri 8 – 8   .500 16 – 10   .615
Kentucky 8 – 9   .471 9 – 16   .360
Mississippi State 8 – 10   .444 18 – 15   .545
Georgia 7 – 11   .389 14 – 12   .538
Auburn* 7 – 11   .389 13 – 14   .481
South Carolina 4 – 12   .250 6 – 15   .286
Texas A&M 2 – 8   .200 8 – 10   .444
Vanderbilt 3 – 13   .188 9 – 16   .360
† 2021 SEC tournament winner
* Ineligible for postseason due to self-imposed postseason ban.

The 2020–21 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team represented the University of Alabama in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by second-year head coach Nate Oats. They played their home games at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama as a member of the Southeastern Conference. The Crimson Tide won the regular season Southeastern Conference Championship, marking the team's first championship since 2002. They also won the SEC tournament, their first win in that competition since 1991 and the first time since 1987 that the program won both the regular season and tournament.

The Tide were placed as a No. 2 seed in the East Region for the 2021 NCAA tournament, their highest placement since 2002. They would defeat Iona and Maryland before falling to a surging 11-seed UCLA in the Sweet Sixteen in overtime, 88–78 (that UCLA team made the Final Four). Alabama was ranked No. 5 in the final Coaches' Poll following the season, and Oats was named SEC Coach of the Year as well as being a finalist for National Coach of the Year honors.

Previous season

The Crimson Tide finished the 2019–20 season 16–15, 8–10 in SEC play to finish in ninth place. They were set to take on Tennessee in the second round of the SEC tournament. However, the remainder of the SEC Tournament was cancelled amid the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Javian Davis 0 F 6'9" 242 RS Freshman Canton, MS Transferred to Mississippi State[1]
Kira Lewis Jr. 2 G 6'3" 165 Sophomore Meridianville, AL Declared for the 2020 NBA draft; selected 13th overall by the New Orleans Pelicans[2]
James Bolden 11 G 6'0" 160 RS Senior Covington, KY Graduated
Jaylen Forbes 12 G 6'4" 186 Freshman Florence, MS Transferred to Tulane[3]
Sam Okauru 34 G 6'5" 200 Freshman Raleigh, NC Walk On; Transferred
Raymond Hawkins 35 F/C 6'9" 240 Freshman Oakland, CA Transferred to Long Beach State[4]

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Jordan Bruner 2 F 6'10" 225 Senior Columbia, SC Graduate transfer from Yale[5]
Keon Ellis 14 G 6'6" 170 Junior Eustis, FL Junior College Transfer from Florida Southwestern State College.[6]
Kendall Wall 30 F 6'5" 192 Senior Columbia, SC Walk On; Graduate transfer from Francis Marion University.

2021 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
JD Davison
PG 		Letohatchee, Alabama Calhoun School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Oct 3, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 94
Charles Bediako
C 		Brampton, Ontario IMG Academy 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jun 1, 2021 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 88
Jusaun Holt
SG 		Tacoma, Washington St Francis Day School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sep 27, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 82


Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2021 Alabama Commits". Rivals.com.
  • "ESPN- Alabama Crimson Tide Men's Basketball Recruiting". ESPN.com.
  • "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Preseason

SEC media poll

The SEC media poll was released on November 12, 2020.[7]

Media poll
Predicted finish Team
1 Tennessee
2 Kentucky
3 LSU
4 Florida
5 Alabama
6 Arkansas
7 Auburn
8 South Carolina
9 Ole Miss
10 Missouri
11 Texas A&M
12 Mississippi State
13 Georgia
14 Vanderbilt

Preseason All-SEC teams

The Crimson Tide had one player selected to the preseason all-SEC teams.

Roster

2020–21 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G/F 1 Herbert Jones 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Hale County HS Greensboro, AL
F 2 Jordan Bruner 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) GS Yale Columbia, SC
F 3 Alex Reese 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Sr Pelham HS Pelham, AL
F 4 Juwan Gary 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 218 lb (99 kg) RS Fr West Charlotte HS Charlotte, NC
G 5 Jaden Shackelford 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Hesperia HS Hesperia, CA
G 10 Delaney Heard (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 198 lb (90 kg) Fr Oak Hill Academy Canton, GA
G 11 Joshua Primo 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Royal Crown Toronto, ON
F 12 Darius Miles 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Theodore Roosevelt HS Washington, D.C.
G 13 Jahvon Quinerly 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) RS So Villanova Hackensack, NJ
G 14 Keon Ellis 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jr Florida SouthWestern State Eustis, FL
F 15 Tyler Barnes (W) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 201 lb (91 kg) Sr St. Xavier HS Louisville, KY
G 21 Britton Johnson (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 183 lb (83 kg) Jr Mountain Brook HS Mountain Brook, AL
F 22 Keon Ambrose-Hylton 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Andrews Osborne Academy Toronto, ON
G 23 John Petty Jr. 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 184 lb (83 kg) Sr Jemison HS Huntsville, AL
G 24 Jaden Quinerly (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 155 lb (70 kg) Fr Ramsey HS Hackensack, NJ
G 25 Adam Cottrell (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Lakeview Academy Flowery Branch, GA
F 30 Kendall Wall (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 192 lb (87 kg) GS Francis Marion University Columbia, SC
F 33 James Rojas 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Jr Hutchinson CC Jamestown, NY
F 35 Alex Tchikou Injured 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Fr Dream City Christian HS Paris, France
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 25, 2020*
7:00 pm, SECN 		Jacksonville State W 81–57  1–0
  18 – Tied   12 – Jones   3 – Quinerly  Coleman Coliseum (2,025)
Tuscaloosa, AL
November 30, 2020*
8:30 pm, ESPN2 		vs. Stanford
Maui Invitational Quarterfinals 		L 64–82  1–1
  14 – Quinerly   6 – Petty   3 – Primo  Harrah's Cherokee Center (0)
Asheville, NC
December 1, 2020*
8:30 pm, ESPN2 		vs. UNLV
Maui Invitational consolation 2nd round 		W 86–74  2–1
  22 – Petty Jr.   7 – Bruner   6 – Petty Jr  Harrah's Cherokee Center (0)
Asheville, NC
December 2, 2020*
6:00 pm, ESPN2 		vs. Providence
Maui Invitational 5th Place Game 		W 88–71  3–1
  16 – Petty Jr.   8 – Jones   5 – Jones  Harrah's Cherokee Center (0)
Asheville, NC
December 12, 2020*
7:00 pm, ACCNX 		vs. Clemson
Holiday Hoopsgiving 		L 56–64  3–2
  17 – Jones   5 – Reese   5 – Reese  State Farm Arena (0)
Atlanta, GA
December 15, 2020*
8:00 pm, SECN 		Furman W 83–80  4–2
  18 – Jones   12 – Jones   5 – Petty Jr.  Coleman Coliseum (2,055)
Tuscaloosa, AL
December 19, 2020*
1:00 pm, ESPNU 		Western Kentucky L 71–73  4–3
  16 – Jones   7 – Petty, Jr.   3 – Tied  Coleman Coliseum (2,055)
Tuscaloosa, AL
December 22, 2020*
6:30 pm, SECN+ 		ETSU W 85–69  5–3
  26 – Shackelford   8 – Bruner   9 – Quinerly  Coleman Coliseum (2,055)
Tuscaloosa, AL
SEC regular season
December 29, 2020
8:00 pm, SECN 		Ole Miss W 82–64  6–3
(1–0) 		 24 – Quinerly   7 – Shackelford   4 – Shackelford  Coleman Coliseum (2,055)
Tuscaloosa, AL
January 2, 2021
5:00 pm, ESPN2 		at No. 7 Tennessee W 71–63  7–3
(2–0) 		 19 – Petty Jr.   8 – Jones   6 – Quinerly  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
January 5, 2021
6:00 pm, ESPNU 		Florida W 86–71  8–3
(3–0) 		 16 – Tied   8 – Ellis   4 – Bruner  Coleman Coliseum (2,055)
Tuscaloosa, AL
January 9, 2021
11:00 am, ESPN2 		at Auburn
Iron Bowl of Basketball 		W 94–90  9–3
(4–0) 		 22 – Primo   8 – Tied   4 – Bruner  Auburn Arena (1,824)
Auburn, AL
January 12, 2021
8:00 pm, ESPN 		at Kentucky W 85–65  10–3
(5–0) 		 23 – Petty Jr.   6 – Rojas   6 – Shackelford  Rupp Arena (3,075)
Lexington, KY
January 16, 2021
2:30 pm, SECN 		Arkansas W 90–59  11–3
(6–0) 		 17 – Petty Jr.   5 – Primo   4 – Quinerly  Coleman Coliseum (2,055)
Tuscaloosa, AL
January 19, 2021
8:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 18 at LSU W 105–75  12–3
(7–0) 		 24 – Petty Jr.   7 – Rojas   8 – Shackelford  Pete Maravich Assembly Center (2,295)
Baton Rouge, LA
January 23, 2021
5:00 pm, SECN 		No. 18 Mississippi State W 81–73  13–3
(8–0) 		 17 – Jones   5 – Jones   7 – Jones  Coleman Coliseum (2,055)
Tuscaloosa, AL
January 26, 2021
6:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 9 Kentucky W 70–59  14–3
(9–0) 		 21 – Shackelford   9 – Jones   8 – Jones  Coleman Coliseum (2,055)
Tuscaloosa, AL
January 30, 2021*
11:00 a.m., ESPN 		No. 9 at No. 24 Oklahoma
Big 12/SEC Challenge 		L 61–66  14–4
  15 – Reese   7 – Jones   5 – Jones  Lloyd Noble Center (2,680)
Norman, OK
February 3, 2021
6:00 pm, ESPNU 		No. 10 LSU W 78–60  15–4
(10–0) 		 19 – Shackelford   8 – Jones   5 – Petty Jr.  Coleman Coliseum (2,055)
Tuscaloosa, AL
February 6, 2021
11:00 am, ESPN 		No. 10 at No. 18 Missouri L 65–68  15–5
(10–1) 		 15 – Shackleford   6 – Tied   1 – Tied  Mizzou Arena (3,113)
Columbia, MO
February 9, 2021
5:30 pm, SECN 		No. 11 at South Carolina W 81–78  16–5
(11–1) 		 20 – Petty Jr.   8 – Petty Jr.   7 – Jones  Colonial Life Arena (3,089)
Columbia, SC
February 13, 2021
2:30 pm, SECN 		No. 11 Georgia W 115–82  17–5
(12–1) 		 21 – Jones   5 – Tied   4 – Tied  Coleman Coliseum (2,055)
Tuscaloosa, AL
February 18, 2021
2:00 pm, SECN 		No. 8 at Texas A&M Postponed due to inclement weather Reed Arena 
College Station, TX
February 20, 2021
12:00 pm, SECN 		No. 8 Vanderbilt W 82–78  18–5
(13–1) 		 27 – Shackelford   9 – Ellis   4 – Jones  Coleman Coliseum (2,055)
Tuscaloosa, AL
February 24, 2021
8:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 6 at No. 20 Arkansas L 66–81  18–6
(13–2) 		 14 – Bruner   9 – Gary   4 – Tied  Bud Walton Arena (4,400)
Fayetteville, AR
February 27, 2021
5:00 pm, SECN 		No. 6 at Mississippi State W 64–59  19–6
(14–2) 		 19 – Quinerly   14 – Jones   2 – Tied  Humphrey Coliseum (1,000)
Starkville, MS
March 2, 2021
6:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 8 Auburn
Iron Bowl of Basketball 		W 70–58  20–6
(15–2) 		 23 – Shackelford   9 – Jones   6 – Jones  Coleman Coliseum (2,055)
Tuscaloosa, AL
March 6, 2021
1:00 pm, CBS 		No. 8 at Georgia W 89–79  21–6
(16–2) 		 18 – Quinerly   7 – Petty Jr.   4 – Tied  Stegeman Coliseum (1,638)
Athens, GA
SEC Tournament
March 12, 2021
11:00 am, ESPN 		(1) No. 6 vs. (9) Mississippi State
Quarterfinals 		W 85–48  22–6
  14 – Quinerly   7 – Tied   7 – Jones  Bridgestone Arena (2,186)
Nashville, TN
March 13, 2021
12:00 pm, ESPN 		(1) No. 6 vs. (4) Tennessee
Semifinals 		W 73–68  23–6
  21 – Jones   13 – Jones   4 – Jones  Bridgestone Arena (3,164)
Nashville, TN
March 14, 2021
12:00 pm, ESPN 		(1) No. 6 vs. (3) LSU
Championship 		W 80–79  24–6
  21 – Shackelford   11 – Jones   6 – Jones  Bridgestone Arena (2,586)
Nashville, TN
NCAA tournament
March 20, 2021
3:00 pm, TBS 		(2 E) No. 5 vs. (15 E) Iona
First Round 		W 68–55  25–6
  20 – Jones   7 – Petty Jr.   3 – Ellis  Hinkle Fieldhouse (1,037)
Indianapolis, IN
March 22, 2021
7:45 pm, TNT 		(2 E) No. 5 vs. (10 E) Maryland
Second Round 		W 96–77  26–6
  21 – Shackelford   7 – Gary   11 – Quinerly  Bankers Life Fieldhouse (2,226)
Indianapolis, IN
March 28, 2021
6:15 pm, TBS 		(2 E) No. 5 vs. (11 E) UCLA
Sweet Sixteen 		L 78–88 OT 26–7
  20 – Quinerly   9 – Tied   3 – Tied  Hinkle Fieldhouse (1,055)
Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Rankings

See also: 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516Final
APRVRVRV———RVRV189101186865Not released
Coaches2525^RV———RV24т168т711975т555

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.

References

  1. ^ Horka, Tyler (July 27, 2020). "Magnolia State native Javian Davis to transfer from Alabama to Mississippi State". Clarion Ledger. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  2. ^ Potter, Charlie (March 24, 2020). "Alabama's Kira Lewis, John Petty to test NBA draft waters". 247 Sports. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  3. ^ "Men's Basketball Adds Alabama Transfer Jaylen Forbes". Tulane Green Wave. April 22, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  4. ^ "Beach Basketball Receives Commitment From Alabama Transfer Raymond Hawkins III". Long Beach State Beach. May 6, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  5. ^ Borzello, Jeff (April 10, 2020). "Jordan Bruner joining Alabama as graduate transfer". ESPN. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  6. ^ Martin, Alex (April 17, 2020). "FSW guard Keon Ellis commits to Alabama over Iowa State, Kansas State, Western Kentucky". Fort Myers News-Press. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  7. ^ "Media picks Vols to win 2021 SEC Men's Basketball title". Southeastern Conference. November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020.