# 2017–18 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team (variously "Alabama", "UA", "Bama" or "The Tide") represented the University of Alabama in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by third-year head coach Avery Johnson and played its home games at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama as a member of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 20–16, 8–10 in SEC play to finish in a tie for ninth place. They defeated Texas A&M and Auburn in the SEC tournament before losing in the semifinals to Kentucky. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Virginia Tech in the First Round before losing in the Second Round to Villanova.

## Previous season

The Crimson Tide finished the 2016–17 season 19–15 overall and 8–10 in SEC play to finish in a tie for fifth place. They defeated Mississippi State and South Carolina to advance to the semifinals of the SEC tournament where they lost to Kentucky. They received an invitation to the National Invitation Tournament where they lost in the first round to Richmond.

## Off-season
### Departures

| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for Departure |
| Corban Collins | G | 6'3" | 190 | RS Senior | High Point, NC | Graduated. |
| Bola Olaniyan | F | 6'7" | 235 | RS Senior | Lagos, Nigeria | Graduated. |
| Shannon Hale | F | 6'8" | 233 | Senior | Johnson City, TN | Graduated. |
| Jimmie Taylor | G | 6'10" | 248 | Senior | Greensboro, AL | Graduated. |
| Nick King | G/F | 6'7" | 225 | RS Junior | Memphis, TN | Transferred to Middle Tennessee. |
| Brandon Austin | G | 6'5" | 197 | Sophomore | Montgomery, AL | Transferred to Samford. |

### 2017 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Herbert Jones SG | Moundville, AL | Hale County High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 183 lb (83 kg) | Oct 6, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 79 ||||||
| Alex Reese PF | Pelham, AL | Pelham High School | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | Oct 6, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| Galin Smith C | Clinton, MS | Clinton High School | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Oct 7, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| John Petty Jr. SG | Huntsville, AL | Jemison High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Oct 10, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 93 ||||||
| Collin Sexton PG | Mableton, GA | Pebblebrook High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 182 lb (83 kg) | Oct 10, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 95 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 6 Rivals: 6 247Sports: 7 ESPN: 8 ||||||
| 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: "Alabama 2017 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 30, 2017. "2017 Alabama Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved June 30, 2017. "Alabama 2017 Basketball Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 30, 2017. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved June 30, 2017. "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 30, 2017. "Alabama 2017 Basketball Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved June 30, 2017. ||||||

## Future recruits
### 2018–19 team recruits

US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Javian Fleming C | Canton, MS | Canton High School | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Nov 3, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 |||||||
| Diante Wood SG | Anniston, AL | Sacred Heart Catholic School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Nov 8, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: 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: "2018 Alabama Commits". Rivals.com. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. |||||||

## Schedule and results

On November 25, 2017, Alabama participated in one of the strangest moments of NCAA basketball history. During their game against #14 ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers, Alabama's bench players left the bench area during a scuffle with Minnesota's players midway through the second half, which resulted in Alabama's entire bench being ejected. Not long after the ejections, Dazon Ingram fouled out with 11:37 left in the game, which resulted in Alabama playing the rest of the game in a 4 vs. 5 manner. Not long afterwards, John Petty turned his ankle and could not return for the rest of the game, thus leaving Alabama with only three players with 10:41 left in the contest. From that point on Alabama was forced to play with only senior shooting guard/small forward Riley Norris, freshman power forward Galin Smith, and star freshman point guard Collin Sexton in a 3-on-5 setting throughout the rest of the game. While Minnesota was up by as many as 15 points during the undermanned portion of the game, Alabama would fight to cut the deficit to as few as 3 points due to Collin Sexton's leadership, which included a 40 point game from him. However, the Golden Gophers would ultimately hold on to win 89–84 over the shorthanded Crimson Tide. Despite losing, Alabama would improve their rank to #24 due to their performance while undermanned and nearly upsetting Minnesota that night. The game would be described as one of the strangest in college basketball history.
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Canadian Foreign Tour |||||||||
| Aug 7, 2017* 6:00 pm | | at McGill | W 96–57 | – | 22 – Petty | 5 – Key, Petty | 2 – Sexton | Love Competition Hall (350) Montréal, Québec |
| Aug 9, 2017* 6:00 pm | | at Carleton (ON) | L 71–84 | – | 16 – Petty | 6 – Giddens, Hall | 8 – Sexton | Ravens Nest Arena Ottawa, Ontario |
| Aug 10, 2017* 5:30 pm | | at Ottawa (ON) | W 81–71 | – | 15 – Johnson | 9 – Key | 4 – Johnson, Petty | Montpetit Hall Ottawa, Ontario |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Nov 6, 2017* 7:00 pm, SECN | | Alabama–Huntsville | W 74–65 | – | 17 – Giddens | 10 – Giddens | 4 – Jones | Coleman Coliseum (11,317) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Regular season |||||||||
| Nov 10, 2017* 5:30 pm, CBSSN | | vs. Memphis Veterans Classic | W 82–70 | 1–0 | 20 – Ingram | 11 – Hall | 5 – Ingram | Alumni Hall (3,238) Annapolis, MD |
| Nov 14, 2017* 7:00 pm, SECN | | Lipscomb | W 86–64 | 2–0 | 22 – Sexton | 9 – Reese | 5 – Sexton | Coleman Coliseum (12,325) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Nov 17, 2017* 6:00 pm, SECN+ | | Alabama A&M Barclays Center Classic campus site game | W 104–67 | 3–0 | 30 – Petty | 8 – Jones, Reese | 5 – Sexton, Johnson Jr. | Coleman Coliseum (11,948) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Nov 21, 2017* 8:00 pm, SECN | No. 25 | Texas–Arlington Barclays Center Classic campus site game | W 77–76 | 4–0 | 29 – Sexton | 9 – Jones | 4 – Sexton | Coleman Coliseum (11,737) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Nov 24, 2017* 1:30 pm, Stadium | No. 25 | vs. BYU Barclays Center Classic | W 71–59 | 5–0 | 16 – Petty | 9 – Hall | 3 – Ingram | Steinberg Center (1,240) Brooklyn, NY |
| Nov 25, 2017* 4:00 pm, Stadium | No. 25 | vs. No. 14 Minnesota Barclays Center Classic | L 84–89 | 5–1 | 40 – Sexton | 8 – Smith | 5 – Sexton | Barclays Center (3,459) Brooklyn, NY |
| Nov 29, 2017* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | No. 24 | Louisiana Tech | W 77–74 | 6–1 | 22 – Sexton, Ingram | 9 – Ingram | 4 – Petty | Coleman Coliseum (12,062) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Dec 3, 2017* 1:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 24 | UCF | L 62–65 | 6–2 | 20 – Hall | 7 – Ingram | 4 – Ingram, Jones | Coleman Coliseum (13,534) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Dec 6, 2017* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | | Rhode Island | W 68–64 | 7–2 | 13 – Hall | 14 – Hall | 4 – Petty | Coleman Coliseum (12,807) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Dec 9, 2017* 9:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Arizona | L 82–88 | 7–3 | 30 – Sexton | 12 – Hall | 6 – Ingram | McKale Center (14,644) Tucson, AZ |
| Dec 19, 2017* 8:00 pm, SECN | | vs. Mercer Rocket City Classic | W 80–79 | 8–3 | 21 – Sexton | 8 – Ingram | 4 – Sexton | Von Braun Center (4,799) Huntsville, AL |
| Dec 22, 2017* 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. Texas Vulcan Classic | L 50–66 | 8–4 | 14 – Petty | 8 – Ingram | 4 – Sexton | Legacy Arena (16,146) Birmingham, AL |
| Dec 30, 2017 5:00 pm, ESPN2 | | No. 5 Texas A&M | W 79–57 | 9–4 (1–0) | 18 – Petty | 9 – Jones | 3 – Petty, Ingram | Coleman Coliseum (14,218) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Jan 2, 2018 6:00 pm, SECN | | at Vanderbilt | L 75–76 | 9–5 (1–1) | 24 – Sexton | 6 – Hall | 5 – Sexton | Memorial Gymnasium (9,519) Nashville, TN |
| Jan 6, 2018 11:00 am, SECN | | at Georgia | L 46–65 | 9–6 (1–2) | 23 – Sexton | 6 – Hall | 3 – Sexton | Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) Athens, GA |
| Jan 9, 2018 6:00 pm, SECN | | South Carolina | W 76–62 | 10–6 (2–2) | 15 – Petty | 7 – Hall | 5 – Key | Coleman Coliseum (10,909) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Jan 13, 2018 7:30 pm, SECN | | at LSU | W 74–66 | 11–6 (3–2) | 18 – Ingram | 10 – Ingram | 3 – Ingram, Sexton | Maravich Center (13,600) Baton Rouge, LA |
| Jan 17, 2018 6:00 pm, SECN | | No. 17 Auburn Iron Bowl of Basketball | W 76–71 | 12–6 (4–2) | 27 – Petty | 9 – Key | 4 – Jones | Coleman Coliseum (15,383) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Jan 20, 2018 7:30 pm, SECN | | Mississippi State | W 68–62 | 13–6 (5–2) | 16 – Key | 8 – Ingram | 6 – Ingram | Coleman Coliseum (15,383) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Jan 23, 2018 7:30 pm, SECN | | at Ole Miss | L 66–78 | 13–7 (5–3) | 14 – Hall | 8 – Ingram | 5 – Ingram | The Pavilion at Ole Miss (8,099) Oxford, MS |
| Jan 27, 2018* 1:15 pm, ESPN | | No. 12 Oklahoma Big 12/SEC Challenge | W 80–73 | 14–7 | 18 – Sexton | 9 – Giddens | 3 – Jones, Ingram | Coleman Coliseum (15,383) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Jan 31, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPNU | | Missouri | L 60–68 | 14–8 (5–4) | 23 – Sexton | 4 – Hall, Sexton | 2 – Sexton | Coleman Coliseum (11,603) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Feb 3, 2018 3:00 pm, ESPN | | at No. 23 Florida | W 68–50 | 15–8 (6–4) | 17 – Sexton | 11 – Hall | 6 – Sexton | O'Connell Center (10,845) Gainesville, FL |
| Feb 6, 2018 6:00 pm, SECN | | at Mississippi State | L 63–67 | 15–9 (6–5) | 18 – Sexton | 6 – Hall, Key | 3 – Sexton | Humphrey Coliseum (7,095) Starkville, MS |
| Feb 10, 2018 5:00 pm, SECN | | No. 15 Tennessee | W 78–50 | 16–9 (7–5) | 17 – Hall | 11 – Hall | 4 – Sexton, Petty | Coleman Coliseum (15,383) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Feb 13, 2018 8:00 pm, SECN | | LSU | W 80–65 | 17–9 (8–5) | 20 – Hall | 8 – Hall | 6 – Sexton | Coleman Coliseum (11,154) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Feb 17, 2018 1:00 pm, CBS | | at Kentucky | L 71–81 | 17–10 (8–6) | 16 – Hall | 6 – Hall | 3 – Petty, Sexton | Rupp Arena (23,220) Lexington, KY |
| Feb 21, 2018 7:30 pm, SECN | | at No. 12 Auburn Iron Bowl of Basketball | L 71–90 | 17–11 (8–7) | 25 – Sexton | 8 – Key | 4 – Petty | Auburn Arena (9,121) Auburn, AL |
| Feb 24, 2018 5:00 pm, SECN | | Arkansas | L 73–76 | 17–12 (8–8) | 16 – Key | 8 – Hall | 6 – Sexton | Coleman Coliseum (15,383) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Feb 27, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPN | | Florida | L 52–73 | 17–13 (8–9) | 14 – Sexton | 8 – Key | 3 – Schaffer, Sexton | Coleman Coliseum (12,282) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Mar 3, 2018 1:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Texas A&M | L 66–68 | 17–14 (8–10) | 23 – Sexton | 8 – Petty | 7 – Sexton | Reed Arena (10,755) College Station, TX |
| SEC Tournament |||||||||
| Mar 8, 2018 12:00 pm, SECN | (9) | vs. (8) Texas A&M Second Round | W 71–70 | 18–14 | 27 – Sexton | 9 – Ingram | 5 – Sexton | Scottrade Center (15,129) St. Louis, MO |
| Mar 9, 2018 12:00 pm, ESPN | (9) | vs. (1) No. 16 Auburn Quarterfinals | W 81–63 | 19–14 | 31 – Sexton | 10 – Key | 5 – Ingram | Scottrade Center (16,364) St. Louis, MO |
| Mar 10, 2018 12:00 pm, ESPN | (9) | vs. (4) Kentucky Semifinals | L 63–86 | 19–15 | 21 – Sexton | 7 – Giddens | 3 – Sexton | Scottrade Center (18,729) St. Louis, MO |
| NCAA Tournament |||||||||
| Mar 15, 2018* 8:20 pm, TNT | (9 E) | vs. (8 E) Virginia Tech First Round | W 86–83 | 20–15 | 25 – Sexton | 7 – Ingram | 6 – Sexton | PPG Paints Arena (18,715) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Mar 17, 2018* 11:10 am, CBS | (9 E) | vs. (1 E) No. 2 Villanova Second Round | L 58–81 | 20–16 | 17 – Sexton | 7 – Ingram | 3 – Sexton, Schaffer | PPG Paints Arena (19,015) Pittsburgh, PA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | 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 | Final |
| AP | RV | RV | 25 | 24 | RV | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | — | N/A | Not released |
| Coaches | 25 | 25^ | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | RV | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | — | — | N/A | |
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings ^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll.