For years, the “way-too-early” top-25 polls released hours after the NCAA men’s basketball national championship game were of little use to Alabama fans.

But as the Tide has established itself as one of the winningest programs in college basketball the past three seasons — its 76 wins are tied with Purdue as 10th-most in Division I over that span — Alabama has found itself ranked in the look-ahead polls each spring.

That was true again Tuesday as Alabama was widely included in the 2023-24 preseason top-25 projections from major outlets.

Alabama will lose leading scorer Brandon Miller to the NBA draft this summer and has three other players who declared in forward Noah Clowney, guard Jahvon Quinerly and center Charles Bediako. Both Quinerly and Bediako have made it clear they are retaining eligibility to possibly return next season.

In addition to its four freshmen, Alabama will gain former Georgia, Shelton State and Wichita State forward Jaykwon Walton from the transfer portal and could add others in the coming weeks. It has lost one player to the transfer portal in Nimari Burnett.

In terms of betting odds, newly-minted champion UConn was installed as the 12-1 favorite to win the title again next season by Caesars Sports book, as reported by ESPN. However, DraftKings odds from TheLines.com list Duke as the favorite at +1000, with Alabama tied for the seventh-shortest odds at +2000 along with North Carolina, Arizona and Michigan State.

Here is a look at early 2023-24 top-25 projections from major outlets:

No. 11 — ESPN (Jeff Borzello): “Brandon Miller and Noah Clowney are off to the NBA, Jahvon Quinerly leads a group of departing seniors and Nimari Burnett is heading to Michigan. But Nate Oats has already been busy in the portal, landing Wichita State transfer Jaykwon Walton. He’s also bringing back Jaden Bradley, Mark Sears, Charles Bediako, Rylan Griffen and Nick Pringle. from a team ranked No. 1 entering the NCAA tournament.”

No. 7 — CBS Sports (Gary Parrish): “This ranking is based on the Crimson Tide returning six of the top eight scorers – among them Jahvon Quinerly and Charles Bediako, both of whom are projected to eventually withdraw from the NBA Draft – from a team that won the SEC regular-season title and the SEC Tournament before securing the No. 1 overall seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Alabama should be the favorite to repeat as SEC champions.”

No. 16 — The Athletic (Seth Davis): “Miller, Bediako, Quinerly and Clowney have declared for the draft, but only Miller is fogoing his eligibility. Clowney is projected high enough to stay in, but Bediako is not. Quinerly could play another year in college if he wants. Burnett is transferring to Michigan. It’s also possible Bradley will test the waters, but if he comes back he will give the starting lineup a terrific foundation at the point. Walton averaged 13.9 points last season for Wichita State, but because this is his second transfer (he played his first two years at Georgia), he will need a waiver from the NCAA in order to play next season. Walters and Parker are the only recruits ranked in the top 100 in the 247Sports Composite.”

No. 13 — Stadium (Jeff Goodman): “Obviously, the Tide will lose Brandon Miller to the NBA. They will also likely lose Noah Clowney, but look for Jahvon Quinerly and Mark Sears to return. Nate Oats will also have Rylan Griffen, Wichita State transfer Jaykwon Walton and likely Charles Bediako back up front.”

No. 8 — College Hoops Today (Jon Rothstein)

No. 10 — FOX Sports (John Fanta): “Brandon Miller is gone, but there are still several expected returnees for the Tide. Mark Sears and Jaden Bradley are expected to be back, and Charles Bediako should return. A key question is what’s next for Jahvon Quinerly, who is testing the waters. Look for Nate Oats to get into the portal as well, but there’s enough on this roster to buy the Tide as top-15 worthy.”

No. 6 — USA Today (Erick Smith, Eddie Timanus and Paul Myerberg): “The starting lineup for the Tide could look very different next year. Brandon Miller is off to the NBA and Noah Clowney will join him. There could be further departures with big man Charles Bediako and super sub Jahvon Quinerly testing the waters. But Nate Oats will have plenty of talent left to keep the Crimson Tide rolling. Sharpshooter Mark Sears will lead the perimeter scorers, and there will be newcomers to fill spots.”

No. 12 — Sports Illustrated (Kevin Sweeney): “Plenty of turnover looms this offseason for the No. 1 overall seed in this past tournament. The Tide can expect to lose starters Brandon Miller and Noah Clowney, plus they have lost a pair of assistants to head coaching jobs in X&O tactician Charlie Henry (Georgia Southern) and ace recruiter Bryan Hodgson (Arkansas State). Still, expect jumps from role players like Mark Sears, Charles Bediako, Jaden Bradley and Rylan Griffen, and for the Tide to be among the SEC’s best yet again.”

No. 9 — Sporting News (Mike DeCourcy): “The Crimson Tide will be searching for a true No. 1 scoring option with freshman Brandon Miller expected to depart for the opportunity to be an NBA lottery pick, but it might more problematic for opponents searching for a way to score baskets against the Alabama defense.”

No. 7 — Washington Post (Patrick Stevens): “This year’s top overall seed definitely is losing Brandon Miller to the NBA draft, but the Crimson Tide had depth on their side all season. Alabama’s prospects could brighten if guard Jahvon Quinerly withdraws from the draft, and this placement assumes he will be back. Nate Oats’s teams have become known for their occasional barrage of three-pointers, but defense is likely to be the Crimson Tide’s hallmark next season.”

No. 15 — 247 Sports (Kevin Flaherty): “Both Jahvon Quinerly and Charles Bediako declared for the draft but said they were leaving things open for a return; we’d expect at least Bediako to return. And Alabama looks like it should have a pretty solid roster around him, with Jaden Bradley and Mark Sears at the guards, Rylan Griffen looking like a potential star and the addition of Jaykwon Walton from Wichita State. Nate Oats and company should get after it in the portal as well.”

Mike Rodak is an Alabama beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @mikerodak.