Paul Finebaum reveals what a national championship would mean for Alabama

The Alabama Crimson Tide are the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and a national championship is a distinct possibility. 

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum talked about what a title would mean for the program and university that is usually associated as a football dominant school. While the latter might still be true despite the basketball team’s success, the men’s program could make huge waves.

Finebaum broke it down on McElroy and Cubelic.

“It will be recognized as one of the premier programs in the country,” Finebaum said. “I think when you talk about the athletic director in this case, Greg Byrne knew a lot of responsibility for that job. You know, keeping it solvent, you’re making sure that the facilities are top notch but ultimately, the number one job of the athletic director is to make the right hires and he did. It wasn’t really a close call to make a change that needed to happen four years ago. He identified somebody that wasn’t really on too many radar screens, and I think that’s what made it such a significant hire. 

“And this wasn’t something that it took a while to figure out either. I mean, you could tell very early on that Nate Oats was among the smartest coaches. So yeah, Greg Byrne deserves tremendous credit. I was watching one of those network shows today this morning and one of the first things you see is Alabama No. 1 and all of a sudden you go ‘Hold on a second, this is basketball we’re talking about, isn’t it?’”

Alabama is a popular pick for a reason. ESPN’s Seth Greenberg said the Crimson Tide had the easiest path to the Final Four. In turn, that could mean a national championship.

​​“It’s Alabama and it has a lot to do with what Alabama is all about,” Greenberg said. “I understand Creighton is in that bracket, as is Arizona, but Alabama they have to me the number one college player in the NBA draft and that’s Brandon Miller. He is absolutely a matchup nightmare. Six-foot-nine-inch point guard that can knock down threes, make plays just a brutal matchup, but this is an elite defensive team. 

“They run you off the three point line. They have length and athleticism. I call them Noah’s Ark. What do you mean by Noah’s Ark? They got two of everything. Alabama is the most talented, most athletic team in the field. Alabama has the easiest road.”

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