As brackets get filled out nationwide, Alabama will focus on Dayton for Tuesday night’s matchup between dual 16-seeds Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Southeast Missouri State. The winner will move on to play coach Nate Oats and co. on Thursday, March 16. But what about the big picture?

The Crimson Tide’s path to its first NCAA Tournament Final Four will start locally in Birmingham, passing through Louisville and ending in Houston. Nate Oats and co. are the second odds-on favorite per The Lines, a +650 bet compared to Houston’s +475. There’s a chance Alabama gets a chance to double-up on a Dec. 10 win against the Cougars, who also start in Birmingham, but that would have come in the national championship.

When scouting potential opponents second round and beyond, it’s hard to find an early-round upset. The Crimson Tide returned to mid-season form in Nashville, leading to some players thinking the Tide is at its peak currently.

“I think we’re proving you can play fast, you can play a modern style in college, up-tempo, shooting a lot of threes. As long as your defense is where it needs to be, you can win. Very distinctly different groups. I like this group. I think we’re third in the country in defense, just like the group two years ago. We have a little bit more offensive firepower, a little bit more versatility, a little more depth. We don’t have Herb Jones on defense, but we got Charles. We have better rim protection. I think you saw how good we can be on defense when everybody’s locked in,” Oats said after the Tide won its 17th SEC championship against Texas A&M.

RELATED: Alabama basketball assistant to become Georgia Southern head coach per reports

Goodman: Family of Jamea Harris can’t avoid Alabama basketball

In the round of 32, which will be played on Saturday, March 18, either 21-win Maryland or 19-win West Virginia will win the battle of eight- and nine-seeds. The Tide knocked off the Terrapins in 2021 to reach the Sweet 16, then led by Jaden Shackleford. Alabama last played West Virginia in men’s basketball in 1954, a Tide victory.

Maryland is 35th in adjusted-offensive efficiency and the Mountaineers rank 15th (117.1 points per 100 possessions). Alabama proved in Nashville its defense can smother elite offenses and force a team into its weakness. The Terrapins are 255th nationally in 3-point shooting (32.7%) compared to West Virginia’s 35.2%, ranked 119th. Assuming Alabama can avoid following in No. 1-seed Virginia’s footsteps and beat a 16-seed, its next round wouldn’t offer an unfavorable draw either way.

Looking ahead to the Sweet 16, assuming the favorites beat its lower-seeded counterparts in Orlando, Alabama could find itself in two intriguing matchups against four-seed Virginia or five-seed San Diego State.

Tony Bennett’s group is the No. 16 overall seed per the selection committee and could play the type of low-scoring, slog of a game that has limited Alabama’s tempo at times this year. The turnover margin would be paramount if the Tide found itself against Virginia. SDSU is being tabbed for a potential upset in the first round against 12-seed, 31-win College of Charleston. But San Diego State features a top-10 defense per KenPom and could give Alabama a test if shooting the 3-pointer remains inconsistent.

Forecasting the Elite 8 is more unpredictable, but there is a potential rematch against seven-seed Missouri. The Tigers, which put up the toughest fight against Alabama in the SEC tournament, would need to beat Utah State, then knock off two-seed Arizona and potentially six-seed Creighton or three-seed Baylor in Louisville.

But to consider the likely contenders for the South region crown, it’ll likely come down to the Tide, Wildcats and Bears. Arizona and Baylor is ranked 10th and 15th, respectively, in KenPom’s overall rankings. Baylor played one of the toughest schedules in the country and scored 77.3 points per game. Led by guards Adam Flagler and Keyonte George, Baylor could match up similarly to Texas A&M, the last team to beat Alabama.

The Wildcats, meanwhile, shoot the 3-ball better than Alabama (37.7) and features four scorers who average at least double-digit points. Further complicating that matchup for Alabama is 6-foot-11 junior Azuolas Tubelis. Earlier this season, Oats noted the Tide’s struggles to guard bigs.

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