3 potential bracket busters to watch this weekend

Alabama Crimson Tide (19-14) | Tournament Odds: 40/1

Alabama has gone from dominant to pedestrian at various junctures this season. It started the season on a five-game win streak then closed it out on a five-game losing streak. In between, the Crimson Tide have beaten Auburn twice, manhandled Tennessee and taken down Oklahoma in a matchup of two of the best guards in the country.

Since losing five straight with their season circling the drain, they’ve won back to back games over tournament teams in Texas A&M and Auburn to stay alive in the SEC tournament. In those two games, freshman point guard and potential lottery pick Colin Sexton has gone for 27 and 31 points.

Sexton was a first team All-SEC selection, finishing second in the conference in points at 19 per game. He scored 20 or more in 13 games including a 40-point performance against Minnesota earlier this season. As prolific a scorer as he is, he’s also one of the best perimeter defenders in college basketball and a much better passer and facilitator than his 3.6 assists per game would suggest.

While the Crimson Tide’s season is likely to last as long as Sexton allows it, he’ll need some help from fellow guards Dazon Ingram and John Petty. Ingram and Petty are tied for second on the team in minutes and average 10.1 and 9.9 points per game, respectively. Petty, also a freshman, has gone for 27 and 30 in games this seasons but has struggled with consistency and shot only 26 percent in Bama’s last seven games. Ingram, a sophomore, doesn’t have the ceiling that Petty has but has been much more consistent. The Tide are 9-1 in games when Petty scores 13 or more.

Alabama is a guard-dominated team but junior forward Donta Hall has been a crucial piece as the team’s best inside presence. At 10.9 points and 6.8 boards per game, he’s the team’s second leading scorer and leading rebounder. Hall exited early after a hard fall in the Alabama’s win over Auburn on Friday and his status for the rest of the tournament is uncertain. Losing him would be a major blow to Alabama’s SEC and NCAA Tournament chances but not necessarily a fatal blow.

Bama is still on the bubble but has likely played itself in with tournament wins over Auburn and A&M. To make a run, it’ll need contributions from guards other than Sexton, especially if Hall’s injury lingers into next week. But Sexton is good enough to carry his team on a deep run and he makes Alabama the kind of eight- or nine-seed that no top seed will want to face in the second round.