Alabama basketball 'capable' of winning national championship, Rece Davis says

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Because ESPN doesn’t own the rights to March Madness, its employees end up with “the crappiest seats you could possibly imagine,” Rece Davis said on Friday.

It’s why the College GameDay host doesn’t typically watch the NCAA Tournament in person.

But when Alabama, his alma mater, made its first-ever Final Four last season, he made sure he was at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, no matter how bad of a view he had.

“I was like, ‘No, I’m going in the building, and I’m going to see this,” Davis said.

Alabama lost to eventual national champ UConn, but in GameDay’s second trip to Tuscaloosa for a men’s basketball game, Davis believes there are more Final Fours in the Tide’s future.

“It was an unbelievable accomplishment,” Davis said. “Actually, I say unbelievable – not with that dude you’ve got as a head coach here. That won’t be the last time that happens as long as he’s here.”

Nate Oats is in his sixth season as Alabama’s head basketball coach, and after leading the Tide to the final weekend of the NCAA Tournament, he has UA ranked No. 2 in the AP Top 25 prior to a historic matchup with top-ranked Auburn on Saturday, Feb. 15 (3 p.m. on ESPN).

The winner of the first 1 vs. 2 matchup in SEC history will have sole possession of first place in the nation’s toughest conference standings with six games to go in the regular season. Davis believes both teams from the Yellowhammer State can win a national title this year.

“There are three teams in the SEC equipped to win the national championship,” Davis said. “Two of them will play here tomorrow. And the other one is Florida. (Alabama) can do it. It’s a question of will they? 

“I do think, in all complete honesty, the best team I’ve seen this year is Auburn. I think they’re the best team I’ve seen from start to finish. It doesn’t mean they’re not unbeatable as Florida proved. … This is a high-level team, and so is Alabama. Alabama can win the national championship, for sure. But that’s not gonna be an easy task for whoever does it.”

Davis pointed out the Crimson Tide’s remaining schedule, which features seven straight ranked teams – including three top-five foes – before the SEC Tournament in March.

“This feels like some type of championship game tomorrow, and it’s gonna be approached with that level,” Davis said. “And then they turn around and play another ranked team and another one and another one and another game with Auburn and Florida and a road trip to Tennessee, and I think they go to Missouri. It’s kind of a ridiculous thing. 

“So it’s just the next step on a long path. And then the tournament starts. They’re capable, but to win a national championship, you not only have to be capable and excellent, which they are. You also have to have things bounce their way. Hopefully, for their sake, that’ll happen, and we’ll see how it plays out.”

Not a member, Alabama fans? Join BOL today!

Have you subscribed to BamaOnLine.com yet? You can sign up for ONE MONTH of premium access to our Alabama coverage for just $11.99! Be able to read all of BOL’s premium articles and nuggets covering Alabama sports and recruiting and also join thousands of other Crimson Tide fans around the globe on the BOL Round Table message board! CLICK HERE!