This is an opinion column.

Alabama has never been to the Final Four, but if I may be so bold, never ends in April. On the first day of April, to be precise, they will play the national semifinals in Houston, and this is no April Fools’ joke. I believe with every fiber of my being and every fiber of Wimp’s amazing technicolor plaid coats that the Crimson Tide will be in the house. On the floor. Where they have never been before.

Call me a prisoner of the moment, and book me a room in the Hyatt Recency, but after what happened Saturday in Tuscaloosa, I’ve seen enough. Nick Saban, the GOAT, was nothing but a fan. John Calipari, the Hall of Famer, was at a loss. Nate Oats, everyone’s favorite former math teacher, was the boss.

You don’t have to be on a first-name basis with everyone from Leon Douglas to Mike Davis to Richard Hendrix to know this is one of the most talented teams in Alabama’s proud basketball history. You didn’t have to be there on Feb. 17, 1990, when Wimp took revenge on Rick Pitino by 25 to understand that you can’t make a similar statement about this Kentucky team, but let’s get real.

Alabama 78, Kentucky 52 made a statement all its own. It was the Tide’s biggest blowout ever against the ‘Cats, surpassing that 1990 victory by one. At its widest, the lead ballooned to 31, and the 26-point final margin was that close only because UK threw in a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

“Most times you’re not as good as you think or as bad as you think,” Calipari said, searching for philosophical solace. “Let’s just hope we’re not as bad as we looked today.”