Alabama men’s basketball could secure its March Madness berth this week by winning the Southeastern Conference tournament. Even if the odds-on favorites (+170 via DraftKings) don’t win it all in Nashville, Tenn., the Crimson Tide is still amid one of its most successful runs in program history and was recognized by the SEC on Monday with multiple awards.

Nate Oats and co. have likely done enough to enter the NCAA Tournament. But assuming Alabama’s cold stretch lingers into a shocking upset on March 10, could its No. 1 seed be at risk?

History should favor the Crimson Tide even if it loses two straight for the first time. Of the 20 top seeds in the last five years (discounting 2020′s pandemic-shortened run), half lost a game in their conference tournament. Kansas in 2018 and Baylor in 2022 dropped their playoff opener and still went on to be the No. 1 team in their quarter of the bracket. However, unlike the Tide, Kansas and Baylor didn’t end the regular season with a loss but with winning streaks.

Alabama has an extensive list of off-the-court questions — centered on the Jan. 15 shooting involving three players, one of which was arrested and dismissed from the team — and on the court has struggled offensively in late-February games. The team’s field-goal percentage hasn’t been better than 46% since routing Georgia on Feb. 18. Oats agreed the recent slump is concerning and pledged to spend more practice time in the gym on jump shot techniques.

“The way we play it certainly helps to make shots,” Oats said on Saturday. “I didn’t realize it was that…we’re 25 out of 116 in the last four games? Not shocking, I knew we haven’t shot it well but we’ve got a week, six days before we play again. We’ll get back in the gym and get it fixed.”

The defeat to Texas A&M on Saturday dropped Alabama to No. 4 in the Associated Press poll. Ken Pomeroy’s rankings place the Tide third overall and Tennesee fifth, potentially giving the Volunteers a window to overtake. ESPN’s bracketologist Joe Lunardi kept Alabama as one-seed in the South Region despite the 67-61 defeat and string of close games, placing Alabama’s initial two rounds in Birmingham’s Legacy Arena.

Alabama’s opponent in Nashville will be the winner of the Mississippi State-Florida game on Thursday. The Tide is 3-0 against the Bulldogs and Gators this season. It beat Mississippi State by 12 points across two games but shot the ball poorly from 3-point range. Alabama routed Florida in Coleman Coliseum on Feb. 18, 97-69.

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Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].