Season in Review
Team Notes
- Out of Alabama's 33 games played, 17 of them (14 teams) were against NCAA Tournament foes with the Tide holding a 9-8 (.529) record in those games. UA defeated a pair of No. 1 seeds (Gonzaga and Baylor) , along with No. 3 seed Tennessee, No. 4 seed Arkansas and No. 5 seed Houston. When factoring in the teams that made the NIT, Alabama's 33-game schedule included 22 contests (18 teams) that reached postseason play.
- UA ended the year ranked No. 16 in the nation in offensive efficiency in the Ken Pomeroy rankings. It is the second-most efficient Crimson Tide offense over the last 20 years of KenPom.com's end-of-year ranking (finished No. 9 in 2005). Pomeroy also ranked the Tide No. 11 in both average possession length and adjusted tempo. However, Alabama finished No. 92 in defensive efficiency which ranked 11th in the SEC.
- The Crimson Tide owned a 5-4 record vs. teams ranked in the AP Top 25 this season. The five ranked wins was the second-most in a single season in program history and one shy of matching the 2017-18 squad that finished with six top-25 wins.
- All five of UA's ranked wins came against top-15 teams. The Crimson Tide defeated then-No. 3 Gonzaga (91-82 in Seattle), then-No. 14 Houston (83-82), then-No. 14 Tennessee (73-68), then-No. 13 LSU (70-67) and then-No. 4 Baylor (87-78).
- Alabama finished the season with a record of 4-3 in games that went down to a single possession (3 or fewer points). The Tide was 4-5 in two possession contests (4-6 points) on the year to combine for an 8-8 record in the 16 games that came down to the wire.
- Alabama ended the season shooting 305-of-987 from beyond the arc and led the SEC in total threes made and threes attempted as well as three-pointers made per game (9.2). The 987 attempts rank as the second-most in a single-season in school history, while the 305 makes are third-best.
- It is the third time in UA lore that a team has had over 300 makes and 900 attempts in the same season, with the other two occurrences came under head coach Nate Oats in each of the last two seasons (2019-20 and 2020-21).
- For the first time in school history, Alabama basketball finished with the consensus No. 1 ranked strength of schedule. The Crimson Tide not only face nine top-15 opponents, but also squared off against three teams from the previous year's NCAA Final Four in Gonzaga, Baylor and Houston.
- Alabama's schedule included one of the toughest stretches played in college basketball in nearly 15 years having faced three consecutive teams that were ranked in the Associated Press Top-5. The Crimson Tide opened the stretch with a win over then-No. 4 Baylor (87-78) followed by losses at No. 1 Auburn on Feb. 1 (100-81) and vs. No. 5 Kentucky (66-55). It was the first time since the 2008-09 season that any Division I team faced three-straight AP Top-5 teams (Rutgers).
- The Tide led the SEC and ranked No. 13 in the nation in scoring offense at 79.5 points per game. It is the third straight season under head coach Nate Oats that Alabama finished among the top 25 in the nation (3rd in 2019-20 and 25th in 2020-21), and the second time in his three seasons at the Capstone that UA led the league in scoring offense.
- Head coach Nate Oats signed the No. 3-ranked recruiting class in the nation, according to both Rivals and 247sports. The highest-ranked signing class in program history included a pair of five-star signees – a first in program history – and three additional four-star prospects.
Recapping Alabama's Season
- The 2021-22 Alabama men's basketball team finished the year with a 19-14 overall record including a 9-9 mark in SEC play. The Crimson Tide finished the season with a 13-3 mark in home games, 3-7 in true road contests and a 3-4 record when playing at a neutral site.
- UA reached its 22nd NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, with the Tide owning an overall NCAA Tournament record of 21-22 (.488) following its first round loss to Notre Dame.
- After earning a No. 2 seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, Alabama was awarded a No. 6 seed in the 2022 event marking the first time in 30 years that Alabama has garnered a No. 6 seed or better in back-to-back years. The last time it occurred came in 1991 (No. 4) and 1992 (No. 5).
- Four Alabama players earned all-conference honors this season: Jaden Shackelford earned a spot on the All-SEC Second Team for second-straight season, Charles Bediako and JD Davison both earned SEC All-Freshman honors, Keon Ellis was named to the league's all-defensive team. Ellis was also named as the Tide's representative on the 2022 SEC Community Service Team after leading the team in community service hours on the year.
- The Tide's schedule ranked No. 1 in the nation in every major rating system including: Average Opponent NET Ranking, KenPom.com, ESPN BPI, Sagarin Rankings and RealTimeRPI. In fact, of Alabama's 33 games played on the season, 17 were played against NCAA Tournament foes (14 teams), with UA owning a record of 9-8 (.529) in those contests.
- Head coach Nate Oats earned his third NCAA Tournament appearance in as many opportunities since taking over the helm of the Crimson Tide program (the NCAA Tournament was cancelled in his first season).
Four Earn All-SEC Recognition
- Four Alabama players earned Southeastern Conference postseason honors at the end of the regular season. Junior Jaden Shackelford was selected as a second-team All-SEC performer, marking the second time in as many seasons he earned the distinction. Meanwhile, Charles Bediako and JD Davison were each selected to the SEC All-Freshman team with senior Keon Ellis earning a spot on the league's all-defensive team. Ellis was also recognized as Alabama's SEC Community Service honoree.
- It's the third straight year that UA had four different players earn All-SEC honors in the same season. In addition, it marks the sixth consecutive season a Tide rookie earned a spot on the all-freshman team, joining Joshua Primo (2021), Jaden Shackelford (2020), Kira Lewis Jr. (2019), Collin Sexton (2018) and Braxton Key (2017).
- Shackelford finished the season leading the SEC in minutes per game (34.1), three-pointers made (101), threes attempted (288) and threes made per game (3.1), while also ranking 19th, ninth and 30th in each category, respectively. Additionally, Shackelford's 101 made threes on the year ranked third in the UA annals with the 288 attempts setting a school record which was held by Eric Washington (270 threes attempted in 1995-96). Shackelford ranks No. 3 in program history in career threes attempted (707) and No. 4 in threes made (248).
- Davison was twice named the SEC Freshman of the Week during the year, earning the honor for the weeks of Dec. 6 and Feb. 14. With the recognition, Davison became the first Crimson Tide rookie to earn two SEC Freshman of the Week awards in the same season since John Petty Jr. was honored twice during the 2017-18 season.
- Ellis was considered one of the top two-way players in the SEC, earning all-defensive honors this season. For the year, Ellis ranked 5th in steals (1.9 spg) and is 14th in rebounding (6.1 rpg) while also averaging 12.1 ppg. Ellis finished the season leading the team in total +/- numbers (+87) and ranked sixth in the conference with an average of +9.4 per 40 minutes.
- Ellis not only shined on the defensive end of the floor, bur he also finished the season leading the SEC in free throw percentage at 88.1 percent on the season, missing just 12 of his 101 attempts from the charity stripe this season (89-of-101). That number not only led the SEC, but also ranked No. 24 in the nation. In fact, Ellis' free throw percentage ranked No. 5 in the school record books and is the best in a single year since Justin Coleman averaged 89.0 percent in 2015-16.
- Transfer Nimari Burnett suffered a knee injury that kept him sidelined for the 2021-22 season. Prior to that, he played in 12 games at Texas Tech during the 2020-21 campaign before transferring to Alabama in the summer of 2021. The 6-4 shooting guard was a McDonald's All-America and five-star prospect according to ESPN and a four-star by Rivals and 247sports
Back-to-Back NCAA Tournaments
- Alabama earned the No. 6 seed in the West Region of the 2022 NCAA Tournament, which marked the second consecutive season the Crimson Tide has earned a spot in the Big Dance.
- It is the first time in 16 years that Alabama has achieved back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, dating back to the 2005, 2006 campaign.
- After earning a No. 2 seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, it is the first time in 30 years that Alabama has garnered a No. 6 seed or better in back-to-back years. The last time it occurred came in 1991 (No. 4) and 1992 (No. 5).
- The tournament is the 22nd in Alabama's program history, with the Tide owning an overall NCAA Tournament record of 21-21 (.500). Last season, UA earned the No. 2 seed and reached the Sweet 16 for the eighth time in program history.
Nation's No. 1-Ranked Schedule
- For the first time in program history, Alabama finished the season with the consensus No. 1-ranked strength of schedule, including average opponent NET ranking, KenPom.com, ESPN BPI, Sagarin rankings and RealTimeRPI.
- Of Alabama's 33 games played this season, a total of 17 contests (14 teams) came against teams that reached the NCAA Tournament with the Tide holding a 9-8 (.529) record. UA defeated a pair of No. 1 seeds (Gonzaga and Baylor) on the season, along with No. 3 seed Tennessee, No. 4 seed Arkansas and No. 5 seed Houston.
- When factoring in the four teams UA played that made the NIT, Alabama's 33-game schedule included 22 contests (18 teams) that reached postseason play.
- The Tide's non-conference schedule consists of three of the 2021 NCAA Final Four teams – each of which Alabama defeated on the season – in Gonzaga (won, 91-82), Houston (won, 83-82) and Baylor (won, 87-78)
- Alabama faced nine ranked opponents on the season, all of which were ranked inside the AP Top 15 at the time the contest was played. The Crimson Tide finished with a 5-4 record in those games.
- UA faced six teams ranked in the AP Top-5 during the regular season, which matches the 2012-13 Ohio State team as the most top-five opponents played by any program in the regular season in the Associated Press poll-era.
- Additionally, the Tide played one of the toughest stretches in college basketball in nearly 15 years having faced three consecutive teams that were ranked in the Associated Press Top-5 (No. 4 Baylor on Jen. 29, No. 1 Auburn on Feb. 1 and No. 5 Kentucky on Feb. 5). It was the first time since the 2008-09 season that any Division I team faced three-straight AP Top-5 teams (Rutgers).
- Among the ranked teams the Tide defeated were then-No. 3 Gonzaga on Dec. 4 (91-82), then-No. 14 Houston on Dec. 11 (83-82), then-No. 14 Tennessee on Dec. 29Â (73-67), No. 13 LSU on Jan. 19 (70-67) and then-No. 4 Baylor (87-78).
Nation's Best Backcourt?
- The Alabama backcourt of All-SEC performer Jaden Shackelford, Jahvon Quinerly, SEC All-Defensive Team honoree Keon Ellis and SEC All-Freshman Team selection JD Davison lived up to its preseason hype of one of the top backcourts in the SEC
- Both Shackelford (Jerry West) and Quinerly (Bob Cousy) were each named to preseason national watch lists, Ellis was a JUCO All-American and Davison was a McDonald's All-American and one of the top players to ever sign at Alabama
- The SEC recognized both Shackelford and Davison (twice) as the league's player and freshman of the week for the week, respectively.
Top Scoring Duo
- The duo of Jaden Shackelford and Jahvon Quinerly formed quite the offensive duo in the league. The combination ranked as the third-highest scoring pair in the conference.
- Shackelford (16.6 ppg) and Quinerly (13.8) combined to account for 30.4 points per game, trailing Vanderbilt's Scottie Pippen Jr. and Jordan Wright (32.7) and LSU's Tari Eason and Darius Day (30.6) in points per game average.
