# 2021–22 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team represented the University of Alabama in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team is led by third-year head coach Nate Oats. They played their home games at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama as a member of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 19–14, 9–9 in SEC Play to finish a five-way tie for 5th place. They lost in the Second Round of the SEC tournament to Vanderbilt. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 6 seed in the West Region, where they were upset in the First Round by Notre Dame.

## Previous season

The Crimson Tide finished the 2019–20 season 26–7, 16–2 in SEC play to win 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.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Herbert Jones | 1 | G/F | 6'8" | 210 | Senior | Greensboro, AL | Graduated/2021 NBA draft |
| Jordan Bruner | 2 | F | 6'10" | 225 | GS Senior | Columbia, SC | Graduated |
| Alex Reese | 3 | F | 6'9" | 230 | Senior | Pelham, AL | Graduated |
| Joshua Primo | 11 | G | 6'6" | 190 | Freshman | Toronto, ON | Declare for 2021 NBA draft |
| John Petty Jr. | 23 | G | 6'5" | 184 | Senior | Huntsville, AL | Graduated |
| Kendall Wall | 30 | F | 6'5" | 192 | GS Senior | Columbia, SC | Walk-on; graduate transferred |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Noah Gurley | 0 | F | 6'8" | 210 | Graduate Student | Fayetteviller, GA | Furman |
| Nimari Burnett | 25 | G | 6'4" | 190 | Sophomore | Chicago, IL | Texas Tech |

### 2021 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| 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 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 94 ||||||
| Charles Bediako C | Brampton, Ontario | IMG Academy | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | Jun 1, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: 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 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: 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. ||||||

### 2022 Recruiting class

College recruiting information (2022) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Jaden Bradley #1 PG | Rochester, NY | IMG Academy | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Sep 30, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 93 |||||||
| 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: "2022 Alabama Commits". Rivals.com. "ESPN- Alabama Crimson Tide Men's Basketball Recruiting". ESPN.com. "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 24, 2021* 2:00 pm | No. 14 | Louisiana Charity exhibition | W 73–68 | – | 21 – Ellis | 7 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Coleman Coliseum (2,157) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| regular season |||||||||
| November 9, 2021* 8:00 p.m., SECN | No. 14 | Louisiana Tech | W 93–64 | 1–0 | 18 – Ellis | 10 – Gary | 6 – Davison | Coleman Coliseum (12,613) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| November 12, 2021* 7:00 p.m., SECN+ | No. 14 | South Dakota State | W 104–88 | 2–0 | 26 – Quinerly | 13 – Ellis | 8 – Quinerly | Coleman Coliseum (10,546) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| November 16, 2021* 6:30 p.m., SECN+ | No. 14 | South Alabama | W 73–68 | 3–0 | 18 – Tied | 10 – Shackelford | 5 – Quinerly | Coleman Coliseum (9,038) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| November 19, 2021* 7:00 p.m., SECN+ | No. 14 | Oakland | W 86–59 | 4–0 | 20 – Shackelford | 7 – Tied | 5 – Davison | Coleman Coliseum (10,330) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| November 25, 2021* 3:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 10т | vs. Iona ESPN Events Invitational quarterfinals | L 68–72 | 4–1 | 19 – Shackelford | 10 – Shackelford | 3 – Davison | HP Field House Kissimmee, FL |
| November 26, 2021* 3:30 p.m., ESPNU | No. 10т | vs. Drake ESPN Events Invitational consolation round | W 80–71 | 5–1 | 18 – Quinerly | 10 – Gary | 4 – Tied | HP Field House (3,020) Kissimmee, FL |
| November 28, 2021* 5:30 p.m., ESPNU | No. 10т | vs. Miami (FL) ESPN Events Invitational | W 96–64 | 6–1 | 22 – Ellis | 8 – Bediako | 10 – Davison | HP Field House (3,127) Kissimmee, FL |
| December 4, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 16 | vs. No. 3 Gonzaga Battle in Seattle | W 91–82 | 7–1 | 28 – Shackelford | 9 – Shackelford | 6 – Quinerly | Climate Pledge Arena (18,048) Seattle, WA |
| December 11, 2021* 9:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 9 | No. 14 Houston | W 83–82 | 8–1 | 19 – Gary | 9 – Davison | 8 – Quinerly | Coleman Coliseum (10,613) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| December 14, 2021* 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 6 | at Memphis | L 78–92 | 8–2 | 19 – Ellis | 8 – Shackelford | 10 – Davison | FedExForum (15,266) Memphis, TN |
| December 18, 2021* 7:30 p.m., SECN | No. 6 | Jacksonville State | W 65–59 | 9–2 | 20 – Ellis | 10 – Ellis | 4 – Quinerly | Coleman Coliseum (10,064) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| December 21, 2021* 6:00 p.m., SECN+ | No. 10 | vs. Davidson C. M. Newton Classic | L 78–79 | 9–3 | 20 – Shackelford | 8 – Gary | 6 – Quinerly | Legacy Arena (9,781) Birmingham, AL |
| December 29, 2021 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 19 | No. 14 Tennessee | W 73–68 | 10–3 (1–0) | 20 – Gurley | 10 – Gurley | 5 – Ellis | Coleman Coliseum (10,427) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| January 5, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 15 | at Florida | W 83–70 | 11–3 (2–0) | 19 – Tied | 8 – Gary | 5 – Quinerly | O'Connell Center (10,210) Gainesville, FL |
| January 8, 2022 2:30 p.m., SECN | No. 15 | at Missouri | L 86–92 | 11–4 (2–1) | 19 – Quinerly | 7 – Davison | 4 – Tied | Mizzou Arena (10,903) Columbia, MO |
| January 11, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 24 | No. 4 Auburn Iron Bowl of Basketball | L 77–81 | 11–5 (2–2) | 14 – Quinerly | 9 – Miles | 5 – Quinerly | Coleman Coliseum (13,474) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| January 15, 2022 5:00 p.m., SECN | No. 24 | at Mississippi State | L 76–78 | 11–6 (2–3) | 17 – Shackelford | 7 – Ellis | 3 – Ellis | Humphrey Coliseum (8,090) Starkville, MS |
| January 19, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | No. 13 LSU | W 70–67 | 12–6 (3–3) | 26 – Shackelford | 8 – Ellis | 2 – Shackelford | Coleman Coliseum (10,368) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| January 22, 2022 5:00 p.m., SECN | | Missouri | W 86–76 | 13–6 (4–3) | 21 – Shackelford | 7 – Shackelford | 9 – Quinerly | Coleman Coliseum (10,799) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| January 25, 2022 5:30 p.m., SECN | | at Georgia | L 76–82 | 13–7 (4–4) | 20 – Shackelford | 9 – Ellis | 7 – Davison | Stegeman Coliseum (6,703) Athens, GA |
| January 29, 2022* 3:00 p.m., ESPN | | No. 4 Baylor Big 12/SEC Challenge | W 87–78 | 14–7 (4–4) | 20 – Quinerly | 9 – Shackelford | 5 – Tied | Coleman Coliseum (14,474) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| February 1, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPN | | at No. 1 Auburn Iron Bowl of Basketball | L 81–100 | 14–8 (4–5) | 26 – Shackelford | 8 – Ellis | 4 – Tied | Auburn Arena (9,121) Auburn, AL |
| February 5, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN | | No. 5 Kentucky | L 55–66 | 14–9 (4–6) | 12 – Bediako | 8 – Bediako | 4 – Quinerly | Coleman Coliseum (12,477) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| February 9, 2022 7:30 p.m., SECN | | at Ole Miss | W 97–83 | 15–9 (5–6) | 30 – Shackelford | 8 – Gurley | 8 – Tied | SJB Pavilion (6,454) Oxford, MS |
| February 12, 2022 11:00 a.m., SECN | | Arkansas | W 68–67 | 16–9 (6–6) | 11 – Davison | 7 – Miles | 4 – Tied | Coleman Coliseum (10,353) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| February 16, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 25 | Mississippi State | W 80–75 | 17–9 (7–6) | 21 – Quinerly | 10 – Davison | 8 – Quinerly | Coleman Coliseum (9,192) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| February 19, 2022 12:00 p.m., CBS | No. 25 | at No. 4 Kentucky | L 81–90 | 17–10 (7–7) | 28 – Ellis | 7 – Davison | 5 – Davison | Rupp Arena (20,374) Lexington, KY |
| February 22, 2022 8:00 p.m., SECN | No. 24 | at Vanderbilt | W 74–72 | 18–10 (8–7) | 19 – Quinerly | 10 – Davison | 5 – Davison | Memorial Gymnasium (7,041) Nashville, TN |
| February 26, 2022 5:00 p.m., SECN | No. 24 | South Carolina | W 90–71 | 19–10 (9–7) | 21 – Shackelford | 7 – Ellis | 5 – Quinerly | Coleman Coliseum (11,195) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| March 2, 2022 6:00 p.m., SECN | No. 25 | Texas A&M | L 71–87 | 19–11 (9–8) | 16 – Shackleford | 5 – Bediako | 6 – Davison | Coleman Coliseum (9,281) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| March 5, 2022 11:00 a.m., CBS | No. 25 | at LSU | L 77–80 $^{OT}$ | 19–12 (9–9) | 19 – Ellis | 9 – Ellis | 4 – Davison | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (11,237) Baton Rouge, LA |
| SEC Tournament |||||||||
| March 10, 2022 7:00 p.m., SECN | (6) | vs. (11) Vanderbilt Second Round | L 76–82 | 19–13 | 21 – Shackelford | 7 – Tied | 8 – Davison | Amalie Arena (12,121) Tampa, FL |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 18, 2022* 3:15 p.m., TNT | (6 W) | vs. (11 W) Notre Dame First Round | L 64–78 | 19–14 | 16 – Ellis | 9 – Ellis | 9 – Davison | Viejas Arena (11,328) San Diego, CA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | 14 | 14 | 10т | 16 | 9 | 6 | 10 | 19 | 15 | 24 | RV | RV | RV | 25 | 24 | 25 | | | | | Not released |
| Coaches | 13 | 13^ | 9 | 16 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 20 | 25 | RV | RV | RV | RV | 25 | 24 | | | | | |
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings ^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.